Historical facts about Russian America and the sale of Alaska - in the video lecture and collections of the Presidential Library

The Presidential Library hosted the video lecture "Foreign Policy of Alexander II" from the "Knowledge of Russia" cycle. The event was timed to the 200th anniversary of the birth of the Russian Emperor and the 100th anniversary of the State Archival Service of Russia and was organized on the eve of the All-Russian Scientific Conference "The Eras of “Great Reforms": History and Documentary Heritage" dedicated to the Tsar-Reformer. The conference will be held in the Presidential Library on 25 May.

Speech by Doctor of Historical Sciences, chief researcher of the Center for North American Studies of the Institute of World History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a specialist in the history of Russian America, Alexander Petrov, was devoted to the sale of Alaska to America by Russia in 1867. Lyudmila Spiridonova, Head of the Department of Scientific Publications of the Russian State Archive of the Navy, on the basis of historical documents, told participants of the video lecture about the research of Russians in the North Pacific, the creation and activities of the Russian-American Company.

The history of Russian America is widely represented in the electronic library of the Presidential Library, which stores rare and valuable historical documents reflecting various aspects of our country's activities. This is, in particular, a patent from Paul I about the establishment and protection of the Russian-American Company and granting it privileges for 20 years. The document signed on December 27, 1799 says: "The benefits and profits resulting from our crafts and trade produced by our loyal subjects in the Northeast Sea and in the region of America, have paid our attention and respect to our selves". In addition, the portal presents "Inscription of the rules of the established company for crafts in America and the islands of the North-Eastern Sea" of the same year, as well as publications that tell about the activities of the new enterprise - "Russian-American possessions" in 1864 and "Russian-American Company" In 1939. These and other sources were included in the electronic collection "Russia - the USA: from the history of relationship".

About how Russian America looked, you can learn from the publication "Around the world with Krusenstern", which presents illustrations created by the participants of the first round-the-world voyage of Russians on the ships "Nadezhda" and "Neva" under the command of I. F. Krusenstern and Y. F Lisyansky. A trip to the shores of the North American continent is narrated by "A Journey around the World in 1803, 4, 5 and 1806". F. Krusenstern and "Journey around the world in 1803. 4. 5. and 1806, at the behest of his Imperial Majesty Alexander Pervago, on the ship Neva, under the command of the fleet of the captain-lieutenant, now captain of the 1st rank and knight of Yuri Lisyansky". It should be added that today in the historical building of the Synod in the Senatskaya Square an exhibition dedicated to the first Russian circumnavigation, some of which tell about Russian America and the Russian-American company, is held.

Another interesting document from the Presidential Library's collections from which work began on the transfer of Russian lands - "Attitude of the Governor of the Sea Ministry of the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich to the Minister of Foreign Affairs A. M. Gorchakov with the proposal to sell Russian North American colonies to the North American United States". Other documents related to the sale of Alaska can be found in the collection of scientific works of the Presidential Library published in 2016 in the series “Historical Jurisprudence”.