What if: United States of America buys Iceland in 1869

So this has already been posted on my little forum but as i think i get more responds here on AH.com, my question is.

In 1868 then U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward thought the idea of obtaining Iceland and Greenland was “worthy of serious consideration”, so what would have happen if the US had bought Iceland or Greenland.

That Time The United States Was Thinking Of Buying Iceland

Also there is a Times article from 1868 that you can read by clicking on the following link:

Iceland: Rumored Plan for the Annexation of the Island to the United States,”
 
Well, Canada would be surrounded by the USA on all sides, so that might have some interesting effects. A good example might be how all those far northern islands that Canada has in OTL goes in TTL - perhaps those islands will go to the USA, lumped in with the 'Greenland territory' , while Canada ends at the Arctic shore.

Iceland might get enough people for statehood, though I wonder if Greenland might be lumped in with it or kept as its own territory.

The USA would also now have a toehold, however small, in Europe.
 
Iceland would be an advance staging ground for american intervention in TTL WWII and also hold lots of ICBM's during the cold war.

Greenland would box in Canada and Could significantly affect American Canadian relations, perhaps with Canada forming faster to defend against american aggression.

Otherwise its Butterflies :).
 
Iceland would be an advance staging ground for american intervention in TTL WWII and also hold lots of ICBM's during the cold war.

Greenland would box in Canada and Could significantly affect American Canadian relations, perhaps with Canada forming faster to defend against american aggression.

Otherwise its Butterflies :).

I believe that Canada had already been formed at the time that the purchase was being considered. As for the island itself, it would be interesting to see if the British would attempt to block such as sale, due to the island's proximity to the Home Islands. As for Greenland, it wouldn't do the United States much good to own the island during the 19th century, although it's value rises during the 20th century if the United States needs to intervene in Europe.

Although, what would prompt the Danish government to authorize such as sale? How would the native Icelanders react to the American administration of the island? Would the US and UK come to an agreement on the sale of the islands? Canadian attempt to own Greenland while the US gets Iceland?
 
In the short term (=until the US starts needing air bases near Europe), the main effect will probably be fishing rights. Unlike Denmark, the US can and will want to enforce their exclusive fishing rights in and near Icelandic waters, which could lead to either even closer relations with the UK, or could completely spike them. It might also tempt the US to be a little less isolationist.

One other thing I thought of is - will this affect the route taken by the transatlantic cable? I don't think so, but maybe?

EDIT: It's also worth noting that by this time, the Icelandic independence movement had already started, and OTL Iceland got home rule in most things in 1874 anyway. It'll be hard for the Land of the Free to spin keeping an island that doesn't want them (though not impossible, god knows the US has been hypocritical in the past and will be hypocritical again in the future).

In terms of settlement, there'll be an influx of New Englanders, I think, initially drawn by the fishing industry and trade with Europe, and probably New Englanders will find the weather most familiar.
 
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I believe that Canada had already been formed at the time that the purchase was being considered.

It had been formed, but looked like this:

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Newfoundland was not part of Canada (and wouldn't be until 1949).
 
You would have to consider what Britain may (or may not) do.

Relations between the UK and US weren't the best at this time, so I'm not sure if the British would allow a potential enemy on their doorstep. They might intervene to prevent this from happening.

The US would also have found it difficult to defend Iceland against the Royal Navy.

If this happened at a later time (like 1917, when the US acquired the Danish Virgin Islands during a totally different political landscape from the 1860s), it might have had a better chance of happening.
 
Iceland itself would have enough people in it to immediately submit an application for statehood to Congress (the lower limit is 60,000 people, and Iceland would have reached that threshold a few years prior). It may redirect a portion of the Scandinavian settlement of the United States, and maybe encourage a little more than IOTL, which was mostly driven railroad and state boosters of farm lands in the upper Midwest and the high plains. Owning a culturally similar population to the Scandanavian countries might tempt a few. Are there many people in Iceland originally from Norway? If so, it would probably draw direct relatives: Norwegians in particular came to America along familial-communal lines, with whole families and communities uprooting over a period of years to rejoin those who had left before.
 

Dorozhand

Banned
It might be interesting if Iceland resists US rulership and the doubtlessly following influx of migrants. An Icelandic war of independence would certainly be convenient case for war for a UK that desires it.
 
Another thing that might impact Canada - aren't a good chunk of people who settled the Prarie provinces from Iceland? How might Iceland ending up a US state effect that?
 
Was this something the Danes actually wanted to go along with?
No.
I think it would require an actual invasion, and then a 'purchase' after the fact to save Danish face.
And I don't think the US was willing to go THAT far.

Notice that
- Louisiana was sold because France knew she was going to lose the territory.
- Alaska was sold because Russia knew she would probably lose the territory.
- Mexico sold because they'd already lost the territory.
- Denmark sold the Virgin Islands because it was unprofitable foreign territory (and tourism wasn't a thing yet)

Selling Scandinavian territory? No way the Danes would do that, I don't imagine.
 

Saphroneth

Banned
That's what I wondered.

That being said, now we've mentioned the plausibility, we can discuss the effects if it did happen.
 
Alaska was one thing, but Iceland is basically Europe, and I don't see most Americans wanting to have a foothold there that could possibly drag them into a war or something later. Or sooner, if the Danes say no.
 
No.
I think it would require an actual invasion, and then a 'purchase' after the fact to save Danish face.
And I don't think the US was willing to go THAT far.

Notice that
- Louisiana was sold because France knew she was going to lose the territory.
- Alaska was sold because Russia knew she would probably lose the territory.
- Mexico sold because they'd already lost the territory.
- Denmark sold the Virgin Islands because it was unprofitable foreign territory (and tourism wasn't a thing yet)

Selling Scandinavian territory? No way the Danes would do that, I don't imagine.

Is Iceland considered Scandinavian territory?

Iceland and Greenland would be just as unprofitable.
 
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