Who Was Responsible For Alaska Dbq Essay

The Crimean War, the continuous battles with other European powers, the distance from the main political centers: all of these factors raised questions about the security of Russian America. The Russian Imperial government thought of ways to resolve this dilemma, especially considering whether the Alaskan possessions were a liability or not. It was then decided that the best course of action would be to sell Russian America and to concentrate in the Siberia and Asia. As soon as said information became public, the interest of the United States was quickly stated. The sale of Alaska had to wait until the end of the American Civil War, the transfer of power ceremony taking place at Sitka on October 18, 1867. Most of the Native Alaskan populations

voiced their displeasure at this exchange. Not only they didn’t have sold their lands to the Russians, they claimed, but they didn’t authorize the Russians to transfer them to the Americans. But there was little the Native people could do, other than complain and offer some resistance. For the Russian Empire, the decision to abandon the North American territories seemed to be a practical one at the time. The profits were not as high as they had initially been thought of, and the continuous challenges of protecting a distant colony were formidable, at best. The sale of Alaska to the United States closes an important chapter in the history of European colonization in the Americas.
The purchase of Alaska in 1867 by the United States brought in a different monster into the crushing elements that aimed to destroy the Native Alaskan cultures. Americans view their now fellow citizens as the lowest step in the ladder that formed society. The American government pursued a mission to socially and culturally assimilate the Alaskan culture into the American culture. Not only were the Native languages banned in schools, but also the Native population was not a given citizenship into the Union, and even though their rights to their lands were officially recognized, they were seldomly respected. Americans and white immigrants to the new territory had abundant privileges, while the Native people were excluded from businesses, community or government jobs, and active society participation. Segregation was the rule of the day, sometimes Native people being barred from accessing entire communities or locations, due to their background. However, in the last hundred years the struggle of the Native Alaskan led to the eventual recognition of his culture, his rights, and his voice, all in the context of a unified nation. This gradual transformation took place thanks to the efforts of each Alaskan generation, and its commitment to preserve and promote their culture, while at the same time taking down a system that persisted in inequity and discrimination. This lasting determination of the Alaskan people, and their vision for a better future, helped in creating new educational and professional opportunities, in resisting unfair and discriminatory practices and laws, and in voicing the opinion of the Alaskan people against the deliberate actions of the government to silence it.
Effects of Intercultural Communication
Alaskan society at the arrival of the first European settlers can be classified as a collectivistic society.

These societies are characterized by the obligations that the individuals feel toward the group. The group may refer to the family nucleus, the clan, tribe, neighbors, or even the occupation being held. Neuliep discusses this when he mentions that the “person’s identity is defined by his or her group membership … collectivistic values and beliefs are consistent with and reflect those of the in-group.” He goes on to mention how in collectivistic societies the primary value is the harmony with others and social reciprocity. Alaskan Native societies are a prime example of this. The cultural and societal influence of the Europeans, and then, of the American settlers, provided a blow to the Native Alaskan way of living. The cultural impact suffered by the Native populations was reflected in how they continued to act toward each other. Even though it was not sudden, family cohesion, kinship, and spiritual and educational practices, were deeply affected by the arrival of outsiders. These changes gradually impacted Native Alaskan collectivism, which until then had been fundamental for the survival of society. This was a society where family survived in clans, the elderly had a place of privilege in the family nucleus, and the main contacts between individuals took place face to face. The Native Alaskan had a clear understanding about the value of the land and its natural resources, and appreciated them from a communal point of view. The changes brought forth by the arrival of the white settlers caused a crisis in the identity of the Native people, and a lasting impact in their society. The Native Alaskans saw themselves deprived of the provider role which had been played by their ancestors, which led to a physical and emotional struggle to find a place to belong, far from the feelings of grief, despair, and anger. The stress caused by the negative

