Russia Gained hold of Alaska when the explorer Vitus Bering landed there in the 1740’s.
The United States began expanding westward in the mid 1800’s. Along with the colonization of the west, some American politicians began to show interest in the Russian-owned territory of Alaska and all of its geological and political resources. Several political meetings throughout the world ensued, Along with a surge in Russian-American communication. In 1867, the territory of Alaska was purchased from Russia by the United States. (The Alaska Purchase and Russian-American Relations 12)
The location of Alaska (lying between the United States and Soviet Russia) made it a valuable bridge between North America and Asia. Rivalry between the two countries over the territory began when American whalers and fur traders began to travel westward and came in contact with Russian whalers and fur traders in the same area. The two countries ignored the squabbles for a few years, but eventually the complaints reached the ears of the officials and a treaty was made, followed by the instillation of several military outposts. (The Alaska Purchase and Russian-American Relations 23-25)
Along with its geographical value, Alaska was overflowing with natural resources and was mostly unexplored. Following the gold rush in California and Arizona, gold diggers began to reach westward, and soon discovered that the territory of Alaska held a massive quantity of gold. Native Alaskans Also maintained a large market in the fish, crustacean, and mollusk industry, drawing in a large profit for the country. It maintained its hold as the crab capital of the world, capturing and selling more crustaceans than any other place on earth. To put a header on the overflow of food and ...
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...st broke out into war on one occasion as the final price was being determined. At the end of the discussions, the 586,000 square miles of territory was finally sold for 7,200,000 U.S. dollars. (The Alaska Purchase and Russian-American Relations 3)
The complaints of the purchase of Alaska started to die down after lots of gold and oil was discovered there in 1860 and many immigrants began to travel to Alaska. The population of Alaska increased by 300% after those discoveries, and William Howard Seward made back his loss from the purchase of the territory in the next two years. Now Alaska has a thriving population, and it generates a large amount of income each year. It was a great financial investment for America, and has proven to be a great state. The territory of Alaska was turned into an official state of the United States of America in 1867. (The Alaskans 16)
Three pieces of evidence from the text that shows the motivation behind the “gold fever” is that at the time many Americans were earning low wages or either had no work. This means that people with a job or that earned a little bit of money wanted to find gold to be kind of rich. Another piece of evidence that I found was that people were rushing to the grocers, hardware merchants, and the clothiers. This means that the people wanted to get ready to go find gold, so they went to different shops to go get stuff like materials like footwear, gold pans, buckets, and more items. The thing that gave the people a reason to travel to Alaska in search of fortune is that when
The year of 1803 significantly changed our nation eternally. It stunned many people. In no way, shape or form, did we ever believe that our nation would expand so rapidly. What started with the small purchase of New Orleans led into the substantial purchase of the Louisiana Territory. This was a purchase that will make Thomas Jefferson a man to be remembered. Although, he wasn’t the only man who impacted the United States during this time period. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark are the two men that are greatly known for their expedition across the Louisiana Territory. These two subjects, the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition, altered our nation immeasurably.
Two issues during the early republic were the ratification of the Constitution and the purchase of the Louisiana Territory. The Constitution of the United States was written in 1787, yet there was a struggle for its ratification that went on until 1790. The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America in 1803.
The late 1800’s was a watershed moment for the United States, during which time the Industrial Revolution and the desire for expansion brought about through Manifest Destiny, began to run parallel. Following the end of the Spanish-American war, the United States found itself with a wealth of new territory ceded to it from the dying Spanish empire. The issue of what to do with these new lands became a source of debate all the way up to the U.S. Congress. Men like Albert J. Beveridge, a Senator from Indiana, advocated the annexation, but not necessarily the incorporation of these new l...
American imperialists had in mind to control the West Coast even before the Louisiana Purchase. “But no historian has yet dramatized the story of how Americans began, even before they acquired Louisiana, to view the ocean as their next frontier.” Acquiring the West Coast would give U.S shorter trading route to Asia than Europe had, and a path for further territorial expansion. At the same time, Americans would have controlled vast natural resources like gold and agricultural properties. In 1830s and 40s, w...
After the Mexican-American war, as the United States slipped into an antebellum period following the acquisition of California through the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, manifest destiny once again consumed the minds of numerous Americans. When, in 1849, gold was discovered near Sutter's Mill in California numerous "forty-niners" overcome with "gold fever" quickly rushed to California hoping to strike it rich. The California gold rush attracted tens of thousands of people which quickly overloaded the feeble territorial government with miscreants, thus creating a dire need for the swift establishment of an effective governmental system to replace the current system of vigilante justice. California soon applied for statehood as a free soil state and the issue of slavery once again surfaced in the forefront of political debate. The country was faced with a dilemma; should the state be admitted as a free soil state the south would be forced to forfeit their senatorial equilibrium, however allowing the state to have slaves would evoke the wrath of the radical abolitionists in New England. Sectionalism rapidly convulsed the nation as the south bonded together more tightly in defense of slavery, New England turned evermore to radical abolition, and the west remained attached to traditional democratic principles. The debates following the Mexican-American war greatly mirrored the perpetually increasing sectional divide between New Englanders, Westerners, and Southerners due primarily to popular sovereignty, extremists on both sides of the slavery issue, and controversial legislation and provisions.
