U.S. Buys Baja California in 1917

loughery111

Banned
I don't think it would have until the 70's myself, afterall their's historically never been that much of a rush, and given the Baja California peninsula* is'nt exactly a land of fertility and promise it would take awhile for it to get to the population required for statehood (at the time probably 600,000 atleast).


*The Baja California Territory was'nt split in two until 1931, so the United States would be getting the whole thing.

Yes, but Wyoming was admitted at a different time, and in general it was'nt the norm.

The circumstances under which Hawaii and Alaska were admitted were probably not normal; the US government wanted to deny the Soviets a propaganda coup by ensuring that all the major territories of the US were integrated fully, IIRC. Any such rationale would almost certainly include Baja California ITTL.
 
Does no one here know about how Nevada doubled in size after it became a state? About Missouri's Platte Purchase? IMO California will get Baja because the federal government doesn't want to have a majority-Mexican territory. They could have admitted New Mexico right away, but they waited 60 years until the Anglo population became equal to the Mexican population. Much easier to just give it California.

To ensure that the Anglo population remains in power, they institute some form of segregation putting the White skinned Mexicans over the Mestizo inhabitants. The Baja becomes a whole other front of the Civil Rights movement.
No. Mexicans were counted as technically "white" and discrimination was either locally or state-based. The discrimination was de facto in most cases, unlike the de jure method of Jim Crow.
 
1. Yep, especially since Baja is not going to be heavily populated. Lots of nice, empty beaches.

2. That's a good point. Here's a link about his Carrnaza's presidency, during which the alleged offer took place.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carranza#President_of_Mexico.2C_1917.E2.80.931920

Let the speculation begin. That $50 million would be helpful in fighting the various rebels, although considering how Carranza wanted to leave office, he's not going to be holding onto power in any circumstance.

Maybe he gets his chosen successor?

He gets killed in 1917/8 instead of in 1920. Whoever pulls the trigger gets the both money and the propaganda boost of having killed a "betrayer of the fatherland".
 
He gets killed in 1917/8 instead of in 1920. Whoever pulls the trigger gets the both money and the propaganda boost of having killed a "betrayer of the fatherland".
Yes. Carranza gets killed and most of the money probably to different factions who fight over it or a few lucky people who wind up out of the country or dead.
 
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