Alaska and Hawaii Gain Statehood
At a glance:
- Series: Great Events from History: North American Series
- Categories: Land Acquisition and Expansion, Territory Redistribution, Geography
- Curriculum: American History 1951-present
- Geographical Location: Polynesia, Oceania, Alaska, Hawaii
- Date: January 3 and August 21, 1959
Article abstract: The United States grows economically with the addition of two Pacific Rim states and new ethnic cultures.
Summary of Event
The admission of Alaska and Hawaii into the Union in 1959 vastly extended the physical boundaries of the United States, adding considerably to U.S. influence throughout the Pacific. Alaska’s 586,000 square miles of tundra, mountains, and lakes added an extraordinary wilderness to the lower forty-eight states, as well as rich fishing grounds, oil and gas reserves, and a strategic defense perimeter in both the...
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