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The campaign led by Benedict Arnold and Richard Montgomery captured Montreal leaving only Quebec to complete an American takeover. They managed to break into the city, but Montgomery was killed and Daniel Morgan and his men were cut off and captured within the city. It had been a close battle, a bit of luck going the American's way and they may well have prevailed.
Arnold maintained a siege until May of 1776, but then British reinforcements arrived and the campaign was abandoned for good.
Wow!
I have definitely got to study these battles more!
Thank you very much for sharing this information with me!
In theory, following the conquest of Mexico in 1847, the US could have kept the entire nation as a US colony.
And of course in both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, the first instinct of the Americans was to try and wrest Canada away from Great Britain, coming close the first time and failing miserably the second.
If we had Canada, we could have had our own version of Siberia.
Chime in if I am wrong, Filipino readers, but I have known more than a few of them who wished they had stayed Commonwealth Territory, a la Puerto Rico, rather than complete independence.
Imagine a Governor Marcos indicted by the Feds on bribery and corruption charges (as happened to a recent PR governor) and put in the clink for a bit, rather than a President Marcos declaring martial law and misruling the Philippines for a decade and a half.
At least Baja California should have been taken as part of the negotiated peace with Mexico. It fits perfectly with the rest of California, and gives AZ a seafront. Almost no one lived in Baja California at that time and would have easily been incorporated into the US with very few residents. Today Cabo San Lucas and all that beautiful coastline on the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez would be ours.
My question is--when exactly did the U.S. have the best chance of acquiring Cuba?
For the record, I think that President Polk tried to purchase Cuba for the U.S. around 1848 or so, but Spain refused to sell Cuba back then.
There are some theories that the CSA wished to annex Cuba and Mexico, although probably that best belongs in a Turtledove alternative history book (I think it was).
Cuba was essentially a US occupied country after the Spanish American war. We didn't want it - too much malaria, plus Cuban's had been trying to gain independence from Spain for a few decades already. We were left with a small piece of real estate known as Guantanamo Bay.
My question is--when exactly did the U.S. have the best chance of acquiring Cuba?
For the record, I think that President Polk tried to purchase Cuba for the U.S. around 1848 or so, but Spain refused to sell Cuba back then.
One of the reasons used to start the Spanish-American war was to free Cuba from Spain. When the war was over, this made it very difficult for the US to annex Cuba. In fact, the Congressional declaration of war against Spain by the US stated that Cuba would not be annexed, but would become independant. However, under the Treaty of Paris 1998, the US did annex Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.
One of the reasons used to start the Spanish-American war was to free Cuba from Spain. When the war was over, this made it very difficult for the US to annex Cuba. In fact, the Congressional declaration of war against Spain by the US stated that Cuba would not be annexed, but would become independant. However, under the Treaty of Paris 1998, the US did annex Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.
Yes, which is why any realistic opportunity for the U.S. to annex Cuba would have probably needed to occur before 1898.
At least Baja California should have been taken as part of the negotiated peace with Mexico. It fits perfectly with the rest of California, and gives AZ a seafront. Almost no one lived in Baja California at that time and would have easily been incorporated into the US with very few residents. Today Cabo San Lucas and all that beautiful coastline on the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez would be ours.
Was there ever a realistic chance of Mexico agreeing to this in the peace talks, though?
1. There are some theories that the CSA wished to annex Cuba and Mexico, although probably that best belongs in a Turtledove alternative history book (I think it was).
2. Cuba was essentially a US occupied country after the Spanish American war. We didn't want it - too much malaria, plus Cuban's had been trying to gain independence from Spain for a few decades already. We were left with a small piece of real estate known as Guantanamo Bay.
1. The CSA isn't the USA, though.
2. I was talking about the U.S. acquiring certain territories/areas. A territory/area which was only occupied by the U.S. doesn't count--else, Iraq and Afghanistan would have also qualified/counted for this.
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