Post Civil War, America was looking for new opportunities to become a stronger and more efficient nation. Though reconstruction collapsed, they took the opportunity of the Manifest Destiny to gain the territories of the Louisiana Purchase and the Mexican-American War and settle the west. With this expansion, it provided numerous opportunities for the people to gain success alongside the nation. The gold rush caused an increase in immigration that brought more people to the newly flourishing nation, and allowed the west coast to become settled as well as help the economy from the new wealth. The land that was gained in the Louisiana Purchase provided the Great Plains, where pioneers settled and ranching operations were run. Though it sadly pushed away the native tribes who originally lived there, throughout the gilded age the government has tried to return to them their land and rights – and gives them reparations today. All of which provided a basis to the American dream that gave the opportunity for a better life to many people. Towns and economy was...
To buy or not to buy, that is the question. Although it was the greatest “real estate” deal, the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 was perhaps one of the most controversial events in American History. President Thomas Jefferson, although he was a Founding Father and the primary writer of the Declaration of Independence, faced major opposition with his decision to purchase the Louisiana Territory from the French. Most of the opposition he faced, however, was domestic.
The Aroostook War never happened, but it certainly mattered. To the west, a few thousand New England militiamen walked north through Maine, some funding was appropriated, and one militiaman died of measles. To the east, New Brunswick moved some troops up the Saint John River and mobilized some local irregulars itself. Administrators of the disputed area from both sides were arrested, and confined, respectively, in Houlton and Fredericton. Fighting never broke out, and by the end of the winter of 1839, both American and colonial forces had withdrawn from the area. Daniel Webster and Lord Ashburton’s treaty in 1842 was mutually acceptable to both Britain and the United States, and by then Aroostook had faded from all but the most local newspaper headlines.
In 1803 the United States would make the largest and possibly most controversial land purchases in American history, the Louisiana Purchase. During the years leading up to this event the United States was still trying to solidify a national identity. There were two subjects that were causing for division of the new national identity, one being westward expansion. The Northern states and Federalists opposed the idea of westward expansion while the Southern States and the Jeffersonians backed this purchase. Although there was a struggle for a single national identity and this controversial purchase did not aid in finding that single identity, it was still the right decision for the United States. By purchasing this land from the French the United States would not share a colonial boundary with the French who were continuing to gain power under Napoleon. Purchasing the Louisiana Territory would prove to be beneficial for the United States for more reason than one.
...se having more land naturally meant having more space for the immigrants and new opportunities. When business expanded, it meant having more wealth for the business owner. After the annexation of Hawaii, the natural resources were enjoyed by both America and Hawaii. Despite the fact that Hawaii was annexed during the war with Spain as a strategic move, America took great care in the expansion of the island (Thurston 1897).
“Klondike Gold Rush Yukon Territory 1897.” Klondike Gold Rush Yukon Territory 1897. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.
There have been many discoveries that have shaped our nation as a whole. Discoveries have allowed our country to thrive and become one of the most powerful nations in the world. When we look back at our nation's rich history, it is clear to see that there was one discovery in particular that had a vast impact on the United States; the discovery was gold in California. It was in this vastly unoccupied territory that the American dream was forever changed and California emerged as a powerful state busting at the seams. The California Gold Rush shaped California into the state that it is today. California is defined by its promise of entrepreneurial success and its acceptance and encouragement of obtaining the American Dream.
The Louisiana Purchase began long before 1803 with conflicts between Spain, France, and the United States of America. One of many disputes began in 1754 with the beginning of the The French and Indian War, which was the result of ongoing frontier tensions between the French and the British, and ended with The Treaty of Paris in 1763. Great Britain’s victory at the end of the French and Indian War resulted in the writing and signing of the Treaty of Paris, 1763, which forced the French to surrender all of their North American territory. Until 1799, France had been controlled by a monarchy, but from 1789 to 1799 there was a revolution in France that led to the people seizing control of the government and placing Napoleon Bonaparte in charge.
Before the Gold rush, the United States was at war with Mexico over territory. If it had not been for the Treaty of Guadalupe in 1848 the United States might have turned out differently than it currently is today. The Treaty of Guadalupe was signed on February 2, 1848 and ended the Mexican-American war. Mexico transferred nearly half of their land to the U.S. (Rohrbough 12). Some Americans felt it was part of Manifest Destiny, especially by believer President James Polk (Smith, Orsi, and Rawls 26). The Treaty of Guadalupe guaranteed that any Mexican citizen in California who did not want to continue their allegiance to Mexico would within a year be granted the automatic “title and rights of citizens...