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LOT #42159 |
Starting Bid: $4,000
Ulysses S. Grant Autograph Draft as President...
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Description
President Grant Drafts a Confidential Message to the Senate in Support of Annexing the Dominican Republic
Ulysses S. Grant Autograph Draft as President (unsigned).
Four pages, 7 3/4 x 9 3/4 inches; "Executive Mansion,"
Washington; January 11, 1871. The first two lines in pencil, the
remainder in bold, dark ink; dated on the fourth page in another
hand. Housed in a handsome custom slipcase.Writing in the wake of a scandal involving José María Cabral, Grant penned this draft in a desperate attempt to save his attempt to annex the Dominican Republic (then Santo Domingo), an idea that remained highly controversial in the Senate. In full:
"In view of a proclamation having been published in the newspapers of the United States, purporting to eminate from Cabral, a chieftain who now opposes the Constitutional authorities of the Republic of Santo Domingo, I deem it but just to communicate to the Senate of the United States the views of that Chieftain, and his followers, as voluntarily communicated by him, through the U. S. Minister to the Republic of Hayti in June last. It will be observed by the letter of Minister Bassett that Cabral did not wish his views to be made public before the question of Annexation was disposed of, in a way to work prejudice to his interest. But, as the object which Cabral had clearly in view was to declare to the treaty making power of the United States, his views and those of his followers upon the subject of Annexation of the Republic of Santo Domingo, and as the Senate is a branch of that power, I deem it no breach of confidence to communicate this letter to the Senate. I ask however that it may be read in Executive Session, and that the request of Cabral be observed 'so that in no case they should be made public or used against him until the question of Annexation is disposed of.'"
José María Cabral was the former Dominican President, forced into exile in 1865 by Buenaventura Báez. Interestingly, this draft originally referred to him as "Gen[eral]" Cabral, but Grant crossed out each instance of his military title. In the late 1860s, after years of political instability, Báez strongly supported President Grant's annexation plan, and, in 1869, he negotiated a treaty that was economically very favorable to the Dominicans. That treaty was ratified in Santo Domingo by popular referendum in 1870, leaving the fate of the Caribbean nation in the hands of the American legislature.
In the midst of the turbulent years of the Reconstruction Era, Grant's primary motivation for annexing the Dominican Republic was to create a safe haven for Black Americans (similar to efforts that led to the earlier founding of Liberia). Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts was leading voice of the opposition to Grant's plan, believing that racial equality should be pursued at home in the United States, rather than by forcing the emigration of hundreds of thousands of Black citizens. There was also a powerful wing of white supremacist congressmen who objected to the idea of allowing Black Dominicans to become American citizens.
Due to these numerous tensions, the treaty never passed the Senate, and Grant's plan was never realized. This draft, heavily emended and edited by the President, shows how carefully he had to navigate the political landscape under Reconstruction, as the American legislature remained deeply divided in the wake of the Civil War.
Condition: Very good, with light toning and flattened folds. A few light stains, and two punctures at the center of each sheet, presumably from a paper spike. Ink remains bright and highly legible.
Auction Info
2026 June 19 The John H. Freund Americana Collection Signature® Auction #6331 (go to Auction Home page)
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