Final Jeopardy 7/17/23 (Government Officials) & Who Won Monday July 17 2023

The quote in question for today’s Final Jeopardy round is extracted from a letter dated August 7, 1867, authored by U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward to General Lovell Rousseau. In his message, Seward instructs Rousseau, “On arriving at Sitka, the principal town in the ceded territory, you will receive from the Russian Commissioner the formal transfer of that territory.”

This directive pertains to Seward’s pivotal role in the acquisition of Alaska from Russia. In this letter, he is communicating to Rousseau, who was tasked to oversee the completion of the Alaskan purchase, about the formal transfer of the territory, which took place in Sitka, Alaska. Despite the scorn the acquisition initially faced, being mockingly dubbed “Seward’s Folly” or “Seward’s Icebox,” this purchase added over 600,000 square miles of territory to the United States and would later prove invaluable due to its rich natural resources and strategic geopolitical position. Alaska celebrates the day of this transfer annually as Alaska Day.