AHS Blog

Why Russia Gave Up Alaska, and How it Affected Native Alaskans

Date Posted: April 5, 2017       Categories: News

Willie Iggiagruk Hensley, Inupiaq scholar and the keynote speaker for the Alaska Historical Society Annual Meeting in Anchorage, Alaska on September 27-30, 2017 has just written an article titled “Why Russia Gave Up Alaska, America’s Gateway to the Arctic.” It originally appeared on the website The Conversation on March 29, 2017 and was re-posted at Smithsonian online.

Willie Hensley offers an overview of the historical legacy of the Alaska purchase from Russia and provides a unique perspective on what becoming part of the United States has meant to Native Alaskans.