William Seward, a leading Republican of our time, served under both President Lincoln & Johnson as their Secretary of State. He has achieved more as Sec. of State than anyone since John Quincy Adams. Seward helped Lincoln prevent Great Britain & France from entering the war on the side of the South, during the Civil War. He was unsuccessful in his efforts to convince Congress to annex Hawaii and purchase the Danish West Indies, however he has achieved the annexation of Midway Island in the Pacific and has gained rights to build a canal in Nicaragua.
Napoleon III took advantage of U.S. involvement in the Civil War by sending French troops to occupy Mexico. With the ending of the Civil War, Seward called upon the Monroe Doctrine & threatened the French with U.S. military action unless the French retrieved. Napoleon backed down, and the French troops departed from Mexico. For a while now, the broad territory of Alaska has been the subject of dispute between Russia & Great Britain. Russia undertook control & established a small colony for seal hunting, but the territory has become an economic burden subject and the British want to takeover. Russia, looking for customers, found Seward to be an enthusiastic champion of the idea of the U.S. acquiring Alaska by purchase. Thanks to Seward's swaying, & in appreciation of Russian support during the Civil War, Congress has purchased Alaska for $7.2 million. We seem not to see value in "Seward's Follly", as many of you refer to the newly annexed state. No one really knows, though maybe the future will prove Alaska quite valueable.
Napoleon III took advantage of U.S. involvement in the Civil War by sending French troops to occupy Mexico. With the ending of the Civil War, Seward called upon the Monroe Doctrine & threatened the French with U.S. military action unless the French retrieved. Napoleon backed down, and the French troops departed from Mexico. For a while now, the broad territory of Alaska has been the subject of dispute between Russia & Great Britain. Russia undertook control & established a small colony for seal hunting, but the territory has become an economic burden subject and the British want to takeover. Russia, looking for customers, found Seward to be an enthusiastic champion of the idea of the U.S. acquiring Alaska by purchase. Thanks to Seward's swaying, & in appreciation of Russian support during the Civil War, Congress has purchased Alaska for $7.2 million. We seem not to see value in "Seward's Follly", as many of you refer to the newly annexed state. No one really knows, though maybe the future will prove Alaska quite valueable.