| ID | 171854 |
| Title Proper | Imperial Stepping Stone |
| Other Title Information | Bridging Continental and Overseas Empire in Alaska |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Hill, Michael A |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | At the September 1853 dedication of Capitol University in Columbus, Ohio, Senator William H. Seward proclaimed to his audience: “the borders of the Federal Republic, so peculiarly constituted, shall be extended so that it shall greet the sun when he touches the Tropic and when he sends his glancing rays towards the Polar circle, and shall include even distant islands in either ocean.” From Seward’s perspective U.S. expansion was inevitable. “It is quite clear to us,” he continued, “that the motives to enlargement are even more active than they ever were heretofore.” Seward praised the country’s passion for territorial aggrandizement which served to increase the United States’ wealth, power, and expansion. Only fear, he warned, which “betrays like Treason,” could stall the American juggernaut. Near the end of his speech, Seward reminded his listeners that “a nation must always recede if it be not actually advancing.” Fourteen years later, as Secretary of State, Seward took decisive action toward fulfilling his own prophecy when he negotiated and secured the purchase of Alaska, thus ensuring that the United States’ borders literally did “greet the sun […] when he sends his glancing rays towards the Polar circle.” |
| `In' analytical Note | Diplomatic History Vol. 44, No.1; Jan 2020: p.76–101 |
| Journal Source | Diplomatic History Vol: 44 No 1 |
| Key Words | Alaska ; Overseas Empire |