Question

Which option best describes how Americans reacted to Seward’s purchase of Alaska?

Americans criticized it and felt it was a waste of money.
Americans were mostly uninterested in the purchase and paid little attention to it.
Americans were angered because they did not believe Seward had the right to make the purchase.
Americans were excited because they knew Alaska was rich in gold and oil.

Answer 1

Americans criticized it and felt it was a waste of money.

Many newspapers mocked it as "Seward's Folly" or "Seward's Icebox" at the time. The value (gold, oil) became clear only decades later.