Alaska: An American Colony [Paperback]

Stephen Haycox (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0295986298 | ISBN-13: 978-0295986296 | Publication Date: July 30, 2006

Alaska has not evolved in a vacuum. It has been part of larger stories: the movement of Native people and their contact with and accommodation to Western culture, the spread of European political economy to the New World, and the expansion of American capitalism and culture. "Alaska, an American Colony" traces Alaska's development from the early postcontact period through Russian America and U.S. territorial status and statehood, including an overview of the region's geography and emphasis on Alaska's Native people, whose involvement in the state's economic, political, and social life and development continues to this day. In contrast to the stereotype of Alaska as a place where rugged individualists triumph over a harsh environment, distinguished historian Stephen Haycox offers a less romantic, more complex history of Alaska's past and the similarities between Alaska and the American West.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Just how important is Alaska to the rest of the United States, and what does it offer in the way of tangible assets? Was its purchase truly "Seward's Folly"? Haycox (history, Univ. of Alaska, Anchorage; Frigid Embrace: Politics, Economics, and Environment in Alaska) offers far from the usual look at Alaska's natural beauty; in fact, he hardly mentions it. Instead, he focuses on the remarkable political activity that has shaped this vast land, beginning with Russian explorations, continuing through with Spanish, French, and British intentions to establish colonies to oppose Russian expansion, and culminating with the purchase of Alaska during the Lincoln Presidency. Haycox's research is thorough and at times a bit deep to wade through, but he eventually emerges with a cultural, poitical, and economic history of a land that is still largely unexplored, misunderstood, and often haphazardly managed. The author also explores in less detail the anthropology of Alaska's Native peoples and the region's geography. Essential for all Alaskan and Pacific Coast libraries, this book should also be considered as a primary source for college and large public libraries. Joseph L. Carlson, Allan Hancock Community Coll., CA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

The title says it all: Alaska, the forty-ninth state, isn't so much part of the union as an economic colony of the "Outsiders," as Alaskans call their fellow U.S. citizens. The literally great state's colonial status was more obvious when Russia ruled it, and furs made their way from arctic traplines to European royal boudoirs, but things didn't change drastically with the 1867 purchase of the place by U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward. Absentee capitalists began to milk Alaska's lucrative resources--gold, fish, timber, oil--offering marginal employment for Alaskans, including the native peoples, in return for building stateside fortunes whose owners constructed stateside mansions. Deeply and methodically researched, carefully and accurately presented, Haycox's argument is clear: Alaska's people have been relatively powerless to determine their future, despite being the ones who best know Alaska. As debate continues over the exploitation of Alaska's remaining oilfields, this is a point of view that must be heard. Patricia Monaghan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 372 pages
• Publisher: Univ of Washington Pr (July 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0295986298
• ISBN-13: 978-0295986296
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #815,019 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Brief and Interesting Primer, November 12, 2010

By 

Richard Gazala (Vienna, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Alaska: An American Colony (Paperback)

The title of Stephen Haycox' book is slightly misleading, as the first half of the work details imperial Russia's "discovery," exploration and exploitation of Alaska before selling the massive territory to America in 1867 for $7.2 million (about two cents an acre). The book is a brief and interesting primer on Alaskan history from the middle of the 18th century to the dawn of the 21st. Haycox concentrates on sociocultural conflicts between natives and incomers; interminable discord between environmentalists and industrialists; and since statehood in 1959, strife between competing native, state, and federal sovereignty claims over land and resources. Particularly in the first half of the book, Haycox occasionally obsesses with minutia better left to a lengthier examination. Nonetheless, this is a good and well-written introduction to Alaskan history, including an ample bibliography for readers interested in learning more about America's "Last Frontier."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great History Text, November 13, 2006

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Gus "K" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alaska, an American Colony (Hardcover)

I read this book for my History of Alaska course and found it to be an excellent resource. Spanning from the arrival of the first people in Alaska to modern times, it provides great summaries of every major event in Alaskan history. The text is extremely full of people, places and happenings. If you are looking for an in-depth history of Alaska, this is it.

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not very well written, August 4, 2004

By 

RRR (Alaska) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Alaska, an American Colony (Hardcover)

The book contains more of a history of the Russian occupation as opposed to Alaska's history as a territory and State. In that sense, the title is misleading. also, it is not very "readable" either. The writing style does not grab me and I have a hard time making it through the chapters.