How Did Americans Originally View the Purchase of Alaska?

When Secretary of State William Seward negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million—roughly two cents per acre—many Americans reacted with skepticism and ridicule. Critics derisively labeled the acquisition "Seward's Icebox," "Seward's Folly," and "Walrussia," questioning its economic and strategic value.

This backlash occurred against the backdrop of post-Civil War economic recession and social upheaval. The prevailing sentiment was that the remote, icy territory offered little immediate benefit to a nation focused on reconstruction. Of course, history would prove the skeptics spectacularly wrong, as Alaska's vast natural resources—gold, oil, timber, and fisheries—would eventually make it one of America's most valuable acquisitions.