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- How is the experience of Russian America an example of 18th-19th century imperialism and colonialism?
- What was the nature of cultural contact between the Europeans of Russian America and the Natives of Alaska?
- What is the legacy of the Russian colonization of Alaska?
ENGAGE
Imperialism...Colonialism....Manifest Destiny. These terms conjure up images of intrepid explorers, waves of entrepreneurs and exploiters, claims to new lands, a fulfillment of some perceived natural order, extraction of natural resources, cross-cultural exchanges, and threats to resident populations. And, all this for the enrichment and enhancement of the motherland. True enough - this happened in Alaska.
The process began in the late 1400's in western Europe with powerful nations pointing their ships westward. The record of exploration, contact with indigenous peoples, settlement, and development is well documented in the historical record. Russia, beginning with the initiatives of Peter the Great, directed its efforts eastward across the Asian continent and eventually across the Bering Sea to Alaska.It is important to understand that the Russian colonization of Alaska was not an isolated affair, but instead was part of the extension of the Russian empire that had been occurring for many years. The Russian promyshlenniki were the vanguard of a persistent Russian push east in pursuit of the wealth provided by the fur trade.
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| Sea Otter, a Sketch from Captain Cook's Journals VILDA ASL-P20-057 |
The Russian expeditions to Alaska of the 1720's and early 1740's by Vitus Bering were part of much larger government sponsored programs of exploration and development.
In later years, explorers and merchants representing Great Britain, France, and Spain would come to Alaska from the south and east, and in some cases would meet and interact with the Russians.
The biggest competitor to the Russians was the British, with several treaties eventually negotiated which outlined their respective areas of claims and operations.
From a longitudinal look at Alaska history, the period of Russian-American is relatively brief. In fact, the Russians never claimed all of the Alaska as it is defined today, and there were vast areas of Alaska that were either only lightly impacted, or not impacted at all.
However, for those living in the Aleutians, south central, and southeast Alaska the era was one of first contact with outsiders. Impacts ranged from devastating to mutually beneficial, depending on the date, degree, and type of contact.
Once the official Russian presence ended with the sale and transfer to the United States in 1867, the influence continued through those Russians who elected to remain and by the religious and education efforts of the Russian-Orthodox Church which supported the Alaska churches until the Russian Revolution of 1917.
This module will emphasize the reasons for Russian interest, the activities of the Russian-America Company, reasons for the sale of Alaska to the U.S., and the legacy of the Russian colonization. The module will also provide a brief overview of exploration and interest in Alaska by other nations.
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| St Michael's Cathedral, Sitka, Alaska ca. 1880's VILDA ASL-P243-1-04 |
Note: While the period of Russian-America may sometimes be characterized by some as a sidenote of Alaska history, the impact on Alaska Natives within the contact areas was profound. That is reason enough to support a study of the era.
In addition, the cast of characters who explored, colonized, governed, preached, taught, and labored in the colony are among the most colorful and interesting of all Alaska history.
There were never more than about 800 "Russians" in Alaska at any one time, and a frequent misconception is that they were all ethnic Russians. In fact, the Russian government and the Russian-American company sought skilled workers from outside Russia as well as from within.
The non-Native population of Russian-America was a polyglot of Russians, Swedes, Finns, Danes, Balts, and Germans. No work of fiction can compare to the real-life stories of these people. While there is not time in this course for a study of all these individuals, it is worthwhile taking a interest in learning about such individuals as: explorers Vitus Bering, Chirikov, Waxell, Lisianskii, Kruzenstern, Golovin, and Zagoskin; naturalist Georg Steller; officer Rezanov; merchant Shelikov; Russian Orthodox Bishop Innocent (Russian-America's Renaissance man) and creole priest Netsvetov; Russian America Governor/Managers Alexander Baranov, Wrangell, and Etholen.
FYI...The articles on the Alaska History course website to which you will be referred later include links to other sources which provide information on these individuals.
EXPLORE
For this section you will be reading and examining maps; most of the readings are from secondary sources. As time and your interest allow, explore primary sources, especially Meeting of Frontiers .
This site is the result of a collaboration between the U.S. Library of Congress and various libraries and museums in Russia to scan, digitize, and offer to the public a rich array of sources about Russian expansion eastward and American expansion westward.
The Alaska History course unit on Russia's Colony provides a series of summary articles. Start with reading these pieces which explain the when, why, who, and where of early Russian activity in Alaska:
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Bust of Vitus Bering from Forensic Reconstruction Early 1990's - VILDA AMRC-b96-10-1 |
Follow up the articles with the chapters from Alaska's Heritage:
EXPLORE SOME MORE....
Fun With Maps
Click on each of the maps below to enlarge and explore. It's like traveling back in time.
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New Map of Discovery Made by Russian Ships...North America...Land Adjacent 1754, pub. St. Petersburg UAF-G9236 S12 1754 A221 |
Note the outline of the Bering/Chirikov expedition as shown on this map.
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| The Coast of NW America and NE Asia:Made With Observations by Captain Cook 1798, pub. in Rome VILDA UAF-G9236 S12 1798 C3 |
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| Captain James Cook 1728-1779 VILDA ASL-P20-243 |
Note that the map below is a new and improved North Pacific map based upon information provided by Captain Krusentern and other Russian explorers.  |
North Pacific Ocean, NE Asia, NW North America, first published 1804 Updated 1812 and 1820, pub. Germany VILDA UAF-M0305 |
- Why were the Russians interested in Alaska?
- When did the Russians come to Alaska and in what areas did they work and settle?
- What other nations demonstrated an interest in Alaska? Why?
- How did the collision of imperialism, colonialism, and Manifest Destiny play out in Alaska?
EXTEND
The VILDA website has many more outstanding Alaska and Polar Regions maps.
- Use the search engine and take a trip back in time with the intrepid Russian and British explorers.
- See if there is one or more maps or images you'd like to post on your blog.
Note: Please be certain to attribute all media used in your blogs. It's more than a good idea. It's the right thing to do.
What's Next?
From exploration to colonization - from Russia to Alaska, the imprint of Russia on Alaska is indelible. Let's continue our exploration with the next section of this Module - Colony, Company, Monopoly.
