Alaska and Hawaii

At the end of this tutorial, students will be able to:

• describe why William Seward defied his critics and bought Alaska
• describe why the first settlers went to the Klondike Region
• describe how the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline System works
• discuss why drilling for oil in ANWR is controversial
• describe how the United States came to control Hawaii

In the mid- to late-1800s, the United States attempted to expand their influence beyond the boundaries of the contiguous nation.  In 1867, William Seward looked to the North and purchased Alaska from the Russians.  He did this despite considerable opposition.  In the 1890s, Hawaii became a possession of the United States under somewhat suspicious circumstances.  Both territories became states in 1959, first Alaska, then Hawaii.