Alaska Purchase

E2450

The Alaska Purchase was the 1867 transaction in which the United States bought the Alaska territory from the Russian Empire, significantly expanding U.S. land holdings in North America.

Try in SPARQL Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

All labels observed (14)

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf historical event
international treaty
territorial acquisition
alsoKnownAs The Last Frontier
surface form: Seward’s Folly

Seward’s Icebox
Alaska Purchase
surface form: Treaty concerning the Cession of the Russian Possessions in North America by His Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias to the United States of America
areaTransferred about 1.52 million square kilometers
about 586412 square miles
buyer United States of America
buyerHeadOfState Andrew Johnson
continent North America
currency US dollar
surface form: United States dollar
dateSigned 1867-03-30
domesticOppositionInBuyer criticism in the United States press
skepticism in the United States Congress
economicSignificance access to natural resources in Alaska
initialPublicPerception widely viewed as a waste of money by many Americans
languageOfTreaty English
French
Russian
laterPerception recognized as a strategically and economically valuable acquisition
legalForm treaty
locationOfSigning Washington, D.C.
motivatedBy Russian fear of losing Alaska to Britain in a future war
Russian financial difficulties
United States interest in Pacific and Arctic expansion
negotiatedBy Eduard de Stoeckl
William H. Seward
predecessorTerritorialStatus Russian Empire
surface form: Russian America
purchasePrice 7200000 United States dollars
purchasePricePerAcre 0.02 United States dollars
ratificationDate 1867-04-09
ratificationVote 37–2 in the United States Senate
ratifiedBy United States Senate
resultedIn expansion of United States territory in North America
transfer of sovereignty over Alaska from Russia to the United States
seller Russian Empire
sellerHeadOfState Alexander II of Russia
signedForBuyerBy William H. Seward
signedForSellerBy Eduard de Stoeckl
strategicSignificance control of North Pacific approaches
successorTerritorialStatus District of Alaska
surface form: Alaska Territory

United States Department of the Interior
surface form: Department of Alaska

District of Alaska
tookEffectOn 1867-10-18
transferredTerritory Alaska
ultimateOutcome statehood of Alaska in 1959
year 1867

Referenced by (28)

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

Alaska purchaseName Alaska Purchase
Alaska Purchase alsoKnownAs Alaska Purchase
this entity surface form: Treaty concerning the Cession of the Russian Possessions in North America by His Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias to the United States of America
Seward’s Icebox refersTo Alaska Purchase
this entity surface form: United States acquisition of Alaska
Seward’s Icebox appliedToEvent Alaska Purchase
Seward’s Icebox linkedEvent Alaska Purchase
this entity surface form: 1867 Alaska Purchase treaty
District of Alaska establishedBy Alaska Purchase
this entity surface form: Treaty of Cession (Alaska Purchase)
Eduard de Stoeckl participatedIn Alaska Purchase
United States territorial expansion significantEvent Alaska Purchase
this entity surface form: Alaska Purchase treaty
William H. Seward notableEvent Alaska Purchase
William H. Seward signedTreaty Alaska Purchase
this entity surface form: Treaty with Russia for the Purchase of Alaska
William H. Seward nickname Alaska Purchase
this entity surface form: Seward's Folly (for the Alaska Purchase)
Alaska Natives historicalEvent Alaska Purchase
Alaska Statehood Act territoryPreviouslyAcquiredBy Alaska Purchase
this entity surface form: Alaska Purchase from Russia
Alaska was economically worthless associatedWithEvent Alaska Purchase
this entity surface form: Alaska Purchase of 1867
Novo-Arkhangelsk usedAsNameUntilEvent Alaska Purchase
Organic Act of Alaska followed Alaska Purchase
this entity surface form: Alaska Purchase of 1867
Organic Act of Alaska relatedTo Alaska Purchase
Russian America (northwest) saleTreaty Alaska Purchase
subject surface form: Russian America
this entity surface form: Treaty of Cession (1867)
Russian Alaska endCause Alaska Purchase
Russian Alaska significantEvent Alaska Purchase
this entity surface form: Alaska Purchase treaty
Russian Alaska treaty Alaska Purchase
this entity surface form: Treaty of Cession of 1867
Baranov Island transferredTo Alaska Purchase
this entity surface form: United States in Alaska Purchase
Seward's Folly refersTo Alaska Purchase
Seward's Folly appliedTo Alaska Purchase
this entity surface form: purchase of Alaska
Seward's Folly criticized Alaska Purchase