Digital Collections

The Library of Congress website contains a variety of digital materials related to the U.S. purchase of Alaska from Russia, including government documents, manuscripts, maps, and newspaper articles. Provided below is a link to the home page for each relevant digital collection along with selected highlights.

America's Library

The resources on this site are designed for elementary and middle school students.

Jump Back in Time: Purchase of Alaska, March 30, 1867.

Books

Selected Digitized Books
This collection is made up of digital versions of books from the Library of Congress General Collections on a wide range of subjects. Most of the books in this collection were published in the United States before 1923 and are in English, but there are some materials in foreign languages, were published in other countries, or by federal agencies.

A selection of highlights includes:

Congressional Publications

A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875
This collection contains congressional publications from 1774 to 1875, including debates, bills, laws, journals, and treaties. Search in the 40th Congress using the word "Alaska" to find additional Congressional documents on this topic.

A selection of highlights includes:

The Senate ratified the Treaty with Russia on April 9, 1867, by a vote of 37 to 2.
Senate Executive Journal, Volume 17, Page 675.
The House approved the appropriation of money needed to purchase Alaska on July 14, 1868, by a vote of 113 to 43.
Congressional Globe, 40th Congress, 2nd Session, Page 4055.
An Act making an appropriation of money to carry into effect the treaty with Russia of March thirtieth, eighteen hundred and sixty-seven, July 27, 1868.
Treaty concerning the Cession of the Russian Possessions in North America by his Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias to the United States of America

Historic Newspapers

Chronicling America
Historic American newspapers selected and contributed by state partners in the National Digital Newspaper Program.

A selection of highlights includes:

In addition, the Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room has created a series of topics guides to the newspapers included in Chronicling America, including a guide on the U.S. purchase of Alaska and the Alaska gold rush.

Manuscripts

Thaddeus Stevens Papers
The papers of lawyer and United States representative from Pennsylvania Thaddeus Stevens (1792-1868) consist of 4,750 items (7,769 images) in eight containers and one oversize folder. The material spans the years 1811-1927, with the bulk of the collection dating from 1850 to 1868.

A selected highlight includes:

Thaddeus Stevens Papers: Speeches and Writing File, 1835-1868; Alaska, treaty for the purchase of

Maps

General Maps
This category includes maps that typically portray the physical environment and a variety of cultural elements for a geographic area at a particular point in time. The maps in this category show a geographic area larger than a city or town and do not display a subject that is part of one of the thematic categories.

A selected highlight includes:

Meeting of Frontiers

Meeting of Frontiers
Meeting of Frontiers is a project, originally funded by the United States Congress, devoted to the theme of the exploration and settlement of the American West, the parallel exploration and settlement of Siberia and the Russian Far East, and the meeting of the Russian-American frontier in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. The collection includes an essay on early history of Alaska.

A selection of highlights includes:

Printed Ephemera

Printed Ephemera: Three Centuries of Broadsides and Other Printed Ephemera
The Printed Ephemera collection comprises 28,000 primary-source items dating from the seventeenth century to the present and encompasses key events and eras in American history.

A selected highlight includes:

The Alaska purchase. Letter of Hon. Joseph S. Wilson, commissioner of the General land office. [Washington, D. C. May 12, 1868].

Teachers Page

Lesson Plan - The Alaska Purchase: Debating the Sale from Russian and U.S. Perspectives
In this lesson, students use primary sources from Russia and the U.S. to examine the respective Russian and American rationales for agreeing to the sale.

Today in History

March 30, 1867
Secretary of State William H. Seward agreed to purchase Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million on March 30, 1867.

Alaska Purchase Treaty: Primary Documents in American History

General Inquiries: Ask a Librarian

Digital Collections

America's Library

Books

A selection of highlights includes:

Congressional Publications

A selection of highlights includes:

Historic Newspapers

A selection of highlights includes:

Manuscripts

A selected highlight includes:

Maps

A selected highlight includes:

Meeting of Frontiers

A selection of highlights includes:

Printed Ephemera

A selected highlight includes:

Teachers Page

Today in History