The trade agreement on Alaska purchase between Russia and the United States signed

30 March 1867

On March 18 (30), 1867 the Russian empire signed a trade agreement with the United State of America under which the latter purchased Alaska for $7.2 million in gold.

Alaska was discovered in 1732 by a Russian expedition led by geodesist Mikhail Gvozdev and navigator Ivan Feodorov. The new territories were being developed by private companies, the Russian industrialists and travelers as well as the government’s expeditions. In 1799 specially with that end in view was established the Russian-American campaign (RAC)

In the beginning of the 19th century Alaska brought in an income to the Russian state generally owing to furs trade at the North of the Pacific Ocean. However in the course of military actions at the Far East during the Crimea war it became evident that costs of maintenance and defense of such a distant territory vulnerable from geopolitical point of view would exceed the potential income. In the spring of 1857 the brother of Alexander II, the great duke Konstantin Nikolaevich in his letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs A. M. Gorchakov formulated the idea of selling Alaska to the United States. Gorchakov supported the proposal but it was decided to postpone its realization until the termination of RAC privileges in 1862 and then until 1865 due to the Civil War in the USA.

In December of 1866 was held a meeting on this issue attended by the Emperor Alexander II, the great duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, the Finance Minister and the Minister of Navy as well as the Russian ambassador in the USA Eduard Andreevich Stoeckl. It was decided to approve the idea to sell the Alaska territory to the United States. A week later the Russian emperor confirmed the frontier of the territory. In March of 1867 took place the negotiations between the US Secretary of State William H. Seward and Eduard Stoeckl during which the parties came to the agreement on the project and the sum of the deal regarding the purchase of the Russian property in America.

The agreement was signed on March 18 (30), 1867 in Washington. It was written in English and French languages. Under the agreement the USA obtained the entire semi-island of Alaska, the archipelagos of Alexander and Kadyak, the islands of Aleut ridge as well as some islands in Bering Sea. The total area of the sold land territory was about 1 million 519 thousand square meters.

On April 21 (May 3) the agreement was ratified by the US Senate. On October 6 (18) Alaska was officially turned over to the United States of America.

In 1896 in Klondike was discovered a gold field marking the era of the ‘gold rush’. In the 20th century in the territory of Alaska were also discovered large fields of oil and gas.

 

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