What if the USA did annex Santo Domingo?

President Grant wanted to annex Santo Domingo. His reason were:
"The Annexation of Santo Domingo was an attempted treaty during the later Reconstruction Era, initiated by United States President Ulysses S. Grant in 1869, to annex "Santo Domingo" (as the Dominican Republic was commonly known) as a United States territory, with the promise of eventual statehood. President Grant feared some European power would take the island in violation of the Monroe Doctrine. He privately thought annexation would be a safety valve for African Americans who were suffering persecution in the US, but he did not include this in his official messages. Grant speculated that the acquisition of Santo Domingo would help bring about the end of slavery in Cuba and elsewhere. Militarily he wanted a US naval port in the Dominican Republic which would also serve as protection for a projected canal across Nicaragua."

While this did not happen, I am wondering what would have happened if the USA had annex Santo Domingo?

Regards

Stubear1012
 
By all accounts it would have been a boon for the US economy.
For one the beef industry in DR at the time was thriving and with the added potential of mass sugar cane exploitation being brought back under American suzienry, it would most likely be a very profitable piece of land.
 

Minty_Fresh

Banned
Americans should solve things with locals. They will not be happy with annexation.
Its a little more complicated than that. Haiti had bullied and occupied the Dominican Republic several times since the first end of Spanish rule, and Haitian rule was extremely unpopular. Spain tried to retake the area in 1861, and briefly succeeded, but were driven out again by 1865. The seizure was a violation of the Monroe Doctrine, but obviously the US had other priorities at the time. There were fears that Haiti would again try to conquer Santo Domingo.

US rule might not be completely popular at first, especially with the implied Liberia-esque settlement prospects, which may aid the economy as it would bring US government and charity dollars into the area, but it would also be a massive cultural shock, with the mostly Protestant Black settlers and Catholic locals having issues.

But if Haiti was to rear its head once more, US rule might be welcomed. The Spanish did everything they could to alienate the locals in their brief return to the region, firstly by raising a stink over the legitimacy of local marriages and heirs due to the shortage of Catholic clergy, and with the notion that slavery of the locals was rumored to return. Grant's annexation was in a way an abolitionist project, and would not stir similar fears. Having the support of Frederick Douglass and other prominent African Americans did much to quell the traditional New England opposition to land grabs. There was not enough support for the measure to go forth at the time, however, across the wide spectrum of the country.
 

Deleted member 67076

Rebellion in Santo Domingo, US pulls out after expenses continue to mount from trying to contain this insurgency while having to maintain their military occupation of the South.

The Dominican Restoration War was literally 7 years beforehand; too many people had fought in that to be able to accept their efforts were in vain.

There is little the US can do to mollify the unrest in the island and sending in former ex slaves is likely to cause a backlash from natives due to differences in culture and religion.
 

BlondieBC

Banned
I think it works ok. You may see some rebellions, but they will be easily manageable. Once the USA recovers from the economic issues of the civil war and rearms the navy, you see a major navy base down there. You also see a more South focused USA diplomatically. It is key to remember what the USA gives the Dominicans. We give them the least worst option by protecting them from European powers. Their sugar is being exclude from Europe trade measures, so we give them a profitable export market.
 

Deleted member 67076

I think it works ok. You may see some rebellions, but they will be easily manageable. Once the USA recovers from the economic issues of the civil war and rearms the navy, you see a major navy base down there. You also see a more South focused USA diplomatically. It is key to remember what the USA gives the Dominicans. We give them the least worst option by protecting them from European powers. Their sugar is being exclude from Europe trade measures, so we give them a profitable export market.
The problem is the Dominicans don't want any protection or federation or anything. The Restoration War had permanently ended that political faction's influence despite successive attempts at coups from the Rojos to cement control (they were frequently kicked out and their period of rule in the capital never lasted for more than a few months at any time).

Hence why any rebellion would be huge, drastic and long lasting.

Additionally, I should point out sugar wasn't a major economic activity at the time. Sugar mills only began to pop up following the end of the 10 Year's War in Cuba where Cuban Immigrants brought their capital and knowledge to start up sugar harvesting operations. Still took over 10 years after that to become a major revenue producer (thus we're talking the late 1880s).
 
We get to see how anti-miscegenation laws work on a population that have no concept of such nonsense. Maybe the southerners have one of their periodic freakouts and try to force a national anti-miscegenation law through Congress ala DOMA. Maybe they even call it DOMA.

Coincidentally enough, a Missouri politician named Andrew King proposed an anti-miscegenation law in 1871, right about the time this was happening.
 
Top