This is an I-Heart podcast.

Guaranteed Human.

Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production of I-Heart Radio.

Hello and welcome to the podcast. I'm Tracy V. Wilson.

And I'm Holly Fry. Over the years, we have gotten some listener requests for an episode on Elizabeth Paratrovich, who's most well known for her work to pass Alaska's Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945. That was passed when Alaska was U.S. territory. So I've had her on my short list for an episode

for quite a while, and then this year on Elizabeth Paratrovich Day, which is February 16th,

I felt like I saw a lot more people talking about her than in previous years, including people

who are not in Alaska. And she's just sort of, she's sort of stayed on my mind since then.

That means that this episode is not timely at all, if you're thinking about it in terms of

Elizabeth Paratrovich Day. But her story also has more to it than the Alaska Anti-Discrimination

Act that she's most associated with. That act had some similarities to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which became law almost 20 years later.

So to start, we have to set the stage with some Alaska history, specifically in connection to the rights of Alaska Native peoples.

In 1867, the United States purchased Alaska from

Russia for $7.2 million, or about two cents per acre of land. Article 3 of the purchase treaty read,

quote, the inhabitants of the ceded territory, according to their choice, reserving their natural

allegiance, may return to Russia within three years. But if they should prefer to remain in the

seated territory, they, with the exception of uncivilized native tribes, shall be admitted to the

enjoyment of all the rights, advantages, and immunities

of citizens of the United States, and shall be maintained and protected in the free enjoyment

of their liberty, property, and religion. The uncivilized tribes will be subject to such laws

and regulations as the United States may, from time to time, adopt

in regard to Aboriginal tribes of that country.

...