Read Libbie Martin's Book Review on Terrence Cole's "Fighting for the 49th Star" and see why we should not get discouraged in our own struggle for statehood for Puerto Rico.
Miriam Ramirez
"Fighting for the 49th Star" a gift to Alaskans reminding us why we live here
Mar 20, 2011
Alaska the state was born Jan. 3, 1959, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the statehood bill. Gestation and labor — the drive to make Alaska the 49th state — lasted much longer, as statehood activists fought segregationists, federal agencies and sometimes even Alaska’s own residents for the opportunity to determine her own destiny.
Historian Terrence Cole details the efforts waged and eventual success in “Fighting for the 49th Star: C.W. Snedden and the Crusade for Alaska Statehood.” Numerous authors recently have taken on this subject — including Cole’s brother, News-Miner columnist Dermot Cole. However, Terrence Cole’s effort stands out for its focus on the people behind the statehood drive, most especially C.W. Snedden, owner and publisher of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.
Alaska was a territory of the U.S. for 50 years and a possession for 92 years. It was unique in that it was non-contiguous, bordering Canada rather than other states. Statehood opponents claimed allowing Alaska to join the Union would then open the door to other non-contiguous entities, including Italy, Puerto Rico and maybe even Russia.
Other obstacles were Alaska’s enormous size, lack of infrastructure and population, minimal economic base, long coastline and challenging climate. In short, the rest of the country wasn’t quite sure what they would do with Alaska once she shook off the shackles of federal oversight.
The biggest tripping point was the obstinacy of segregationists in the halls of the U.S. House and Senate. Southern Democrats feared the addition of Alaska and Hawaii would upset their hold on power. Rep. Howard Smith, D-Va., went so far as to say, on record, he was opposed to statehood for Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and any other territory not attached to the mainland. “I want to keep the United States of America on the American continent,” he said on the House floor in 1955.
Those stubborn Southern Democrats didn’t count on confronting a group of people even more stubborn than themselves — Alaskans tired of being on the short end of the federal stick, watching faceless bureaucrats make life-changing decisions from far away with no thought to the way things worked in a harsh, isolated land and having no say in the election of those officials. Living in Alaska requires strength, toughness and persistence — traits Snedden and other statehood advocates had in abundance. Those Southern Democrats wouldn’t know what hit them.
Snedden was originally against the idea of statehood, thinking the young state needed to grow up a bit before leaving the federal nest. But he was an optimist, believing Alaska could eventually become something great. “Alaska was a paradise of promise,” Cole writes, “a garden of expectations … (s)tatehood would be the primary avenue to bring this transformation about.” When Snedden was convinced by statehood adherents of the folly of his earlier views, he jumped in the fight with both feet, using the News-Miner to trumpet the idea of independence.
Snedden was a brilliant newspaperman, knowing what readers wanted and how to give it to them. He also knew how to use his paper for the good of the community, giving untold inches of space to civic improvement projects, elections and other community issues.
His efforts paid off. Alaska was signed into statehood. Though Snedden wasn’t at the signing ceremony, he was given one of the ceremonial signing pens as a thank-you for his efforts.
Cole has given us an immensely detailed account of the fight for statehood, mostly from Snedden’s viewpoint, but he has also done an admirable job of introducing us to other important players in the making of our history, including Fred Seaton, federal Secretary of the Interior who pushed Eisenhower to make Alaska a state; Bob Atwood, owner of the Anchorage Times, an early statehood proponent; Ernest Gruening and Mike Stepovich, politicians; and young attorney Theodore Fulton Stevens, who started out as Snedden’s lawyer, did a stint as the U.S. district attorney for the Fourth Judicial District and went on to the Department of the Interior. Later appointed to the U.S. Senate from Alaska, he became the longest-serving and most loved senator in the state’s history.
Cole excels at providing truckloads of facts and data in a very readable, easily understood format. He gives back history of major characters in a way that does not distract the reader from the real story, but enhances our understanding of the players’ motivations and agendas. He is objective in his descriptions, using letters, newspapers, and other primary documents without interjecting opinion in inappropriate places.
Cole also details the early differences between Anchorage and Fairbanks, giving readers a glimpse into a rivalry that has existed almost since the beginning, but making it clear residents of both cities want only what’s best for the state and themselves.
“Fighting for the 49th Star: C.W. Snedden and the Crusade for Alaska Statehood” is an excellent birthday present for Alaskans, one that reminds us why we make this young, vibrant state our home.
Libbie Martin is a freelance writer who lives in Fairbanks. She can be reached at martinlibbie@yahoo.com.
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