Which view of the Alaska purchase is reflected in the phrase often used about it?

Which view of the Alaska purchase is reflected in the phrase often used about it?

• A. It was a celebrated triumph praised by all at the time.
• B. It was a foolish expenditure viewed by critics as Seward's Folly.
• C. It was a major strategic misstep that led to war.
• D. It was rejected by the Senate.

Answer: (B)

The phrase reflects a skeptical, mocking view of the purchase at the time. People questioned why the United States would pay for a distant, rugged land, dubbing it “Seward’s Folly” to imply it was a foolish expenditure pushed by Secretary of State William H. Seward. That criticism captures the way many contemporaries saw the deal when it was made in 1867 (for about $7.2 million from Russia). Later on, Alaska proved to be valuable in resources and strategic position, but the label sticks as the example of public doubt. The other options don’t fit because the purchase wasn’t seen as a universal triumph, it wasn’t a war-related misstep, and the Senate did approve the treaty, not reject it.

The phrase reflects a skeptical, mocking view of the purchase at the time. People questioned why the United States would pay for a distant, rugged land, dubbing it “Seward’s Folly” to imply it was a foolish expenditure pushed by Secretary of State William H. Seward. That criticism captures the way many contemporaries saw the deal when it was made in 1867 (for about $7.2 million from Russia). Later on, Alaska proved to be valuable in resources and strategic position, but the label sticks as the example of public doubt. The other options don’t fit because the purchase wasn’t seen as a universal triumph, it wasn’t a war-related misstep, and the Senate did approve the treaty, not reject it.