About this episode
This episode explores the annexation of Alaska, its historical context, and its impact on Indigenous peoples.
In 1867, the United States purchased Alaska from Russia in a deal that reshaped the map of North America... but what did that moment mean for the people already living there? In this episode, we explore Alaska before European contact, the rise of Russian colonial settlement, and eventually the American takeover. Our guest today is Professor Thomas Swensen at the University of Utah. He’s the author of Where Next, Columbus?: A Native Punk Mixtape and his new book, The Great Land: An Indigenous History of Alaska, will be published in October of 2026. Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Tomos Delargy. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe . All music from Epidemic Sounds. American History Hit is a History Hit podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
People in this episode
Guest: Professor Thomas Swensen
Topics covered
- Annexation of Alaska
- Russian colonial settlement
- Indigenous history
- European contact
- American takeover
Keywords
- Alaska
- annexation
- Russia
- Indigenous history
- colonial settlement
- American history
- European contact
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: University of Utah, History Hit, Epidemic Sounds, Acast
Books & works: Where Next, Columbus?: A Native Punk Mixtape, The Great Land: An Indigenous History of Alaska
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