referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

on leasing the

Samaná Peninsula The Samaná Península is a peninsula in Dominican Republic situated in the province of Samaná. The Samaná Peninsula is connected to the rest of the state by the isthmus of Samaná; to its south is Samaná Bay. The peninsula contains many beach ...

to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

for 99 years was held in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

on 19 February 1873.Dominican Republic: Leasing the Samaná Peninsula for 99 years
Direct Democracy The proposal was approved by 99.91% of voters, but was never implemented after President

Buenaventura Báez Ramón Buenaventura Báez Méndez (July 14, 1812March 14, 1884), was a Dominican conservative politician and military figure. He was president of the Dominican Republic for five nonconsecutive terms. His rule was characterized by corruption and ...

was overthrown on 2 January 1874.

Background

The Dominican Republic originally became independent from

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

in 1844.Dominican Republic: Integration with the USA
Direct Democracy However, in 1861 the country was occupied by

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

following an

inflation In economics, inflation is an increase in the average price of goods and services in terms of money. This increase is measured using a price index, typically a consumer price index (CPI). When the general price level rises, each unit of curre ...

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

to the

for $1.1 million, whilst US President

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

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 The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

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 The Senate of the Dominican Republic () is the upper house in the bicameral legislature of the Dominican Republic, and together with the Chamber of Deputies makes up the Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Thir ...

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dominican Republic Samana Peninsula referendum, 1873 Six Years' War 1873 referendums 1873 in the Dominican Republic Referendums in the Dominican Republic Dominican Republic–United States relations February 1873 Proposed states and territories of the United States Samaná Province

Background

Results

See also

References