Cuba joins the general Latin American rebellion in the 1820s

Cuba remained loyal to Spain while much of South America rebelled in the 1820s. Let's assume for the heck of it that the revolutionary fever hopped from the coasts of what are now Venezuela, Colombia, and Mexico to inflame Cuba similarly. Would either James Monroe or Quincy Adams seize upon this series of events to support the rebels with US forces (by then, Florida was in American hands having been ceded by Spain in 1819)? And if so, would there have developed an increasingly close relationship between the US and Cuba such that Cuba might pull a Dominican Republic ploy and ask for inclusion in the US?
 
Cuba remained loyal to Spain while much of South America rebelled in the 1820s. Let's assume for the heck of it that the revolutionary fever hopped from the coasts of what are now Venezuela, Colombia, and Mexico to inflame Cuba similarly. Would either James Monroe or Quincy Adams seize upon this series of events to support the rebels with US forces (by then, Florida was in American hands having been ceded by Spain in 1819)? And if so, would there have developed an increasingly close relationship between the US and Cuba such that Cuba might pull a Dominican Republic ploy and ask for inclusion in the US?

Well, considering how much larger a proportion of the Cuban population is black compared to continental Latin America, any Cuban revolution is likely to look a lot more like Haiti than those revolutions you listed: or, if the planters try to revolt, they won't have the strength (alone) to hold their slaves down. But because of that, you're quite likely to see any "White" Cuban revolution try to rush into the US as quickly as possible, possibly even involving a large contingent of filibusters from Dixie even in the initial stages. After all, getting hooked into the plantation economy and Southern culture is nessicery for them to thrive in the long term with their old system intact.
 
Well, considering how much larger a proportion of the Cuban population is black compared to continental Latin America, any Cuban revolution is likely to look a lot more like Haiti than those revolutions you listed: or, if the planters try to revolt, they won't have the strength (alone) to hold their slaves down. But because of that, you're quite likely to see any "White" Cuban revolution try to rush into the US as quickly as possible, possibly even involving a large contingent of filibusters from Dixie even in the initial stages. After all, getting hooked into the plantation economy and Southern culture is nessicery for them to thrive in the long term with their old system intact.
But that will make the North want to add more free states, since this is around the time of the Missouri Compromise.
 
Delphi: point taken. I wonder if the planters might come up with some sort of scheme wherein slaves that made common cause would earn freedom in some fixed amount of time as an incentive--and that amount of time might be improved if said slave collaborators helped keep the lid on any slave rebellions?

Kirook: maybe that might rush Michigan to statehood--or at least the Lower Peninsula? Granted, the UP hadn't been assigned to Michigan in compensation for an adverse judgment in a border dispute with Ohio all that long before, but perhaps the Lower Peninsula residents might be willing to give up the UP to the Wisconsin Territory in exchange for immediate statehood.

The other possibility might be that opening new slave territory to the south may shift the equation such that the northern reaches of slavery (Maryland, Delaware) would be even more marginal, yielding abolition by the legislature (which as I understand it was a very near thing in Delaware at one point).
 

raharris1973

Gone Fishin'
Donor
Monthly Donor
If the Cubans are motivated enough to have a broad-based rebellion, they are likely to have some ideas for a republic of their own. They are not compelled to join the United States.

-Puerto Rico becomes the lone Spanish holdout, and refuge of loyalists. If it never has a rebellion on its own, its probably Spanish to the 21st century.

Delphi: point taken. I wonder if the planters might come up with some sort of scheme wherein slaves that made common cause would earn freedom in some fixed amount of time as an incentive--and that amount of time might be improved if said slave collaborators helped keep the lid on any slave rebellions?
.

An interesting solution to the challenges of an independence revolution. Perhaps it would work. I do not know how similar that would be to the process of emancipation in Central and South America.
 
How black was Cuba during this time, compared to Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Haiti etc?
Not that black around 50% of The population,but only around 30% was slave
So more white than haiti ot Jamaica, but less than Puerto Rico, and remember that a good deal of The "white" population clasyfy as black by The USA one drop rule
 

Maoistic

Banned
Latin America would have remained the same. Cuba was rich and one of the jewels of Spain, but it still was too weak to be of any relevance in the age of colonial empires of the 19th century. The only major difference is we wouldn't have had José Martí's poetry, which was precisely about Cuban independence, but other than that history would have proceeded its course and Cuba may or may not have gone a Communist revolution or a fascist dictatorship, though Latin America's history of caudillismo and fascism in the 19th and 20th century makes it likely that someone like Batista would have still ruled Cuba.
 
Not that black around 50% of The population,but only around 30% was slave
So more white than haiti ot Jamaica, but less than Puerto Rico, and remember that a good deal of The "white" population clasyfy as black by The USA one drop rule

How come Puerto Rico was so white?
 
How come Puerto Rico was so white?

Puerto Rico was a smaller poorer colony than Cuba and don´t have a strong enough sugar plantation economy and culture, so less black slaves are imported and as L.A. count race question a good deal of the "white enough" or more important "rich enough" Mulattoes and Mestizos are counted as White

It was only slightly whiter than Cuba, and before the 1774 Cuba was even whiter, but after that the Sugar plantation get strong and the country import a lot of black slaves, so the country in % the numbers and % For Cuba are:
1774 Census
White 56,4% 96.440 people
Free Black and Mulattoes 18.6% 30.847 people
Black Slaves 25% 44.333 People

1817 Census
White: 69, 8% 276689 People
Black: 30,2% 119221 people

The difference between 1774 Census and 1817 census is that in 1817 Census the Black Population is Slave Population and the White Population is free population, the Free Black and Mulattoes population as being "free" people are counted as White, that is why I say that around 50% of the population is Black and a good Deal of the "white" population of Cuba in 1810 could(would?) be considered "black" by the USA rules
Source (in Spanish and official Cuba government site so I don´t know is you could see in USA) https://www.ecured.cu/Demografía_de_la_Capitanía_General_de_Cuba

By contrast if you review the Spanish and English Wikipedia page on Demographics of Puerto Rico you get this information
Source(https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demografía_de_Puerto_Rico)
Raza - Puerto Rico23
Año
Blanca % No-Blanca %
1802
48.0 52.0
1812 46.8 53.2
1820 44.4 55.6
1830 50.1 49.9
1877 56.3 43.7
1887 59.5 40.5
1897 64.3 35.7
1899 61.8 38.2
1910 65.5 34.5
1920 73.0 27.0
1930 74.3 25.7
1935 76.2 23.8
1940 76.5 23.5
1950 79.7 20.3
2000 80.5 19.5
2006est: 75.4 24.6
Raza composición de la
población, en la censos, 1802-2000
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demog...#cite_note-Puerto_Rico.27s_History_on_race-13)
Racial groups – Puerto Rico[13][14][15][16][17]
Year
White % Non-White %
1802
42.0 58.0
1812 40.8 59.2
1820 39.4 60.6
1830 45.1 54.9
1877 52.3 47.7
1887 53.5 46.5
1897 64.3 35.7
1899 61.8 38.2
1910 64.5 35.5
1920 72.0 28.0
1930 73.3 26.7
1935 75.2 24.8
1940 76.0 24.0
1950 79.7 20.3
2000 80.5 19.5
2010 75.8 24.2
Racial composition of the Puerto Rican
population, by the census, 1802–2010.


So dependent as the source you use you get a more "black" Puerto Rico or a more "white" Puerto Rico, as I´m using Spanish Sources, for me the situation in 1810-1830 i Get a "whiter" Puerto Rico than Cuba, but only slightly
 
Last edited:
Top