1873 Dominican Republic Samaná Peninsula referendum

Referendum in the Dominican Republic Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg February 19, 1873 20,496 19 For Against 20,515 A referendum on leasing the Samaná Peninsula to the United States for 99 years was held in the Dominican Republic on 19 February 1873.Dominican Republic: Leasing the Samaná Peninsula for 99 years Direct Democracy de The proposal was approved by 99.91% of voters, but was never implemented after President Buenaventura Báez was overthrown on 2 January 1874. Background The Dominican Republic originally became independent from Haiti in 1844.Dominican Republic: Integration with the USA Direct Democracy de However, in 1861 the country was occupied by Spain following an inflation crisis. In 1865 the country became independent again following the Restoration War. By 1870 the country had significant debts caused by the ongoing civil war. President Báez planned on selling the Samaná Peninsula to the United States for $1.1 million, whilst US President Ulysses S. Grant wanted to annex the entire country. A treaty was signed between the two countries on 29 November 1869. The US would purchase the Dominican Republic for $1.5 million and would lease the Samaná Peninsula for $147,229.91 for 99 years. Although the proposal was approved in the 1870 referendum, the United States Senate rejected the annexation on 30 June 1870 with a 28–28 vote.The Senate's Role in Treaties United States Senate However, Báez still required the money, and wanted to continue with the Samaná Peninsula leasing deal on the same terms. The Senate of the Dominican Republic agreed to the proposal on 28 December 1872. The plebiscite was later carried out in the form of a register, in which invalid or blank voters were not possible. Results 20496 19 Direct Democracy See also Proposed United States annexation of Santo Domingo Samaná English Cuban–American Treaty of Relations (1903) References Category:Six Years' War Dominican Samana Category:Referendums in the Dominican Republic Category:Dominican Republic–United States relations Dominican Category:Proposed states and territories of the United States Category:Samaná Province