Lost States by Michael J. Trinklein

Author:Michael J. Trinklein [Trinklein, Michael J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781594747526
Publisher: Quirk Books
Published: 2014-06-02T16:00:00+00:00

Manhattan in the mid-1800s. Even back then the mayor wanted statehood.

★ NEWFOUNDLAND ★

NEWFOUNDLANDERS WERE IN FAVOR. AND SO WAS CHICAGO.

The province of Newfoundland includes both the island of Newfoundland and the mainland region, known as Labrador.

Most Americans assume that Newfoundland was always a part of Canada, but that’s incorrect. As recently as the 1930s, Newfoundland was an independent country.

When it became clear that Newfoundland would be better served by joining a larger nation, most Newfoundlanders wanted to attach themselves to the United States. Indeed, polls taken in 1947 report that 80 percent of the population wanted to become Americans. So why didn’t Newfoundland become the forty-ninth state?

The problem lay with the U.S. government, which had absolutely no interest in annexing Newfoundland. Had the United States made even the most modest of overtures, it’s quite possible that Newfoundland would now be part of the union.

It seems that the only Americans openly enthusiastic about Newfoundland statehood were the editors of the Chicago Tribune; the paper was a breathless supporter of the idea. This was back in an era when the personal crusades of newspaper owners could influence history. William Randolph Hearst, for example, famously manufactured facts to persuade America to go to war with Spain. Nevertheless, Tribune owner Robert McCormick wasn’t quite as successful at mobilizing public opinion regarding Newfoundland.

By 1949, Newfoundland had agreed to merge with Canada.

It may have been a huge mistake.

Many believe that the Canadian government’s policies messed up Newfoundland’s fishing industry, and—with the economy decimated—young Newfoundlanders began leaving in droves. Things spiraled downward.

Talk of Newfoundland statehood resurfaces every so often, especially whenever Quebec threatens to leave Canada. Given Newfoundland’s distinct history and isolated geography; it remains among the likeliest provinces to extricate itself from Canada. If that happens, the United States is certainly a probable place for it to land.

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