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At the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, American explorers, including Robert Peary, explored the northern sections of Greenland, which up to that time had been a mystery and were often shown on maps as extending over the North Pole. Peary discovered that Greenland's northern coast in fact stopped well short of the pole. These discoveries were considered to be the basis of an American territorial claim in the area. But after the United States purchased the Virgin Islands from Denmark in 1917, it agreed to relinquish all claims on Greenland.

What if the Americans wanted Greenland earlier? What if they offered to purchase it in 1859?

How would this affect the American Civil War? How could this contribute to a (partly) Confederate victory?*

And what would be the consequences if the Americans offered Sweden a piece of Greenland, Erik the Red's Land, more specifically, as that was Norwegian territory, historically?

What if, at the same time, Prussia was negotiating with Denmark too about buying Greenland? Would Prussia be angered by the fact that the US got it? How could this cause a big conflict and how would a war start, if possible?

And, lastly, what other consequences could the US possession of Greenland have on world history?

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*Since I'm thinking of working out this scenario as a small timeline, I've another question. (Sorry, I understand, I ask too much...) Namely, would there a be a way to make the following a little (just a little) plausible: the US and CS get into the Civil War as OTL. The US gets France's support and the CS get Britain's. Canadians actually support the US instead of the CS and hence the Civil War also spreads to British Canada. Then, there also develops a secesion movement in New England. The people of New England don't want to have anything to do with the war and secede (New Hampshire, vermont, Massachussets, Maine, New Brunswick and maybe more). France supports the US in gaining Quebec, since the argument is that French people should not be under British colonisation. And what happens next I don't know yet. Say me what you think (honestly).
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