Free Republic

The President of the United States wants to buy an icy northern territory from a foreign country. Critics hate the idea and mock it as absurd and wasteful. But the President makes the deal, and the purchase proves to be one of the most brilliant geopolitical deals in history—a huge boon to American strength and prosperity. Am I describing the 45th President’s effort to buy Greenland from Denmark? Nope, I’m describing the 17th President’s successful effort to buy Alaska from Russia in 1867. It was one of the best bargains America ever struck. If President Trump can pull off another...

Why Did Russia Sell Us Alaska So Cheap?By John Steele Gordon The check, dated August 1, 1868, that was used to pay the purchase price for Alaska to Eduard de Stoeckl on behalf of the emperor of Russia. (National Archives) A hundred and forty years ago today, sovereignty over Alaska was transferred from the Russian Empire to the United States. The transfer completed the national territory on the North American continent. It was one of the great bargains of all time. For a price of $7.2 million, this country got 365 million acres of land and another 13 million of...