Myth of Seward's Folly.

The idea that the U.S. purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867 was unpopular with the American public and was mockingly referred to as "Seward's Folly" continues to be taught from the primary to the college level. This myth has served not only to inculcate a type of Alaskan exceptionalism, but also t...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Western Historical Quarterly Vol. 50; no. 1; pp. 43 - 65
Autor principal: Hill, Michael A
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Oxford University Press / USA Spring2019
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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Sumario:The idea that the U.S. purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867 was unpopular with the American public and was mockingly referred to as "Seward's Folly" continues to be taught from the primary to the college level. This myth has served not only to inculcate a type of Alaskan exceptionalism, but also to obscure the impulse for overseas empire that was growing in the United States decades before the Spanish American War. Appreciating the popularity of the Alaskan purchase allows historians to better interpret the spread of U.S. empire in the nineteenth century.