This is the story of the Greater US that lived, and lives, beyond the lower 48, which the author refers to as the 'logo map'. The territories have never really received much attention in the history books and are often thought of as foreign. Yet, they were part of our country. The Greater US peaked in WWII, at which point the US backed away from acquiring colonies and territories. Our power has since been exercised through the post-war rules that we wrote, and the 800 + overseas bases we use to project military power.
The Constitution gives Congress the power to make the laws that govern the territories of the US and to admit new states to the Union. The first such law was the Northwest Ordinance in 1794. It outlined the governance of the territory and stipulated how a state could join the Union. For the Louisiana Territory, Jefferson opted to have the new and vast distances governed by the military. By the middle of the 19th century, settlers were pouring west and it became evident that the US would be a continental entity. The Indians, decimated to probably 10% of their original pre-Columbian population, were easily pushed aside. The first time the US expanded overseas was prompted by a shortage of fertilizer for crops. We annexed 92 Pacific and Caribbean islands for their guano deposits. When the frontier closed in 1890, seeking out colonies from others became the objective of many. The most obvious target was the Spanish Empire and the loudest drum-banger was Teddy Roosevelt. Soon, the Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rico were American territories and Cuba was under American military occupation. Hawaii was annexed. They were all now part of America, but were their citizens Americans? The Supreme Court concluded they were subjects, not citizens. When the Filipinos learned they were to be subject to US military occupation, they began their war for independence. It would take Washington fourteen years to suppress the Filipinos, and it did it with extremes of violence and racial animosity. Puerto Rico welcomed the Yanquis with open arms and high hopes. When their expectation of statehood never materialized, they sought statehood or independence. Neither would come. The defining principle of governing the far-flung empire was always race. The new Americans were not white, and would never be treated as if they were. Enthusiasm for empire faded, particularly as the Depression wore down the US and the world. In 1936, the Philippines were granted a limited form of commonwealth on the road to freedom. The World War deferred freedom for the Filipinos, but sent massive amounts of money and G.I.'s to Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico.
By the end of the war, the US had over 2,000 overseas bases. There was discussion of America expanding, even admitting the Philippines and Japan as states. Instead, the US began to shed territories. The world's colonies were freed and the US led the way in the Philippines. The leash was loosened in the Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa. Hawaii and Alaska were slated for statehood, but both were considered non-white and in the US Senate, there was concern about "half-breeds". Truman was for statehood in 1948, but it would take over a decade for Congress to go along. Puerto Rico, overpopulated and very poor, seemed unable to decide whether it wished to be independent or a US state. Instead, it became a self-governing commonwealth that attracted significant mainland investment. It was apparent that colonization was no longer politically acceptable, and was no longer necessary to gain access to desired commodities. Rubber, for instance, the most important commodity needed to fight WWII could be made in a chemical lab. Advances in transportation and communication furthered the de-colonization trend. Today, the empire lives on in our extensive network of overseas bases.
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