A look at how Alaska and Hawaii became part of the United States.

1. Alaska
and
hawaii

2. Northern exposure
• In March, 1867, Secretary
of State William Seward
negotiated a deal to
purchase Alaska from
Russia for $7.2 million, or
about 2.5 cents per acre.

3. Northern exposure
• Many at the time considered
this to be a big mistake and
called it “Seward’s Folly,”
but time has proved that
Alaska was worth having.

4. Northern exposure
• The reason that Seward wanted
it in the first place was the fear
that England would try and take
it over, as earlier in 1867 they
announced that all of Canada
would be united under their
control.

5. Northern exposure
• The highest point in North
America, Mount McKinley, is
located in Denali National Park
in Alaska, that would not
become a state until 1959.

6. • Glacier power point

7. Northern exposure
• Certainly the greatest natural
resource is oil and the
Trans-Alaskan Pipeline
System has sent over 15
billion barrels of oil to the
lower 48 states for refining
since it was built in 1977.

8. Northern exposure
• But the oil that exists in
Alaska has recently been the
subject of many political
debates as drilling in the
Alaskan National Wildlife
Refuge (ANWR) for oil is
questioned.

9. Northern exposure
• There is potentially 5.7 billion
to 16 billion barrels of oil
available under the ice and
tundra, which would certainly
help the United States’ issue
with oil concerns.

10. Island paradise
• Just southeast of the
Midway Islands was
another tiny archipelago, or
chain of islands, called
Hawaii.

11. Island paradise
• It was formed through the
enormous volcanic activity of
the region, volcanoes that are
still erupting today, adding land
mass to the state of Hawaii at the
rate of 1 square mile every 30
years.

12. • Lava tube video

13. Island paradise
• In the 1700s, traders
and fishermen had
used the islands as a
stopover point on their
journeys.

14. Island paradise
• Missionaries went in
soon after this to try
and convert the natives
to Christianity.

15. Island paradise
• These missionaries began to
grow crops, most notably
sugar, which became
Hawaii’s biggest export to
the United States.

16. Island paradise
• Hawaii was ruled by
absolute monarchs, who
held all of the power in the
country.

17. Island paradise
• Queen Liliuokalani
believed that trading with
the United States was a
mistake and worked to end
their influence.

18. Island paradise
• Americans in Hawaii
responded with a revolt and
quickly convinced the
queen to allow the US some
control in Hawaii.

19. Island paradise
• This did not mean that the
queen or the Hawaiians were
happy with this and tried to
stage a revolt against U.S.
control.

20. Island paradise
• This failed and Hawaii became
a territory of the United
States, but had to wait until
1959 to become a state.