US Politics on Sidechat | The purchase of Alaska actually had plenty of support. It passed the senate with 2/3rds majority, which it needed to do. Most newspapers wrote favorably about the purchase as well.

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US Politics 3w

The purchase of Alaska actually had plenty of support. It passed the senate with 2/3rds majority, which it needed to do. Most newspapers wrote favorably about the purchase as well.

Anonymous 3w

maybe because the tsar actually wanted to sell it

Anonymous 3w

That was 150 years ago though 😭

😵‍💫

Anonymous 3w

I was actually under the impression that it was unpopular, I remember hearing about the phrase “Seward’s icebox” being thrown around

Anonymous

#2 3w

They were more than happy to sell. The Danes are not.

Anonymous

#1 3w

Yup. The context that prompted this is the idea that acquiring Greenland is another “big brain” take that us common folk don’t realize is genius, just like Alaska. In reality “Seward’s folly” is a myth.

Anonymous

bongo_fury 3w

So was I. I respect my HS teacher but he was wrong* about it being a seen as a folly. Premodernist on YT has a video that can explain it better than I can. Basically, most people thought it made sense to buy Alaska. Expansionism was in vogue, whale oil, and a jumping off point to Asian markets made it attractive. Russia also wasn’t sharing it with us, like how Denmark gives us plenty of access to Gland.