How did Americans respond after US bought Alaska?

- Supporters

> - William Seward: He was the Secretary of State under President Andrew Johnson who negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia. Seward believed that Alaska would be a valuable addition to the United States, providing a strategic foothold in the North Pacific and access to its rich natural resources.

> - Conservationist: They see the purchase as an opportunity to preserve the vast wilderness and natural resources of Alaska for future generations. This group believed that the purchase of Alaska was a wise investment that would benefit the nation in the long term.

- Critics/Opposition

> - Critics derisively called it "Seward's Folly " or "Seward's Icebox" and questioned the wisdom of spending $7.2 million on a "frozen wasteland". They argued that the land was useless, barren, and too remote to be of any value.

> - Senators Charles Sumner was initially an opponent but later supported the purchase on the grounds that Alaska could serve as a source of timber, minerals, and fish; a potential market for American goods, a base for military and naval operations; and a refuge for freed slaves.

> - General Robert E. Lee also initially opposed the purchase. However, after learning more about Alaska's resources and strategic importance, he changed his mind and wrote to President Johnson, strongly supporting the purchase.

> - The New York Times wrote that the purchase was a "gigantic blunder" and it is "impossible to imagine what could ever compensate the United States for such an outlay".

> - The Chicago Tribune called it a "national folly" and an "absurd and reckless waste of public money".

- Long Term Impact

> - The discovery of gold in the Klondike region of Alaska in 1896 sparked and intense gold rush, further highlighting Alaska's economic potential and validating Seward's foresight in purchasing it.

> - The Statehood Act was passed in 1958 and effective January 3, Alaska officially became the 49th state of the United States.