On this day, March 30, in 1867

The United States purchased Alaska from Russia for $7,200,000. Although Americans initially saw little economic opportunity in Alaska, it didn’t take long for settlements to develop. Indigenous people were not recognized as citizens of the new Alaskan territory. They couldn’t vote, speak their native languages, or even enter the same facilities as the whites. Indigenous youth were often forced into the ‘Bureau of Indian Affair’ Schools, which are some of the most racist and Eurocentric institutions in existence.