influence of the new arrivals, was mitigated with a high consumption of alcohol and with substance abuse, all of which had negative repercussions in the family life and in societal communication. The traumas caused by the loss of identity, and the violence, addictions, endemic poverty, and suicide which originated from it, have become a permanent vestige of the negative influence of the new arrivals into Native Alaskan territory.
All cultures deal in different ways with power distribution. Here power distance is defined as the extent to which those members of an institution or society expect and even accept the unequal distribution of power. With the arrival of the European and American settlers, the role of the Native Alaskan woman also changed. There was a strong pressure from the new authorities for women to adapt to the new developing culture. This led to many Native women to embrace and transmit said culture, occupying roles in their society which were unheard off prior to the European colonization. Nonetheless, already in the late 19th century, and the beginning of the 20th, the impact of this role reversal brought some positive aspects into the new Alaskan society. There were great contributions toward education, especially as many Native Alaskans believed that they needed to accommodate to the new arising American culture. Either by force or by conviction, the Native populations adopted the new educational system. Some embraced Christianity, at different levels and in different denominations. The new position and role of the woman caused another identity crisis. Native Alaskan women were subject to an enormous pressure from the establishment, and politics and religion played an important role in the developments that took place in Alaskan society. Women, influenced by the changes that were happening around them, took on an active role in the learning process, and became vessels of the new values introduced by the European and American rulers. Many younger women also realized that they didn’t want to conform to the traditional roles that had been placed upon them by the Native Alaskan society. Without completely dismissing their traditions, these Alaskan women sought new roles in society, and learnt to become independent and self-sufficient, especially at the time when the men were not able to be the main supporter of the household. These role reversals have led to domestic disputes, mainly due to the loss of the traditional role male of provider for the family, with the subsequent loss of power and family position. In a collectivistic culture, where individuals are seen as members of the group, these role changes are chaotic, since role stratification hierarchy is generally based in one’s gender, age, or societal role, and where one individual tends to be more powerful than another.
Thought and Identity
Many believe that the preservation of identity, human and civil rights, social justice, and morals, all relate to each other and are inherent to our society. However, in order to have a better appreciation of this one needs to consider how all members of society are protected and how society itself interacts with each and all of those members. In America, this idea is not foreign, yet the road to its implementation, and the ways in which we treat each other, has taken decades in order to start to take a hold in society. When the European and Native Alaskan cultures originally came into contact, they both held different notions of justice and rights. In the Native communities, differences existed between patriarchal and matriarchal privileges, and in the assignation of gender based positions and rights. Caste systems played a definite role in the decision making process, and this meant that the voice of the people was not always equally heard. Slavery was not uncommon, and honor killing was part of cultural traditions. Different groups were accorded different treatment. Even though these patterns do not seem to differ much from the European patterns of the time, the reality is that they were quite different, especially if taking into consideration society structures. While there was a prevalence of a patriarchal system, which included castes and classes, there was also a great level of racial, religious, and economic intolerance and discrimination. The aims for expansion, colonization, and worldwide capitalism, drove many white settlers into the forceful subjugation of other people and nations, especially those they considered inferior. There were not rules for justice and equality, as seen today, and neither the Natives nor the Europeans, seemed to be culturally ripe enough as to develop same.
The arrival of the European settlers in Alaska marked a period of colonization and abuse. The Europeans (and later on, the white Americans), considered the Native Alaskans to be savages and uncivilized, which had to either be civilized or displaced. Notwithstanding the rich cultural heritage of the Native population, the new rulers thought and fought to transform and replace such culture with their own. This was done either through military, political, economic, social, or religious subjugation and societal structures. This led to the extermination of many societies due to the military force or the disease brought by the new arrivals. The Natives, rulers of their own land, were relegated to a second, inferior place, by both Europeans and American settlers. If under the Russian occupation there were laws that undermined the culture and ideology of the Alaskan people, the Americans went further and imposed a legal system that dispossessed the Native population of both identity and society, all in the name of integration and modernization. Nonetheless, in this clash of cultures the Native cultures were not fully extinguished. It is their survival through the difficult and harsh periods of colonization and cultural occupation, which demonstrates the capacity for adaptation, the strength, resilience, and the never ending determination of the Native Alaskan populations. Not only they sought and were able to reassert their rights and privileges as masters of their own souls and bodies, but this struggle for equality and freedom led them to acquire new skills and tools that favored their position in this fight