A Brief History
On June 14, 1900, the United States expanded by officially adding the territory of Hawaii to its growing empire. The Pacific region became an American area of interest during the Spanish-American War in 1898, with the US adding the islands of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to its territory. Today we take a look at some places we would like to see become American someday, just as Hawaii (which I have visited and believe is truly paradise) was added over a century ago. What country or territory would you add to this list? (OK, Donald Trump, we already know you want Greenland!)
Digging Deeper
Canada
Are Colorado and Utah getting too crowded for your skiing trips? If we add the Great White North to our resume of territory you will instantly have an enormous increase in space and variety for your winter sports desires. When it is not snowing, Canada could provide a wealth of hunting and fishing opportunities without the hassle of customs and passports, as well as plenty of room for spacious country cottages and retirement homes. Plus, most of the country speaks English! The second largest country by area, adding Canada would make the US #1 in the world as to area of country. Another plus, the population of less than 40 million friendly and polite folks gives it a population density of only 10 per square mile! (This low population density ranks Canada #185 out of 19 3countrries listed.) The US currently has a population density of 87 per square mile, so adding Canada would give us some breathing room. Adding Canada would also give us another French leaning region (along with New Orleans and Louisiana) with its inherent ethnic flavor to add to our diversity. (We love going to Montreal and the rest of Quebec.) Finally, adding Canada would help the US recover some of its international reputation for niceness. Perhaps most importantly, poutine would become a widespread American dish!
Mexico
For one thing, the so called immigration problem would be instantly and forever cured! Mexicans would already be American citizens and there would be no illegal alien horde sneaking into the USA. Meanwhile, current Americans would not have to bother with passports and long lines at customs stations to visit the sunny lands of Mexico, including its many great beaches, mountains, and forests. Any time we can add territory to the US that is warmer than most of the Continental USA is a good thing by default. Mexico is also known for great food and great Tequila, a definite plus for consideration.
Cozumel
If we cannot get Mexico to agree to annexation, perhaps we could at least incorporate the island of Cozumel into our vast republic. With almost 250 square miles of land area, the island is a resort for a good reason, that reason being its tropical weather and Caribbean beaches. With a population of only 100,000 people, the population density is a mere 400 people per square mile, compared to over 1600 people per square mile on Oahu.
British Virgin Islands
We already have the American Virgin Islands (which we at History and Headlines have visited and found to be wonderful), so it is only logical that we should add the rest of the Virgin Islands to our repertoire of tropical paradises. Great Britain is sooo far away, it just makes more sense for the US to own and operate what is now the British Virgin Islands. With 5 main islands and around 50 minor ones, the US would gain a nice chunk of waterfront real estate, something Americans could really use. Plus, they have a cool motto, “Vigilate,” which means “Be Vigilant.” America could use more vigilance…
Tahiti
Where would you live if you were filthy, silly rich? Well, actor extraordinaire Marlon Brando bought a 12 island atoll in the Tahiti island chain as he had become smitten with the island paradise while filming Mutiny on the Bounty there in 1962. In fact, the real crew of the HMS Bounty visited Tahiti in 1788, and loved the place and its people so much the crew mutinied and tried to stay in that tropical wonderland instead of returning home to England! As you can tell by this list, the tropical paradise trend is something we would like to see expanded in the United States, giving more Americans the opportunity to experience heaven on Earth.
Ibiza
A resort island in the Mediterranean, adding Ibiza to our territory would give us a nice introduction to that that particular region. Beautiful resorts and beaches, Ibiza is a favorite vacation spot for Europeans. How great it would be if those same Europeans were coming to the US of A to enjoy their vacations! Ibiza is another place this writer has visited, and it is really, really nifty! Once upon a time we took Puerto Rico and the entire Philippines from Spain, so taking little old Ibiza should not be so hard. Did we mention beaches? American needs as many beaches as possible, at least ones without frozen water.
Question for students (and subscribers): What place, country or island would you most like to add to the United States? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Kurth, James. The American Way of Empire: How America Won a World–But Lost Her Way. Washington Books, 2019.
Remini, Robert. Short History of the United States: From the Arrival of Native American Tribes to the Obama Presidency. Harper Perennial,2009.
The featured image in this article, a map of the main islands of the Territory of Hawaii, is in the public domain because it came from the site https://www.demis.nl/products/web-map-server/examples/ and was released by the copyright holder. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this map since it is based on free of copyright images from: www.demis.nl. See also approval email on de.wp and its clarification.
