how did alaska become part of the united states
Alaska The United States purchased Alaska from the Russian Empire on March 30, 1867, for 7.2Â million U.S. dollars at approximately two cents per acre ($4.74/km2). The area went through several administrative changes before becoming organized as a territory on May 11, 1912. It was admitted as the 49th state of the U.S. on January 3, 1959.[6]
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as "Washington", "the District", or simply "D.C.", is the capital of the United States.
United States Paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago.[23] European colonization began in the 16th century. The United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the colonies following the Seven Years' War led to the American Revolution, which began in 1775, and the subsequent Declaration of Independence in 1776. The war ended in 1783 with the United States becoming the first country to gain independence from a European power.[24] The current constitution was adopted in 1788, with the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, being ratified in 1791 to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. The United States embarked on a vigorous expansion across North America throughout the 19th century, acquiring new territories,[25] displacing Native American tribes, and gradually admitting new states until it spanned the continent by 1848.[25] During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of legal slavery in the country.[26][27] By the end of that century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean,[28] and its economy, driven in large part by the Industrial Revolution, began to soar.[29] The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the country's status as a global military power. The United States emerged from World War II as a global superpower, the first country to develop nuclear weapons, the only country to use them in warfare, and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the world's sole superpower.[30]
51st state Voters in Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico have both voted for statehood in referendums.[2][3] As statehood candidates, their admission to the Union requires congressional approval.[4] American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the US Virgin Islands are also US territories and could potentially become US states someday.[5]