US Politics on Yik Yak | 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 11w

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 11w

maybe because the tsar actually wanted to sell it

Anonymous 11w

That was 150 years ago though 😭

😵‍💫

Anonymous 11w

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

Anonymous

#2 11w

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

Anonymous

#1 11w

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 11w

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.