OCTOBER 18 — 1867 Seward’s Folly; 1767 Mason Dixon Line is drawn; 1898 U.S. takes control of Puerto Rico
OCTOBER 18
I1867 Seward’s Folly.
…In 1725, Russia took over control of Alaska but didn’t have much of a use for it, and couldn’t really afford it, especially after the Crimean War. The Russians didn’t have more than 400 people living there, and it was difficult to defend, if, say Great Britain for example, wanted to invade it. So the Russians sold it to the United States for $7.2 million, or less than two cents an acre. The sale was delayed until after the American Civil War, when Secretary of State for President Andrew Johnson, William Seward, purchased the land.
Johnson, already an unpopular president, was scoffed at by the American public for this sale; it was called Seward’s folly and Johnson’s Polar bear garden. Nonetheless, Senate reluctantly approved the sale on April 9th, President Johnson signed it into law on May 28, and the purchase was complete October 18, 1867. The US virtually ignored this land for about thirty years until gold was discovered in the Yukon. Now Seward was doing the laughing! For all we know, if Russia was still in control of Alaska during the Cold War, they could have just come from Canada to be our next door neighbors. Wonder how that would’ve played out. In WWII the strategic importance of Alaska was finally recognized, and it became a state January 3rd, 1959.
1767 – The Mason Dixon line is drawn.
…Between 1763 and 1767 Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon surveyed the areas of Pennsylvania and Maryland and what would later become Delaware and Virginia, the part that’s now West Virginia, and established a border, on October 18, 1767. There was a border dispute dating back to the 17th century that would often lead to violence. The Penn-Calbert Boundary Dispute chose Mason and Dixon, two English surveyors, to establish a line between the 39th and 40th parallel, which both Maryland and Pennsylvania/Delaware claimed ownership.
Mason and Dixon used marked stones every mile to display the line between the states, and a cornerstone every five miles. Culturally, whichever side of the line you were on would depend if slavery was allowed or not, as Pennsylvania abolished slavery in 1781. Mark Knopfler and James Taylor wrote a song in 2000 called Sailing to Philadelphia, which is about the lives of Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon.
1898 – US take control of Puerto Rico.
…Now before your college professor tells you that all America do is invade countries, tell him this. If you have a tiny fish. K? And bigger fish want the little fish because the little fish is yummy. The little fish might want protection from a bigger fish. That’s what America does sometimes. The little fish is welcome to speak whatever language or worship whatever religion he chooses, which is a luxury the little fish wouldn’t have if the other bigger fish get a hold of it. See? Maybe your professor will understand that logic.
Look. Puerto Rico is an autonomous US commonwealth. It is not a state. On October 18, 1898, US troops raised the American flag over this Caribbean island. As history has proven time and time again, namely 1967 and 1993, the overwhelming majority of Puerto Ricans would prefer being a US commonwealth. The day to day governing operations are done by the Puerto Ricans. Some Puerto Ricans would prefer the island to be a U.S. state so they can vote and get more funding from Washington DC. If your professor still isn’t getting this through his head, have him give me a call. Or better yet just drop his class if you can and get another professor.