Chapter One
“To Expand This Great Nation”A TL
Ulysses S. Grant, shortly after the Columbian Purchase of 1869, one of the most important purchases that would allow the United States to expand.
“British Columbia is a long way off. . . . With the exception of a limited official class it receives few immigrants from England, and a large proportion of its inhabitants consist of citizens of the United States who have entered it from the south. Suppose that the colonists met together and came to the conclusion that every natural motive of contiguity, similarity of interests, and facility of administration induced them to think it more convenient to slip into the Union than into the Dominion. . . . We all know that we should not attempt to withstand them.” – An excerpt from the Times of London
In 1867, the British Columbia had three options to choose from that would guide their future. The first was to remain a British colony, although that was very unpopular for obvious reasons, while the second was to join the newly formed Dominion of Canada. They were unsure of this option, however, as the new dominion was recently formed; it had yet to develop into a strong nation. The final option was to join the economically strong United States, which, although recovering from civil war, still was economically and politically strong. The third option was also more appealing to the British Columbia, for many of its citizens were American citizens that have moved from Washington and Oregon. Other reasons were that British Columbia’s economy mainly came from San Francisco, and that the American population exceeded that of either the British or French.
When the U.S. purchased Alaska from Russia, American citizens in the British Columbia were overjoyed, with American territory to the north and south of them; it was nearly inevitable that sooner or later, people would soon start pushing for annexation by the United States. In April, William H. Seward developed a plan that would give the whole northwest of British North America to the U.S. in exchange for forgiving the Alabama claims. Alas, this plan was abandoned for an exchange in cash. However, when false information spread to the British Columbia that Britain was planning on ceding the British Columbia to the U.S., many colonists organized pro-annexation movements and three of the colonies six newspapers pushed for annexation. Before 1868, Britain did not care at all about the fate of British Columbia, until they realized the opportunities for Pacific trade.
Finally, in 1869, the Legislative Council of British Columbia, which was mainly controlled by anti-confederation (who were not necessarily pro-annexation), passed a resolution opposing confederation. The one pro-confederation had not recovered from his pneumonia, and the law would still stand. This would revive annexation support in the winter of 1869, where 140 white males signed a petition for annexation by the U.S. and sent it to the then-current President Ulysses S. Grant. After years of hard work, the President began negotiations with Britain for the annexation of British Columbia. Both the U.S. and the U.K. accepted these terms: The United States would take up the British Columbia’s $2 million debt, and pay 2 cents for every acre ($729,528), and the U.K. would give both British Columbia and Yukon territory.
“I refuse to deny the liberties and freedom the United States has to offer to fellow Americans…in order to expand this great nation, we must peacefully negotiate an agreement with Great Britain… I call upon you, Britain; allow us to grant our people these liberties!” - President Ulysses S. Grant, at the Conference of 1869, giving his famous speech.
After the Columbia purchase, many Americans rejoiced, and America took one step closer to becoming an empire.
WARNING:This my first TL, and any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated. I hope you liked it so far.
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