Passage of the 1899 Criminal Code which, among other things, included a tax on liquor, led to increased calls for Alaskan representation in Congress,[3] and the debate finally ended on August 24, 1912, when the Alaska District became an organized, incorporated territory of the United States.

James Wickersham, a Delegate to Congress, introduced Alaska's first statehood bill, but it failed for lack of interest from Alaskans.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the provision of the Constitution saying one state should not hold sway over another's commerce did not apply because Alaska was only a territory.

[citation needed] The Great Depression caused prices of fish and copper, which were vital to Alaska's economy at the time, to decline.

[5] Colonists were largely from northern states in the Upper Midwest, such as Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota under the belief that only those who grew up with climates similar to that of Alaska's could handle settler life there.

The United Congo Improvement Association asked the president to settle 400 African-American farmers in Alaska, saying that the territory would offer full political rights, but racial prejudice and the belief that only those from northern states would make suitable colonists caused the proposal to fail.

The exploration and settlement of Alaska would not have been possible without the development of aircraft, which allowed for the influx of settlers into the state's interior, and rapid transportation of people and supplies throughout.

However, owing to unfavorable weather conditions and the high ratio of pilots to population, over 1,700 aircraft wreck sites are scattered throughout Alaska.

[9] Alaska's governor was appointed for a term lasting four years having the power to veto any bill but could be overridden by a 2/3rd vote in the legislature.

[14] Under the Tennessee Plan, Alaska had unrecognized senators and an at-large representative,[15] also being the only shadow congressmen elected by their state, after the passage of the 17th Amendment.