Today, there are many versions and misconceptions among some people about who was sold Alaska. Before dealing with this issue, it is necessary to clarify what this land was and where it was located.
Alaska is a part of the territory of North America, discovered by a Russian expedition in 1732 led by Gvozdev and Fedorov. Alaska, by right of primary discovery, was a possession of the Russian Empire. Initially, the development of Alaska took place by private individuals, and then by a special company represented by the Russian-American government. The area of Alaska by that time was 586,411 sq. miles. Only about 2,500 Russians and 61,000 Eskimos and Indians lived in this territory. Alaska's income came from the fur trade. Somewhat later, it became absolutely obvious that the costs of maintaining and defending this territory would significantly exceed its income. In this regard, the question of the sale of Alaska was raised. The United States, to whom they sold Alaska in the future, inevitably spread throughout North America, and getting Alaska was only a matter of time.
Alaska was sold to the United States of America by a written agreement, which was signed in the spring of 1867 in the city of Washington. The entire contract was signed in 2 languages: French and English. It is interesting that there was no Russian language in the contract as such. The question of how much Alaska was sold for has a clear answer: for 7.2 million green notes. Consequently, for each square kilometer they paid 4 dollars 72 cents. In addition to the entire territory of the United States, all types of real estate, archives of all colonies and historical documents were also appropriated. Further, the treaty was submitted to Congress, after which the ratification of the treaty took place on March 3. In view of this procedure, no one had any doubts about who they sold Alaska to - everything was signed and approved.
Note that not all of the United States Senate was in favor of signing the treaty - some suggested that the purchase would be burdensome for the government, as the civil war had just ended. There is also a certain list of interesting facts that take place. For example, the final deal between the US and Russia was never made because the ship carrying the money to Russia sank. Some journalistic publications claim that the land was not sold, but leased for a period of 99 years. In Alaska, after the signing of the treaty, a gold deposit was discovered, which at times paid off the purchase of this territory by the Americans. In any case, there are no questions from who they sold Alaska to.should arise more. Difficulties and many questions cause the details of the contract. Some Russian officials of that time categorically did not approve of such a sale, and to this day there are such people.
This can be argued for hours, but the fact remains - Alaska was sold to the United States back in the 70s of the XIX century, and asking for the return of the land is now at least unreasonable. Alaska is a territory rich in valuable mineral deposits, but at the same time difficult to develop and protect from the Russian Empire.
