The attempted sale of the Danish West Indies to the United States of America, 1865-1870.
Item
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Title
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The attempted sale of the Danish West Indies to the United States of America, 1865-1870.
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Identifier
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AAI9218256
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identifier
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9218256
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Creator
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Pedersen, Erik Overgaard.
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Contributor
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Hans. L. Trefousse
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Date
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1992
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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History, United States | History, European | History, Latin American
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Abstract
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Military and strategic considerations moved Seward to propose U.S. purchase of the Danish West Indies in early 1865. Though the Danish Minister in Washington soon personally began advocating the conclusion of a treaty, the matter was long delayed because Denmark would not make an offer that might damage relations with France in particular, and Seward could not find support for an acceptable offer in the Johnson Cabinet.;Seward took the initiative in January 1867 to speed up the negotiations. Upon securing a higher price than originally proposed by Seward, and a favorable plebiscite in the islands, Frijs concluded the treaty, owing to the economic benefits to be gained.;The treaty was easily ratified in Denmark because it was regarded as economically advantageous. In the United States it met with indifference or outright opposition, because it suffered from the conflict between the Johnson Administration and Congress, as well as from the general aversion to territorial expansion.;Raasloff's mission to Washington in the winter of 1868-1869 failed, despite energetic labors by himself and able collaborators. His belief that Sumner and some members of the Grant Cabinet would ultimately be able to influence the United States Government in favor of a positive result led to the Danish Government not giving up its battle for ratification in 1869 and early 1870. Grant and Fish supported the treaty for 3 months after December 1869 only because they could not avoid promoting St. Thomas when Grant launched his own policy of Carribean expansion. When the Senate Committee reported against the Santo Domingo treaty, Grant subsequently dropped St. Thomas altogether.;The failure of the treaty caused Danish-American relations to cool off temporarily. In Denmark, it led to Raasloff's resignation, and should be regarded as a contributory factor to the resignation of the Frijs Cabinet. Upon the loss of the duchies it was desirable to win a small victory in foreign policy. Raasloff must be blamed for not having faced the fact that the U.S. Senate could never be moved to go along with Seward's plans.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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History
