What U.S. territory was purchased from Russia on March 30, 1867?

Alaska is the answer. The Alaska Purchase was negotiated by Secretary of State William H. Seward during President Andrew Johnson’s administration, with the United States agreeing to buy the vast northern territory from the Russian Empire for $7.2 million under the 1867 Treaty of Cession.

Seward and the Alaska Purchase

William H. Seward was the leading American official behind the deal, which expanded U.S. territory far beyond the mainland states. The agreement was signed on March 30, 1867, and gave the United States control of a region that reached across northwestern North America. Some critics mocked the purchase with names such as “Seward’s Folly,” but opposition was not universal, and the deal fit a larger pattern of U.S. territorial expansion.

Why Russia Sold Alaska

Russia’s interest in selling Alaska was partly strategic. The territory was distant from the center of the Russian Empire, difficult to defend, and vulnerable if war broke out with another major power. Selling it to the United States allowed Russia to gain money for land it could not easily protect while preventing a rival empire from taking it by force.

From Territory to State

Alaska later proved valuable because of its size, location, and natural resources, including fisheries, timber, minerals, and eventually oil. It remained a U.S. territory for decades before becoming the 49th state in 1959. The Alaska Purchase became significant in U.S. history because it added a vast northern region that changed the country’s geography, economy, and strategic reach.