when did alaska become a state in the united states
Alaska The United States purchased Alaska from the Russian Empire on March 30, 1867, for 7.2Â million U.S. dollars at approximately two cents per acre ($4.74/km2). The area went through several administrative changes before becoming organized as a territory on May 11, 1912. It was admitted as the 49th state of the U.S. on January 3, 1959.[6]
Alaska Purchase Russia continued to see an opportunity to weaken British power by causing British Columbia, including the Royal Navy base at Esquimalt, to be surrounded or annexed by American territory.[10] Following the Union victory in the civil war, the Tsar instructed the Russian minister to the United States, Eduard de Stoeckl, to re-enter into negotiations with William Seward in the beginning of March 1867. President Johnson was entangled in negotiations about Reconstruction and Seward had alienated a number of Republicans, so they believed that the purchase would help divert attention from the current domestic matters.[11] The negotiations concluded after an all-night session with the signing of the treaty at 04:00 on March 30, 1867,[12] with the purchase price set at $7.2 million ($123 million today[1]), or about 2 cents per acre ($4.74/km2).[13]