History of the United States II / Unit 7 USH2 0903 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Seward's Folly
Captions available
The idea
In eighteen sixty-seven Secretary of State William Seward bought Alaska from Russia, about six hundred thousand square miles, for seven point two million dollars.
In practice
The Treasury's cancelled check for the purchase, now held by the National Archives.
Where people slip
Newspaper editors mocked it as Seward's Folly, doubting it could be settled or governed. The anchor calls it a strategic boon.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
- Nothing. This is a starting point.
Unlocks
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