How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States

After the Spanish-American War (1898), President William McKinley had to decide what to do with the territories seized from Spain. McKinley wanted neither to return the colonies to Spain nor to hand them over to another country. His option was, therefore, to “educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize and Christianize them” (73). Books published in 1898, such as Imperial America and The Greater United States (74), demonstrated the preoccupation with the new possessions. It was also at this time that the term “America” to describe the United States gained traction. Teddy Roosevelt used “America” in his initial annual message and continued to do so, as did the subsequent presidents.

The author identifies a pattern of the 19th-century US annexing new territories but rarely incorporating those with “large nonwhite populations” (76). For example, it was possible to take the entirety of Mexico during the Mexican War (1846-1848) but it was perceived as undesirable for white Americans to “associate with […] as equals, companions, and fellow-citizens, the Indians and mixed races of Mexico” (77). Similarly, Alaska, purchased from Russia in 1867, was a massive territory that did not have a large population of the “Esquimaux,” and the deal went through (78).