---
title: "Purchase of Alaska — APUSH Definition & Exam Guide"
description: "The 1867 Purchase of Alaska bought Russian America for $7.2 million. Why 'Seward's Folly' matters for APUSH Unit 5 and as a bridge to Unit 7 imperialism."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/apush/key-terms/purchase-of-alaska"
type: "key-term"
subject: "AP US History"
unit: "Unit 5"
---

# Purchase of Alaska — APUSH Definition & Exam Guide

## Definition

The Purchase of Alaska (1867) was Secretary of State William H. Seward's acquisition of Russian America for $7.2 million, mocked as 'Seward's Folly' until Alaska's resources proved its value. In APUSH it shows expansionism continuing right after the Civil War, bridging Manifest Destiny and later overseas empire.

## What It Is

In 1867, just two years after Appomattox, [Secretary of State](/apush/key-terms/secretary-of-state "fv-autolink") William H. Seward negotiated to buy Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million, about two cents an acre. Russia wanted out of North America (Russian America was expensive to defend and barely profitable), and Seward, a committed expansionist, jumped at the chance. Critics called the deal 'Seward's Folly' or 'Seward's Icebox' because Alaska looked like a frozen wasteland with no obvious use. Gold strikes in the 1890s and later oil discoveries made the purchase look like one of the great bargains in American history.

For [APUSH](/apush "fv-autolink"), the purchase matters less for the price tag and more for the timing and the trajectory. It shows that the expansionist impulse behind [Manifest Destiny](/apush/unit-5/manifest-destiny/study-guide/QCAKf0AWBCPTgZHZtUPD "fv-autolink") didn't die with the Civil War; it just changed direction. Instead of pushing west across the continent, the U.S. started reaching beyond it. That makes Alaska a hinge between Period 5 continental expansion and Period 7 overseas imperialism.

## Why It Matters

The Purchase of Alaska sits in **Topic 5.12 (Comparison in Period 5, 1844-1877)** in [Unit 5](/apush/unit-5 "fv-autolink"), supporting learning objective **APUSH 5.12.A**, which asks you to compare the relative significance of the Civil War's effects on American values. Here's the connection. The war transformed values around union, [citizenship](/apush/key-terms/citizenship "fv-autolink"), and federal power, but it did NOT kill the expansionist value system. Seward buying Alaska in 1867, while Reconstruction was barely underway, is concrete evidence of that continuity. The term also feeds the Geography and the Environment and America in the World themes, since it's the first major U.S. acquisition of noncontiguous territory. That detail makes it the go-to data point for continuity-and-change arguments about how Manifest Destiny evolved into overseas empire.

## Connections

### Manifest Destiny (Unit 5)

The Alaska purchase is Manifest Destiny's encore. The same belief that America was destined to expand, which drove the [Mexican Cession](/apush/key-terms/mexican-cession "fv-autolink") in 1848, pushed Seward to grab territory in 1867, except now the target wasn't even attached to the rest of the country.

### William H. Seward (Unit 5)

Seward is the person attached to this term on the exam. He served as Secretary of State under [Lincoln](/apush/key-terms/lincoln "fv-autolink") and Andrew Johnson and saw Alaska as a stepping stone toward American influence in the Pacific, a vision that looked foolish in 1867 and prophetic by 1898.

### Russian America (Unit 5)

Alaska was Russian America before 1867. Russia's [fur trade](/apush/key-terms/fur-trade "fv-autolink") there had declined, and after losing the Crimean War it preferred selling to the U.S. over risking the territory falling to Britain. Knowing the seller's motives helps you explain why the deal happened at all.

### Overseas Imperialism in Period 7 (Unit 7)

Alaska is the opening move in the story that leads to Hawaii, the Spanish-American War, and the Philippines. When a continuity essay asks how U.S. expansion changed between 1865 and 1900, Alaska is your starting evidence for the shift from continental to overseas acquisition.

## On the AP Exam

No released FRQ has hinged on the Alaska purchase by name, and it's unlikely to be the star of a question. It shows up as supporting evidence. In multiple choice, it can appear in stems about postwar foreign policy or the persistence of expansionism after 1865. Its real power is in essays. For a continuity-and-change LEQ on U.S. expansion (roughly 1844-1900), Alaska is the perfect pivot point, proving expansion continued after the Civil War while its form changed from contiguous land to noncontiguous territory. Pair it with Manifest Destiny on one side and Hawaii or the Spanish-American War on the other, and you've got a clean continuity argument. Just don't stop at 'Seward's Folly' as a fun fact; the points come from using it to show change over time.

## Purchase of Alaska vs Gadsden Purchase

Both are Period 5 land purchases, so they blur together fast. The Gadsden Purchase (1853) bought a strip of present-day Arizona and New Mexico from Mexico for $10 million to build a southern transcontinental railroad route, completing the contiguous U.S. The Alaska Purchase (1867) bought noncontiguous territory from Russia for $7.2 million after the Civil War. Quick check: Gadsden finishes the lower 48 before the war; Alaska reaches beyond them after it.

## Key Takeaways

- The United States bought Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million, a deal negotiated by Secretary of State William H. Seward.
- Critics mocked the purchase as 'Seward's Folly' or 'Seward's Icebox,' but later gold and oil discoveries made it look like a bargain.
- Alaska was the first major noncontiguous U.S. acquisition, marking the shift from continental expansion toward overseas empire.
- The purchase proves the expansionist values of Manifest Destiny survived the Civil War, which is exactly the kind of continuity evidence APUSH 5.12.A comparisons reward.
- On essays, use Alaska as the pivot in continuity-and-change arguments connecting 1840s Manifest Destiny to 1890s imperialism like Hawaii and the Spanish-American War.

## FAQs

### What was the Purchase of Alaska in APUSH?

It was the 1867 acquisition of Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million, negotiated by Secretary of State William H. Seward. In APUSH it appears in Topic 5.12 as evidence that American expansionism continued after the Civil War.

### Was the Purchase of Alaska really a mistake or 'folly'?

No. Critics in 1867 called it 'Seward's Folly' because Alaska seemed worthless, but gold strikes in the 1890s and later oil discoveries proved its enormous economic and strategic value. The nickname tells you about public opinion at the time, not the deal's actual outcome.

### How is the Alaska Purchase different from the Gadsden Purchase?

The Gadsden Purchase (1853) bought land from Mexico for a southern railroad route and completed the contiguous United States before the Civil War. The Alaska Purchase (1867) bought noncontiguous territory from Russia after the war. Different seller, different decade, different kind of expansion.

### Why did Russia sell Alaska to the United States?

Russian America was costing more to maintain than it earned, the fur trade had declined, and after losing the Crimean War Russia feared Britain might seize the territory in a future conflict. Selling to the U.S. for $7.2 million was the safest way out.

### Why is the Purchase of Alaska in Unit 5 instead of the imperialism unit?

Chronologically it happened in 1867, during Reconstruction, so it lands in Period 5 (1844-1877). But on essays it works as a bridge to Unit 7, since it foreshadows the overseas expansion that picks up with Hawaii and the Spanish-American War in the 1890s.

## Related Study Guides

- [5.12 Comparison in Period 5, 1844-1877](/apush/unit-5/comparison-period-5/study-guide/F4PJCNduTfAlJJKn5VEj)

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