American newspaper New York Herald on the acquisition of Alaska

Section: History of Journalism

The Russian-American treaty of March 18 (30), 1867, remains a subject of scholarly debate, with one of the most important aspects of this issue being its contemporary reception. A study of newspaper publications allows for a better understanding of the perceived reasons for its conclusion and the anticipated consequences. New York Herald was chosen because its significant readership, combined with claims of independence in a political sense, ensured its influence on public opinion in the United States. On the issue of the acquisition of Alaska, the newspaper took a consistent position, unequivocally supporting the deal. The publication’s publishing activity on this issue reveals two peaks: 1854, when the newspaper, acting as a “prophet of menace,” attempted to push the government to immediate action; and late March–April 1867, when the editorial board transformed into a “triumphant” – the deal was presented as the logical culmination of years of anticipation and the fulfillment of a “predestination.” The newspaper’s publications clearly display dominant semantic themes. Geopolitical calculations occupy a central place, according to which the acquisition of Alaska would become an instrument for displacing Great Britain from the North American continent and establishing complete US hegemony there. Equally significant is the dominant ideological narrative, which views US expansion as the fulfillment of a higher destiny, the will of Providence, which cannot be restrained. Arguments based on economic benefits play a more supportive role and are usually used in the context of geopolitical and ideological discourse. The image of Russian Empire that is being created is also interesting: during the Crimean War, Russia is portrayed as a weak partner in need of American support, but in 1867 it acquires the features of a “wise” ally, voluntarily ceding territory.

DOI: 10.55959/msu.vestnik.journ.3.2026.117136

References:

Alent'eva T. V. (2023) Russko-amerikanskie otnosheniya i prodazha Alyaski v otobrazhenii amerikanskikh karikaturistov [Russian-American relations and the sale of Alaska in the representation of American cartoonists]. Uchenye zapiski. Elektronnyy nauchnyy zhurnal Kurskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta 3 (67): 117–125. (In Russian)

Bolkhovitinov N. N. (1990) Russko-amerikanskie otnosheniya i prodazha Alyaski (1834–1867) [Russian-American relations and the sale of Alaska (1834–1867)]. Moscow: Nauka Publ. (In Russian)

Bukarin K. E., Mints S. S. (2021) Osobennosti otechestvennoy i zarubezhnoy istoriografii kontsepta prodazhi Alyaski [Features of the Russian and foreign historiography of the Alaska sale concept]. In Advances in Science and Technology: Collected Papers XL International Scientific-Practical Conference, Moskva, 31 oktyabrya 2021 goda. Moscow: Aktual'nost'.RF Publ. Pp. 101–107. (In Russian)

Cooper B. (1988) Alexander Kennedy Isbister: A Respectable Critic of the Honorable Company. Ottawa: Carleton University Press.

Crouthamel J. L. (1989) Bennett's New York Herald and the Rise of the Popular Press. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press. 202 p. DOI: 10.2307/j.ctv64h7cg.

Golder F. A. (1920) The Purchase of Alaska. The American Historical Review 25 (3): 411–425. DOI: 10.2307/1836879.

Grinev A. V. (2020) Rossiysko-Amerikanskaya kompaniya i prodazha Alyaski na stranitsakh gazety «Moskovskie vedomosti» [The Russian-American Company and the sale of Alaska in the newspaper “Moskovskie Vedomosti”]. Klio 1 (157): 21–31. (In Russian)

Monakhov V. M. (1980) Vneshnepoliticheskie vozzreniya U. G. S'yuarda [Foreign policy views of W. H. Seward]. In Problemy mezhdunarodnykh otnosheniy v XIX–XX vv. Leningrad: LGPI Publ. Pp. 131–133. (In Russian)

Nakvakina E. N. (2006) Stanovlenie massovoy pechati SShA v period «pozolochennogo veka» [The emergence of the mass press in the United States during the “Gilded Age”]. Vestnik Belgorodskogo universiteta potrebitel'skoy kooperatsii 4 (19): 317–320. (In Russian)

Neunherz R. E. (1975) The Purchase of Russian America: Reasons and Reactions. PhD diss.: University of Washington.

Panov A. R. (2025) Prodazha Alyaski v osveshchenii gazety «Golos» [The sale of Alaska in the reporting of the newspaper “Golos”]. Vestnik Severo-Vostochnogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Istoriya 6 (2): 74–88. (In Russian)

Reid V. H. (1940) The Purchase of Alaska: Contemporary Opinion. Long Beach: Press-Telegram Printers.

Samylkin N. O. (2017) Otsenka prodazhi Alyaski v otechestvennoy istoriografii [Evaluation of the sale of Alaska in Russian historiography]. In Paradigmy universitetskoy istorii i perspektivy universitetologii (k 50-letiyu Chuvashskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta imeni I. N. Ul'yanova): VII Arsent'evskie chteniya, Cheboksary, 12–14 oktyabrya 2017 goda. T. 1. Cheboksary: Sreda Publ. Pp. 408–412. (In Russian)

Sementsov O. Yu. (2010) Proekt rossiysko-amerikanskogo mezhkontinental'nogo telegrafa [The Russian-American intercontinental telegraph project]. Voenno-istoricheskiy zhurnal (3): 27–32. (In Russian)

Welch R. E. (1958) American Public Opinion and the Purchase of Russian America. American Slavic and East European Review 17 (4): 481–494. DOI: 10.2307/3001132.