As a descendant of the Eskimos of Inupiaq, I have lived and studied this story all my life. In a way, there are two stories about how Alaska became American — and two perspectives. One of them is how the Russians « took possession » of Alaska and eventually ceded it to the United States. The other is from the perspective of my people, who have lived in Alaska for thousands of years and for whom the anniversary of the surrender brings mixed feelings, including immense losses, but also optimism. On June 3, 1942, the Japanese launched an air raid on Dutch Harbor, a U.S. naval base on Unalaska Island, but were repulsed by U.S. forces. A few days later, the Japanese landed on the islands of Kiska and Attu, where they overwhelmed the villagers of Attu.[12] The villagers were taken to Japan, where they were interned for the rest of the war. The Aleutian Islands of the villages of Pribilofs and the Aleutian Islands were evacuated from the United States to southeastern Alaska. Many suffered there during their two-year detention, and the federal government responsible for caring for them provided them with inadequate health care, food and shelter. In 1788, Esteban José Martínez and Gonzalo López de Haro visited the Russian colonies of Unalaska.[13] [6] But there is an alternative version of this story.

Alaska`s history dates back to the Upper Paleolithic (about 14,000 BC), when food groups crossed the Bering Land Bridge in what is now western Alaska. At the time of European contact by Russian explorers, the area was inhabited by Alaskan Indian groups. The name « Alaska » is derived from the Aleutian word Alaxsxaq (also spelled Alyeska), which means « continent » (literally « the object on which the action of the sea is directed »). [1] So it was clear that the Russians were ready to sell, but what motivated the Americans to want to buy? In the Aleutian Islands alone, the Russians enslaved or killed thousands of Aleutian Islands. Its population fell to 1,500 in the first 50 years of russian occupation due to a combination of war, disease and slavery. With this check, the United States bought Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million. Although Bering`s second expedition to Kamchatka was a disaster for him personally, as the inclement weather of the return journey led to a shipwreck on one of the westernmost Aleutian Islands and eventually to his death by scurvy in December 1741, it was an incredible success for Russia. The surviving crew repaired the ship, filled it with hundreds of sea otters, foxes and fur seals that were abundant there, and returned to Siberia and impressed the Russian fur hunters with their precious cargo. This led to something like the Klondike Gold Rush 150 years later.

On March 27, 1964, the Good Friday earthquake shook south-central Alaska and shook the Earth for four minutes with a magnitude of 9.2. The earthquake was one of the strongest on record, killing 139 people. [19] Most of them were drowned by the tsunamis that tore apart the cities of Valdez and Chenega. Throughout the Prince William Strait area, cities and harbours were destroyed and land was raised or demolished. Buoyancy destroyed salmon streams, as fish could no longer jump over the various newly created barriers to reach their spawning grounds. The ports of Valdez and Cordoba could no longer be repaired and the fires destroyed what the mudslides did not have. In Valdez, an Alaska Steamship Company ship was lifted by a huge wave over the docks and at sea, but most of the hands survived. At turnagain Arm, in front of Cook Inlet, incoming water destroyed the trees and caused the huts to sink into the mud. On Kodiak, a tsunami wiped out the villages of Afognak, Old Harbor and Kaguyak and damaged other communities, while Seward lost its port. Despite the scale of the disaster, Alaskans have rebuilt many communities. In addition, Alaska was too far north to allow significant agriculture, and therefore unfavorable as a place to send large numbers of settlers. So they began to explore countries further south, initially looking only for people to trade with so they could import food that wouldn`t grow in Alaska`s harsh climate.

They sent ships to present-day California, established trade relations with the Spanish, and eventually established their own colony at Fort Ross in 1812. Although the mid-19th century was not a good time for Russians in Alaska, conditions improved for Alaska Natives who had survived contact. The Tlingit were never conquered and waged war against the Russians until the 1850s. Although the Aleutian Islands experienced a population decline in the 1840s, they eventually recovered. ARTICLE IV. His Majesty the Emperor of all Russian Federations appoints, by cheap shipment, one or more agents to officially hand over to one or more similar agents appointed on behalf of the United States the territory, dominion, property, dependencies and accessories described above and to take any other action, which may be necessary in this regard. But the assignment, with the right of immediate possession, must nevertheless be considered complete and absolute when exchanging ratifications, without waiting for such a formal delivery. Alaska has no counties, unlike any other U.S. state except Louisiana. (Louisiana has parishes). Instead, it is divided into 16 districts and a « disorganized district » consisting of all land that does not belong to a district. The boroughs have organized region-wide governments, but in the disorganized borough, where there is no such government, services are provided by the state.

The disorganized district is divided into census zones artificially created by the U.S. Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. [Neutrality is controversial] Despite the relatively small number of Russians living in one of their colonies at any given time – mainly in the Aleutian Islands, Kodiak, the Kenai Peninsula and Sitka – they ruled with an iron fist over the indigenous population of their territories, took hostage the children of the rulers, destroyed kayaks and other hunting equipment to control men, and have demonstrated extreme violence when needed. Done at Washington, this thirtieth day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven. Our editors will review what you have submitted and decide if you want to review the article. At the height of Russian America, the Russian population reached 700 inhabitants. On March 30, 1867, the United States agreed to buy Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million. The treaty with Russia was negotiated and signed by Secretary of State William Seward and Russian Minister in the United States, Edouard de Stoeckl. Critics of the Alaska purchase deal called it « Seward`s madness » or « Seward`s cooler. » Opposition to the Alaska purchase faded with the Klondike Gold Strike of 1896. Alaska Natives, for their part, claimed that they still owned the territory as original inhabitants and that they had not lost the land during the war or ceded to any land – including the United States, which technically did not buy it from the Russians, but bought the right to negotiate with the native population.

Nevertheless, Native Americans were denied U.S. citizenship until 1924, when the Indian Citizenship Act was passed. « Our population is destined to launch resilient waves towards the northern ice shelves and meet Eastern civilization on the shores of the Pacific. While a treaty between the United States of America and His Majesty the Emperor of all Russian Federations was concluded and signed by their respective plenipotentiaries in the city of Washington on the thirtieth day of march, the treaty in English and French is word for word the following: When the Americans took power, the United States was still involved in its Indian wars, so it saw Alaska and its Native Americans as potential adversaries. Alaska was transformed into a military district by General Ulysses S. Grant and General Jefferson C. Davis was appointed as the new commander. The United States bought Alaska from Russia in 1867.