Trump's American expansionist talk not new, says Summerland historian

The topic of territorial expansion has resurfaced, with President-elect Donald Trump echoing sentiments reminiscent of an imperialist time-gone-by when snatching up global territory was a top priority for national leaders.

“Many times, we’ve been close to joining the United States,” Summerland historian David Gregory said.

The roots of American expansionism trace back to the administration of Abraham Lincoln and his secretary of state, William Seward. Seward, who orchestrated the purchase of Alaska from Russia, envisioned connecting Alaska to the United States through British Columbia.

 In 1866, Nathaniel Banks, then Governor of Massachusetts and a proponent of "Manifest Destiny," introduced the Annexation Bill to Congress. This bill, which proposed incorporating British North America into the United States, was never formally read.

Then, in 1869, President Ulysses Grant was petitioned to negotiate with the British to annex Canada, but that never got off the ground, Gregory said.

A few years later, Canada’s fate was again debated during the first international arbitration regarding reparations from the Civil War.

The British maintained economic ties to some southern States, particularly disrupting Union naval trade and attacking Union merchant ships.

One particular British vessel, the Alabama, captured 65 Union vessels and sank one Union warship.

To settle claims for damages caused by British support of the Confederacy, the arbitration considered several options, including ceding the Colony of British Columbia to the United States or paying $15.5 million in cash.

“The Americans were short on cash after the Civil War, so they took the cash,” Gregory said. “that’s how close we were to becoming part of the United States. It was close.”