[President Andrew Johnson]'s Secretary of State, William H. Seward negotiated the sale before he was authorized for the final amount of the agreement. He was initially allowed milion, but he asked the State Department if $? million was okay, and because they did not really care about purchasing Alaska, they basically just said, "Sure, Seward. Whatever...." Seward ended up offering Russia $7.2 million, but had much difficulty in getting Congress to approve and then appropriate the funds of money for Alaska, which was by then being referred to as "Seward's Folly," "Seward's Icebox," and "President Andrew Johnson's polar bear garden," mostly by radical republicans who were hostile towards the President, and towards Seward as Johnson's political ally.
From: http://eefy.editme.com/WhatIsSewardsFolly
It was believed that Secretary of State Seward had made a major blunder in buying Alaska which could never be occupied, contained no farmland and had no strategic value. (Those pundits were wrong).
Alaska. Called Sewards Folly
In 1867 Secratory of state, William, H Seward agreed to purchase Alaska from Russia for 7.2 million. People thought he was crazy and called the land Sewards folly or sewards ice box, until gold was discovered..
It's not really a landmark. It is the state of Alaska. Secretary of state Seward purchased the territory of Alaska from Russia.
Secretary of State, Seward, bought Alaska from the Russians in the 1900's, and most of the American population was outraged that he bought a desolate wasteland for the high price that he paid. The Americans called if "Seward's Folly" because it seemed like a ridiculous deal. But gold was soon discovered in Alaska, and Sweard's purchase was soon respected.
The purchase of Alaska was called "Seward's Folly," or Seward's Icebox." The purchase of Alaska was called "Seward's Folly," or Seward's Icebox."
Sewards Folly was bought from Russia in the 1940s and is now the great big state of Alaska.
Alaska Purchase is the correct name, but to Seward's opponents in was called Seward's Folly.
Seward's enemies referred to his purchase of the Alaska from the Russian empire as "Seward's Folly."
There were a very large group of sceptics that believed that the purchase of Alaska was a blunder. They called it Sewards Folly and Johnson's Icebox.
Alaska. Called Sewards Folly
In 1867 Secratory of state, William, H Seward agreed to purchase Alaska from Russia for 7.2 million. People thought he was crazy and called the land Sewards folly or sewards ice box, until gold was discovered..
It's not really a landmark. It is the state of Alaska. Secretary of state Seward purchased the territory of Alaska from Russia.
Sewards Folly
Alaska was called Seward's Folly.
It was called Sewards Folly because it was thought there were very few resources there.
Some called it Seward's Folly and others called it Johnson's icebox thinking that it was useless and would never be worth anything.
Secretary of State, Seward, bought Alaska from the Russians in the 1900's, and most of the American population was outraged that he bought a desolate wasteland for the high price that he paid. The Americans called if "Seward's Folly" because it seemed like a ridiculous deal. But gold was soon discovered in Alaska, and Sweard's purchase was soon respected.