Seward's Folly By Joyce Furstenau 1 The definition for folly is "acting stupidly or rashly." Many Americans called the purchase of the Alaskan Territory in 1867 "Seward's Folly." The Secretary of State at that time was William H. Seward. He purchased the territory from Russia for the tidy sum of $7,200,000. That may seem like a lot of money, but it bought an area twice the size of Texas. 2 Seward was an expansionist. That means he believed America should expand her holdings, especially in the west. The Civil War had just ended. Russia was having financial problems. It was afraid it that it could lose its North American holdings to the British. The Russian czar thought if he offered the Alaskan territory up for sale, he could start a bidding war between America and Great Britain, but Britain wasn't interested. The treaty was signed at 4 o'clock in the morning on March 30, 1867. For the sum of $7,200,000, which is about 1.9¢ per acre, America became the owner of the Alaskan Territory. 3 At the time, most Americans favored the purchase, but the newspapers published criticism of the decision. It was called a "frozen wilderness." Newspapers said it was too far away from the United States to be regulated. The New York World called it a "sucked orange." Editorials said it contained nothing of value except fur-bearing animals. Horace Greeley wrote, "The country would be not worth taking as a gift.... Unless gold were found in the country..." The territory was called "Seward's folly," "Seward's icebox," and "Andrew Johnson's polar bear garden" by the press. They believed the region was too far away to be worth anything to the United States. 4 The United States Senate ratified the treaty on April 9, 1867. At that time there were thirty-six states in the Union. The transfer ceremony took place on October 18, 1867 in Sitka. The value of the Alaska purchase turned out to be many times greater than what the United States had paid for it. The land turned out to be rich in resources, especially oil and natural gas. Prudhoe Bay, on the northern Alaskan coast, is America's largest oil field. 5 Alaska became the forty-ninth state to join the Union on January 3, 1959. It is often referred to as "America's last frontier." Alaska Day is observed statewide each year on October 18. Alaskan schools release students early. Most businesses close for the day, and parades and reenactments of the flag raising are held. Seward's Day is also a legal holiday in Alaska. It falls on the last Monday in March. It commemorates the signing of the Alaska Purchase treaty on March 30, 1867. Copyright © 2014 edHelper Name _____________________________ Date ___________________ Seward's Folly 1. What does the term "folly" mean as 2. Who was William H. Seward? used in this article? The man who invented the septic tank. The man who became Vice President after Lincoln. The man who shot Abraham Lincoln. The man who brought about the purchase of Alaska. 3. How much was the purchase price 4. Which of these nicknames was also for Alaska? given to Alaska? The Alaskan Gold Rush The Arctic Abomination Seward's Last Stand Johnson's Polar Bear Garden 5. On what date is Alaska Day observed 6. When did Alaska become a state? in Alaska each year? November 18 October 18 March 30 April 30 .