Grant Dominica, not

[Dave Wilma]

As president, Grant attempted to annex Santo Domingo what today we call the Dominican Republic. He had several goals. One was to help secure the only freed slave republic in the hemisphere in Haiti. The navy wanted a coaling station in Samana Bay to help defend the trade route to the Isthmus of Panama. The Dominicans indicated they wanted it (Grant had been to a country before that did not want to be invaded). Not a few Americans had cast manifest-destiny eyes on Cuba and the Caribbean.

After much investigation, Grant and Secretary of State Hamilton Fish secretly drafted a treaty bringing in the country as another state of the union. Then he walked over to the home of Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Charles Sumner who was at supper with some journalists. Grant pitched the plan then and there. This sort of secret planning and surprise attack suited Grant well as a commander, but Sumner was accustomed to being consulted on these things.

Fast forward, the senate defeated the treat and that was the end of that. There is a what-if for you.

[my error in the thread title]

 

[Bruce Vail]

Interesting, I had never heard this story.

When you say the "Dominicans wanted it," what does that mean? Was it debated only at that time down there?

 

[Bruce Vail]

The Commonwealth of Dominica, by the way is a small island in the southeast Caribbean and not the same thing at all as the Dominican Republic.

 

[FarawayFriend]

As president, Grant attempted to annex what today we call the Dominican Republic. He had several goals. One was to help secure the only freed slave republic in the hemisphere in Haiti. The navy wanted a coaling station in Samana Bay to help defend the trade route to the Isthmus of Panama. The Dominicans indicated they wanted it (Grant had been to a country before that did not want to be invaded). Not a few Americans had cast manifest-destiny eyes on Cuba and the Caribbean.

After much investigation, Grant and Secretary of State Hamilton Fish secretly drafted a treaty bringing in the country as another state of the union. Then he walked over to the home of Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Charles Sumner who was at supper with some journalists. Grant pitched the plan then and there. This sort of secret planning and surprise attack suited Grant well as a commander, but Sumner was accustomed to being consulted on these things.

Fast forward, the senate defeated the treat and that was the end of that. There is a what-if for you.

When I was there last time we were told that meanwhile the government of the Dominican Republic , which is located on the eastern half of the island of Hispaniola (the western half being Haiti)
had applied to become a state within the United States, but was not admitted, because if it was granted US statehood, then bringing US standards to the island would cost enormous sums and achieve not very much strategically or economically.
How interesting to hear that Grant had planned otherwise! Yes, indeed, a great what if!

 

[Dave Wilma]

One Grant biographer believes that if Grant had just schmoozed Sumner more

Interesting, I had never heard this story.

When you say the "Dominicans wanted it," what does that mean? Was it debated only at that time down there?

Jean Edward Smith's bio of Grant does not articulate this. I suspect that investigations into popular sentiment was confined to the ruling class and what publications existed.

The Commonwealth of Dominica, by the way is a small island in the southeast Caribbean and not the same thing at all as the Dominican Republic.

I should have written Santo Domingo in the thread title.

 

[KansasFreestater]

This whole episode always makes me sad. What a missed opportunity! Would have been a win-win all around, as I see it. Grant's main interest was that it would give freedmen in the U.S. some much-needed bargaining power with white southerners -- i.e., pay us what we deserve for our labor or we'll move to Santo Domingo. Would've put upward pressure on wages. And if white people were still obnoxious about it, freedmen could make good on the threat and actually move there -- and presumably have a better life.

Grant was heartbroken at the plan's failure. It was one of his biggest disappointments as President. I've never forgiven Sumner for this, since it seems that he just did it to spite Grant. So much for the senator who supposedly cared so much about African-Americans!