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Timeline / Defining Rights and Responsibilities / 1867: Alaska becomes U.S. Territory; Alaska Natives not consulted

1867: Alaska becomes U.S. Territory; Alaska Natives not consulted

The United States purchases Alaska from Russia on October 18. Alaska Natives, who lay claim to almost all the land of the future state, are not recognized or consulted in the transaction.

Theme
Federal-Tribal Relations
Region
Arctic, Northwest Coast, Subarctic

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Treasury warrant in the amount of $7.2 million for the purchase of Alaska from Russia

Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration

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Czar Alexander II’s ratification of the Alaska Purchase Treaty, 1867: the official Russian version of the Alaska Purchase Treaty (Cession of the Russian Possessions in North America to the United States) was known as the Czar’s reading copy. Typical for czarist manifestos, it began with an illuminated opening page that listed all the historical titles of the Russian emperor.

Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration