To overcome a perceived gap in science and technology with the Soviet Union
When the Soviet Union launched the world's first satellite in 1957, the startled United States went into high gear to catch up in the Cold War space competition. Alarmed that the United States was falling behind in science and technology, Eisenhower persuaded Congress to appropriate additional money for college scholarships and university research.
Purchase of Alaska. But Seward had wanted to buy Alaska for a long time. Alaska is so large that the addition of this land would increase the size of the U.S. by nearly 20 percent. so a.
