Russia sold Alaska to the United States in the Alaska Purchase of 1867.
U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward negotiated the treaty with Russian diplomat Eduard de Stoeckl. The agreement was signed in Washington, D.C., on March 30, 1867, for $7.2 million. The United States Senate ratified it on May 15, and sovereignty formally transferred on October 18.
Russia had established a colonial presence in parts of Alaska but found the territory difficult to defend and expensive to administer, especially after the Crimean War. Russian officials also feared that Britain might seize the region during a future conflict. The sale therefore served Russia’s strategic and financial interests.
Some Americans initially mocked the acquisition as “Seward’s Folly” or “Seward’s Icebox.” Later discoveries of gold, oil, and other resources changed public perceptions. Alaska became a U.S. territory in 1912 and a state in 1959. The annual Alaska Day holiday commemorates the 1867 transfer.