Info on Hispanic nations joining the USA

IOTL, El Salvador asked to join the United States in he 1820s, but was denied. During the Mexican-American War, the USA didn't annex the heavily populated parts of Mexico. These two instances were due, at least partly, to racism--they didn't want so many Hispanics in the USA. My question is, under what circumstances would El Salvador be admitted to the Union, and more broadly, how could we make it so that Central American, Caribbean, or South American nations could have the legitimate option of opting to join the USA? By this I mean either by opting to join or being invaded and annexed---either seem out of question IOTL due to the disinclination of the USA in accepting large Hispanic populations. I know very little on the subject, so any info would be appreciated.
 
The only way I can see it is with a racially restricted franchise - which of course has a model in the antebellum South. Potentially you could have the filibusters have more success so places like Cuba and Nicaragua gain associate status, then territory status, then statehood. If they were then seen as successful, they might then be a model for later additions.
 
The big block here is good old fashioned family racism. Accepting a *gasp* Hispanic and *double gasp* Catholic state into the union on equal footing with "proper white protestant states" is pushing ASB given the less than progessive views on race and religion in the US. :(

OTL that lasted even post-ACW when the Dominican Republic was denied membership.

Perhaps if the US had gained Quebec there's precident for a Catholic majority state that could allow it. Also perhaps a hypothetical "Indian State" like the Cherokee or someone, but that faces the same racial barrier.

That said, find a way over that hump and a precident is set for absorbing Latin States, though fears of a "Brown Deluge" could certainly cause an uproar against taking over *too many* such places.
 
Maryland was predominantly catholic:confused: and Cuba would have been a territory with out the Teller Amendment in the Spanish American war.
 
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What if El Salvador decides to keep slavery and promote it as a way to get into the USA? The Southerns and Democrats would surely back such a measure due to their ideas of Manifest Destiny and the idea of adding another slave state to the Union. If then, at least, could such a process work in the 1830's or 1840's?
 
William Walker intended to petition the US for membership, if I remember right. From 1857-1859, he at least has a chance. If the Nicaraguan civil war begins earlier, say 1851, he has a pretty good shot of Congress going for it. Maybe the Democrats divide over Nicaragua instead of Nebraska.
 
The times when the U.S. was most expansionistic, it was also the most racist and anti-Catholic.

The incorporation of Quebec or Indian tribes as states (and nothing bad like Quebecois voters being controlled by the Pope or Indians doing something troublesome, whatever that might be) could neutralize some of those issues, maybe.
 
The only way I can see this happening without a very deep POD altering American views on race(i.e. Bacon's Rebellion)is for El Salvador being admitted as a slave state with a governing white elite(Peninsulars possibly). I think the Catholic issue is overstated as we had no problem with Maryland and were willing to accomodate Quebec so I don't see that as an insurmountable issue.
 
I think thats your best bet. I'd also throw out more American assistance to Simon Bolivar in the Latin American Wars of Independence, as since in OTL help wasn't forthcoming from Britain and/or America, Bolivar turned to the Haitians and as a condition of their support he ended slavery but with slavery intact southern support for annexation will probably be greater.

Golden Circle
 
For those bringing up Maryland, Maryland was founded by and for Catholics, but the Catholic settlers and their descendents quickly became a minority there, well before the revolution. Even the present-day number of Catholics in the state has been bolstered by post-independence immigration from Ireland and other Catholic countries.
 
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