The Unconventional Acquisitions of the United States: Manhattan, Alaska, and the Failed Attempt for Greenland

June 12, 202315:31

In this world, from the most distant past until today, lands were normally won, and are won, by military means. But the United States got two impossible exceptions: It got two of its most important territories through a simple economic transaction. And he was about to acquire a third.

Let’s travel back in time, to the year 1609, when Manhattan still belonged to the Lenape Indians. At that time, they called it “Manahatta”. That year, a certain Henry Hudson, an English explorer, arrived as a representative of the Dutch company “Dutch West India Company”. His ship sailed in on the river that would one day be named after him… Hudson was on a mission: The company had asked him to expand its map of business operations. He not only achieved that, but he achieved much more: his trip would lay the foundation for the Dutch colonization of what is now New York. The Europeans would have a settlement in the Hudson river valley that they would call “New Amsterdam.”

There was always curiosity, on the part of historians and New Yorkers themselves, about what the island of Manhattan looked like when there was not yet a concrete jungle like New York. Today, ecologist Eric Sanderson, of the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York, imagines it like this: “From the water, Manhattan looked like a long, thin island full of trees with sandy beaches on the shore. Without the buildings, you could see a landscape full of hills and cliffs on the west side. And you could also see the smoke from the Lenape kitchens billowing up from the lower part of the island. It was surely beautiful,” said the scientist.

On the island, there were also many beavers, which caused hundreds of Dutch people to rush to Manahatta. Because? Well, in Europe, the velvety skin of the animal was a highly coveted commodity at the time: it was an excellent material for producing hats. Quickly, many people eager to get this good arrived; there the basis of the exchange between the Dutch and the Lenape was formed. The natives offered the fur of the beavers, while the Europeans, in exchange, gave them metal and cloth.

The commercial relationship between Europeans and Americans continued until 1626, when the most important transaction between them took place. From this point on, this “story” can be rather referred to as a legend, because in the details, hypotheses abound and evidence is lacking.

The myth goes that the Lenape sold Manahatta to the Dutch for a tiny amount of trinkets, which was equivalent to about $24 today. It is not the only version: there is another that says that they were not trinkets, but 60 Dutch guilders. To this day, there are those who believe that this is “pure smoke”, that there would have been no chance for the natives to let themselves be scammed in such a way. Although many historians prefer to be skeptical when analyzing this story, most of them consider it the official version. Paul Otto, a history professor at Oregon’s George Fox University, said this landmark was “the birth certificate of New York City.”

Both Otto and other experts point out that there is inescapable evidence: a letter written by Peter Schagen, a merchant who was part of the Dutch West India Company. The text was addressed to the Dutch lords. In it, Schagen detailed the inventory of each ship, all filled with products of commercial exchange, and also explicitly mentioned the sale.

The Dutch merchantman chart is resisted by some historians. There are those who think that the Dutch bought the island from the Munsees, a sub-tribe of the Lenape; but it is only a theory.

Furthermore, although Schagen names the sale, there is no signed paper, no receipt confirming that it actually occurred. “The letter is the only document we have. But it’s not clear whether we can call it ‘evidence’ or not,” said Johanna Gorelick, administrator of the Department of Education at the National Museum of the American Indian.

No one can say for sure what happened. Some want to believe Schagen, but others judge that it is not enough evidence. In the United States, these stories became the symbol of the origins of New York, one of its most iconic cities, but it sounds incredibly strange to many.

Two centuries later, the United States made another excellent “deal” that extended its borders. There are no doubts about this transaction.

In 1867, the Secretary of State, William H. Seward, under strict secrecy, negotiated with Russia the purchase of an important and extensive territory: Alaska.

Seward had long talks with his peer, Edouard de Stoeckl, who was negotiating on behalf of Tsar Alexander II. On March 30, 1867, the two agreed that the United States would pay Russia $7 million for the territory. A number that, even at the time, seemed like too good a deal. Why would Russia accept so little money for such a valuable region?

Russia did not even know that there was oil there, but the reasons were other. Russia had wanted to get rid of the territory since the last century, when Tsar Peter the Great sent Vitus Bering to explore its shores. Pedro saw Alaska as a great opportunity, he knew that its lands were rich in natural resources and that, furthermore, it was sparsely inhabited. But his empire did not have the financial resources to establish military posts in Alaska. Logically, taking part of their population there would have been even more difficult, whether for economic reasons or for reasons of distance.

In addition, in the 16th century, the United States was also interested in Alaska. He sent people there, explorers and traders. Russians and Americans competed to explore and investigate the natural secrets of the region side by side. But eventually the Americans won.

In 1859, De Stoeckl gave the US government the go-ahead to negotiate. But a long time had passed, and the United States had other priorities. They were in the middle of the civil war, so the answer was delayed until 1867. Only then did Seward say yes.

To complete the purchase, Seward had to get Senate approval. The congressmen, for the most part, distrusted and made fun of him. There was a lot of skepticism surrounding the proposal. The question that everyone asked was “What for?”

“Why do we want a territory surrounded by icebergs, glaciers, polar bears and walruses? Why do we want to invest in frozen, snowy and rocky territory. It would be better to reduce taxes”, was the most repeated thought in the debate.

Finally, on April 9, congressmen voted in favor of the purchase. Seward’s position won by a huge difference: 37 upvotes to 2 downvotes. A month later, President Johnson signed the treaty.

Alaska was formally transferred to the United States on October 18, 1867, leaving Russia without a presence in North America.

The Alaska “deal” served to fuel the purchase of Greenland, whose attempts began almost immediately and lasted until the presidency of Donald Trump.

The United States has always been interested in Greenland. In fact, there was an old claim on the island, since the American Charles Francis Hall had been “the first to explore the northwestern coasts”, during the Polaris expedition.

In 1946, the Harry Truman government made the first attempt to acquire all of its territory: it offered 100 million dollars in gold bars, which today is equivalent to at least 1,300,000,000.

It was post-war times and the United States explained that Greenland was “a military necessity.”

But Denmark flatly refused on that occasion. The Prime Minister responded, over and over again, that the territory was not for sale and he went so far as to describe the US attempts as “absurd”.

The United States did not insist. He did not bid again in 73 years. Until President Donald Trump took up the old wish again. “The concept came up and I said, without a doubt, strategically it is interesting and we would be interested, but we will talk a little bit (with Denmark),” said the former US president.

He then proposed that “many things could be done. It could be a great real estate deal.” And he thought it would be easy for him to negotiate: “In addition, Greenland is hurting Denmark a lot, which loses almost 700 million a year maintaining it,” he said.

But on the other side, the Danish Prime Minister replied: “Greenland is not for sale. Greenland is not Danish, it is Greenlandic. I really hope that it was not something that was said seriously, ”she said of Trump’s remarks. And then she added that “it’s an absurd discussion.”

Trump finally gave up. Antony Blinken, his Secretary of State, said that “the concept had come up” and that they “discussed” it. And then the US government no longer had “intentions to buy Greenland.” From Denmark, the position was the same as always: a resounding NO.