How The Dominican Republic Was Nearly Annexed And Made a US State
The final measure was just a few votes short
One of Ulysses S Grant’s first major efforts as president of the United States was an attempt to annex the independent nation of Santo Domingo. The island nation had fought a war to become independent from neighboring Haiti. Santo Domingo — today known as the Dominican Republic — declared its independence in 1844. The nascent nation of Haiti attempted to reclaim its lost territory but bumbled its way into a series of defeats and never regained control of the Dominican territories.
Twenty-five years later the nation was in serious talks to become a part of the United States. A bill was put together to approve the annexation of Santo Domingo and the entire effort was spearheaded by President Grant. If the treaty had been approved the Dominican Republic would have been annexed by the United States and put on a fast track to statehood. But the effort fell short.
So what happened? Why did President Grant want the Dominican Republic? Why did the effort fail?
