In the years after WWII, Alaskans began to work more actively for statehood. For many Alaskans, not being a state meant "second-class citizenship." They saw that much of Alaska's government and economy was not controlled by Alaskans but by people who, in the words of Alaska's Governor Gruening, "never saw Alaska and had no thought of ever coming here or doing anything for the Territory." 

However, the fight for statehood was not easy. Several statehood bills failed in Congress. Alaska's most powerful industries were opposed to statehood, and national politics in Washington also complicated Alaska's bid to join the union. This lesson chronicles Alaska's fight for statehood.