ting of Seward’s army the French soon withdrew their men, and Maximilian was executed by order of the Mexican leader Benito Juarez. Ever since 1784 Russia controlled Alaska. In 1867, Seward propelled Congress to buy Alaska from the Russians for 7.2 million dollars. For Seward the purchase was valuable in that it aided in keeping Europeans out of the Western Hemisphere. However, public opinion was brutal toward Seward, calling Alaska “Seward’s Icebox”, or “Seward’s Folly”. At the time the true value of Alaska was not known. The importance of Alaska would latter be known with the Yukon Gold Rush, and the vast oil deposits used today. Overall, Alaska has paid back it’s original selling price a thousand fold. Finally his final imperialistic act was the purchase of the Midway Islands in 1867. This would serve as a strategic coal station for the merchant marine, and U.S. Navy in years to come. 1849 was the year the Hawaiian Islands became a protectorate of the United States. The Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 between the U.S. and Hawaii allowed all sugar from Hawaii to enter the U.S. duty free, in exchange for exclusive land rights for only American planters. This was done in order to aid American overseas business. Later in 1887, the U.S. secured the naval base of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. This new naval platform would prove to be crucial in the upcoming Spanish American War. In 1893, the existing monarchy of Hawaii was removed by white planters with the aid of Hawaiian natives and the U.S. Marines. Soon, the new Hawaiian Republic petitioned for annexation by the U.S., and was finally annexed outright as a naval depot in 1898.The annexation of Hawaii opened up the boiling debate between imperialists and non-imperialists. Those in favor of imperialism believed the U.S. needed colonies overseas to compete economically with the world, while the anti imperialist held that an empire woul...
