Seward’s Icebox

E12895

historical nickname pejorative term

Seward’s Icebox is a derisive 19th-century nickname for the U.S. acquisition of Alaska, mocking Secretary of State William H. Seward’s purchase as a frozen, worthless wasteland.

Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

Observed surface forms (3)

Surface form	Occurrences
Seward's Icebox	1
Seward’s Ice Box	1
Seward’s Ice-box	1

Statements (31)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	historical nickname ⓘ pejorative term ⓘ
alternativeForm	Seward’s Icebox self-linksurface differs ⓘ surface form: Seward’s Ice Box Seward’s Icebox self-linksurface differs ⓘ surface form: Seward’s Ice-box
appliedToEvent	Alaska Purchase ⓘ
associatedWithCountry	United States of America ⓘ surface form: United States
associatedWithRegion	Alaska ⓘ
criticizes	William H. Seward’s decision to purchase Alaska ⓘ
hasConnotation	derisive ⓘ mocking ⓘ
historicalContext	post–American Civil War expansion ⓘ
implies	Interior Alaska ⓘ surface form: Alaska was a frozen wasteland Alaska was economically worthless ⓘ
language	English ⓘ
laterPerception	inaccurate assessment of Alaska’s value ⓘ
linkedEvent	Alaska Purchase ⓘ surface form: 1867 Alaska Purchase treaty
namedAfter	William H. Seward ⓘ
perceivedValueAtTime	negative ⓘ
refersTo	Alaska ⓘ Alaska Purchase ⓘ surface form: United States acquisition of Alaska
relatedTerm	Polar Bear Garden ⓘ The Last Frontier ⓘ surface form: Seward’s Folly
relatesToPolicy	American foreign policy in the 19th century ⓘ U.S. territorial expansion ⓘ
subjectOf	19th-century American newspaper commentary ⓘ U.S. political cartoons ⓘ
targetsPerson	William H. Seward ⓘ
timeOfOrigin	late 1860s ⓘ
usedBy	critics of the Alaska Purchase ⓘ political opponents of William H. Seward ⓘ
usedInCentury	19th century ⓘ

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Alaska Purchase → alsoKnownAs → Seward’s Icebox ⓘ

Seward’s Icebox → alternativeForm → Seward’s Icebox self-linksurface differs ⓘ

this entity surface form: Seward’s Ice-box

Seward’s Icebox → alternativeForm → Seward’s Icebox self-linksurface differs ⓘ

this entity surface form: Seward’s Ice Box

Alaska was economically worthless → relatedToConcept → Seward’s Icebox ⓘ

this entity surface form: Seward's Icebox