Purchase of Alaska (1868) details: which statement is accurate?

• A. It cost $3 million for 500,000 square miles.
• B. The Alaska purchase cost $7.2 million for about 600,000 square miles.
• C. It occurred in 1900.
• D. The Alaska purchase was rejected by Congress.

Answer: (B)

The key idea is the actual facts of the Alaska Purchase: how much the United States paid and how large the land area was. The deal with Russia in 1867 cost about $7.2 million and covered roughly 586,000 square miles, which is about 600,000 square miles in round numbers. That works out to around two cents per acre. Congress approved the treaty, and the sale is historically dated to 1867 (with the transfer completed that year), not 1900, and it was not rejected.

So the statement that matches these facts—$7.2 million for about 600,000 square miles—is the accurate one.