The State of Cuba

Is there a way that the United States could have acquired Cuba before the Spanish American War? If so, when(preferably before the 1890's)?
 
interesting because Cuba would become the first state with a majority black and latino population and if they did purchase it in 1850's i wonder what butterflies it would cause come civil war
 
What's interesting Captain, is that it was the South that wanted to acquire Cuba, and the North that opposed. It was generally assumed that any Cuban State would be slave holding.
 
well the south is in for a suprise. i can just imagine it.... a slave revolt during the civil war spreads from Cuba to the CSA and the war is over by 1863 :D

It also will be an interesting because of the impact a black majority state would have on the civil rights movement
 

General Zod

Banned
What's interesting Captain, is that it was the South that wanted to acquire Cuba, and the North that opposed. It was generally assumed that any Cuban State would be slave holding.

Southern slaveholders made such optimistic assumptions about states carved from the Lousiana Purchase and the Mexican cession, too, and we all know how it ended: freesoiler settlers (or in Cuba's case antislavery natives) outnumbered and ougunned them in most of those lands. See Kansas.

Case is, to make a state slave-holding, slaveholders and slaves have to relocate there in substantial numbers. Slaveholders are typically much less numerous than freesoiler settlers or antislavery natives in these situations, and slaves are a fragile property, so many nasty things (from the slaveholder's PoV) may happen to them when the plantations are close to an aggressive and determined antislavery population.

Slaveholders can't invoke the protection of federal authorities because antislavery states block any such attempts in Congress, and local territorial/state authorities are at best as badly split on the issue as the population itself.

Guess how this ends.
 
In my timeline, I had the U.S. buy Cuba along with Florida. I haven't worked the butterflies out of the equation yet.


Butterflies--- no wonder the Japanese are so scared of Mothra.
 

The Sandman

Banned
Have the British smack the French and Spanish around even more harshly in the French and Indian War, to the point where they get Cuba along with Florida in the peace treaty. That might improve the chances slightly, simply by dint of the earlier POD.
 
I think there were at least several opportunities where the US could have gotten Cuba. But which ever way you choose just remember that with a population the size of Cuba it would probably be split into two states.
 
Southern slaveholders made such optimistic assumptions about states carved from the Lousiana Purchase and the Mexican cession, too, and we all know how it ended: freesoiler settlers (or in Cuba's case antislavery natives) outnumbered and ougunned them in most of those lands. See Kansas.

Case is, to make a state slave-holding, slaveholders and slaves have to relocate there in substantial numbers. Slaveholders are typically much less numerous than freesoiler settlers or antislavery natives in these situations, and slaves are a fragile property, so many nasty things (from the slaveholder's PoV) may happen to them when the plantations are close to an aggressive and determined antislavery population.

Slaveholders can't invoke the protection of federal authorities because antislavery states block any such attempts in Congress, and local territorial/state authorities are at best as badly split on the issue as the population itself.

Guess how this ends.

You are overlooking the small fact that Cuba under the Spanish WAS SLAVEHOLDING, so there would not need to be a mass influx of slaves, or even of owners. The Spanish would continue, and some of them would sell out to Southern aristocrats.

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 
I've wondered if the Southern Slave Class, would have been all that happy if they did get Cuba.

50 % of the Negroes were Free, 50% Slave, Negroes in the 1800's [pre Italian/South Europe migration] made up 50% of the Population.
So Free Negroes were 25% of Cuba's Population. more than any American State.

Slaves had legally protected Rights to be paid, if Farmed out to Others than their owner/relatives and to hold on to their own Money.
There where strict laws about breaking up Married Couples and Families.
There were many Mixed Slave/Free Families who lived and worked together, With the only indication of Slavery, was the requirement of the Slaves to turn over produce made, or moneys received.

All this was very different from Slave Customs in the American Slave States, And attempts to impose American Customs would have lead to Mass unrest.
 

Tom Kalbfus

Banned
I've wondered if the Southern Slave Class, would have been all that happy if they did get Cuba.

50 % of the Negroes were Free, 50% Slave, Negroes in the 1800's [pre Italian/South Europe migration] made up 50% of the Population.
So Free Negroes were 25% of Cuba's Population. more than any American State.

Slaves had legally protected Rights to be paid, if Farmed out to Others than their owner/relatives and to hold on to their own Money.
There where strict laws about breaking up Married Couples and Families.
There were many Mixed Slave/Free Families who lived and worked together, With the only indication of Slavery, was the requirement of the Slaves to turn over produce made, or moneys received.

All this was very different from Slave Customs in the American Slave States, And attempts to impose American Customs would have lead to Mass unrest.
So whatever happened to the "Cruel Conquistador"?
 
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