Alaska Grades 6-8
Introduction
The United States purchased the Alaska territory in 1867 for $7.2 million. At that time, the purchase was very controversial and was ridiculed by many as “Seward’s Folly” or “Seward’s Icebox.” Most Americans couldn’t see why the United States would want this huge piece of land. Students will pretend they’re living in the 1860s and have educated themselves about Alaska geography. They’ll list the pros and cons of purchasing Alaska and write letters pretending they’re critics of Seward’s decision. They’ll then write paragraphs from the present-day perspective describing whether the purchase of Alaska was a “folly” or whether, as Seward predicted in 1867, it turned out to be a good purchase for the United States.
Time Frame: 2-3 class periods
Objectives and Standards
Students will:
• Label some prominent physical features on a map of Alaska. • List the pros and cons of the United States purchasing Alaska, pretending they’re living in the 1860s and basing their information on the Alaska thematic maps. • Research the purchase of Alaska. • Write letters pretending they disagree with Seward. • Write paragraphs explaining whether the purchase of Alaska turned out to be better than Seward’s detractors feared.
National Social Studies Standards:
• 2. Time, Continuity, and Change: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of the ways human beings view themselves in and over time. • 3: People, Places, and Environments: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of people, places, and environments.
National Geography Standards:
• 1: How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective. • 6: How culture and experience influence people’s perceptions of places and regions. • 7: The physical processes that shape the patterns on Earth’s surface. • 17: How to apply geography to interpret the past.
Maps and Materials Needed
Materials Needed:
• Alaska outline map with shaded relief: http://www.maps101.com/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=items&id= 2319:alaska&cid=109:states (one copy for each student or small group of students; download and print the PDF file) • Computer with Internet access
Additional Map Resources Used:
• Alaska physical map: http://www.maps101.com/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=items&id= 12808:alaska&cid=352:united-states • U.S. Expansion & the Alaska Purchase 1867: http://www.maps101.com/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=items&id= 2919:u.s.-expansion-&-the-alaska-purchase,-1867&cid=83:history • Alaska thematic map set: http://www.maps101.com/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=category& cid=265:state-thematic.
Refer to the following maps: • Average Annual Precipitation • Annual Temperature for January/July • Native Populations • Physical Geography • General History – 1741-1977 • United States Territorial Expansion: 1783-1898
Extension
Have students conduct further research on a specific period or aspect of Alaskan history, such as the native peoples who lived there before the Europeans came or the period of Russian dominance.
Procedure
1. Give students copies of the Alaska outline map with shaded relief (http://www.maps101.com/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=items&id =2319:alaska&cid=109:states), and ask them to label the following features (they can refer to the Alaska physical map: http://www.maps101.com/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=items&id= 12808:alaska&cid=352:united-states). Mt. McKinley (Denali) Kenai Peninsula Brooks Range Aleutian Islands Alaska Range Bering Sea Yukon River Bering Strait Seward Peninsula Arctic Ocean
2. Tell students that the Russians claimed Alaska until 1867, when the United States purchased the territory. Ask them to look at the following maps available in the Alaska thematic set (http://www.maps101.com/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=category &cid=265:state-thematic): Average Annual Precipitation, Annual Temperature for January/July, Native Populations, and Physical Geography. Have them pretend they’re living in the United States in the 1860s and assume that they’ve been able to learn the information about Alaska that they see on these maps. Have them list the pros and cons of the United States purchasing Alaska, based on what they know about the territory so far. 3. Have students research Alaska’s history to find out about the process by which the United States purchased Alaska from the Russians and the reasons for the purchase. They should make sure to find out what the terms “Seward’s Folly” and “Seward’s Icebox” signify. Refer them to the U.S. Expansion & the Alaska Purchase 1867 (http://www.maps101.com/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=items&id =2919:u.s.-expansion-&-the-alaska-purchase,-1867&cid=83:history) map. 4. Ask students to write brief (one page) letters pretending they disagree with Seward’s desire to purchase Alaska. Their letters should indicate what students think Seward’s detractors might have argued when they found out about the purchase. 5. Have students return to the present-day perspective and write one or two paragraphs describing whether the purchase of Alaska was a “folly” or whether, as Seward predicted in 1867, it turned out to be a good purchase for the United States. They should refer to as many of the Alaska thematic maps as they can in their paragraphs, including the two Alaska history maps: General History – 1741-1977 and United States Territorial Expansion: 1783-1898. If there’s time, they can conduct research on Alaskan history since the purchase and add this information to their paragraphs.
Assessment Suggestions
Check to make sure that students have:
• Accurately labeled the physical features on the Alaska outline map. • Referred to specific information on the Alaska thematic maps when listing the pros and cons of purchasing Alaska. • Written letters that reflect an understanding of “Seward’s Folly” and a thoughtful consideration of what Seward’s detractors might have said. • Written paragraphs reflecting a careful consideration of whether the purchase of Alaska has lived up to Seward’s expectations.