Introduction
When the terms imperialism, empire, and colonialism are mentioned, the usual and natural association takes place with historic events, such as Great Britain or Spanish Empire. However, Daniel Immerwahr, in his book called How to Hide an Empire, reveals a highly critical education point and perspective on the fact that the modern United States is an empire hidden from the plain sight of its mainland citizens. His central argument is that the United States is a pointillist empire of global proportions, and the American population is not aware of this fact due to the use of language and filtration of history.
American Imperialism
Since the moment the United States gained its independence from Great Britain, it focused its foreign policy on the expansion of its influence. The war with Spain led to the acquisition of highly populated territories or colonies, such as Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. These so-called territories were, in fact, colonies of the United States, which were proudly referred to as such by the likes of Woodrow Wilson (Immerwahr, 2019). The majority of these territorial lands are still under the United States’ imperial control to this day. An authentic understanding of American history clearly shows the scale and scope of United States imperialism and expansion. For example, Supreme Court, at some point, needed to decide which colonies had to be granted statehood and which had not (Immerwahr, 2019).
For example, it is argued that Alaska and Hawaii were primarily included in the United States by extending the application of the Constitution to these regions’ citizens due to their population being mostly White (Immerwahr, 2019). Therefore, there was a strong element of racism involved in this decision-making even though Puerto Rica could have been included in the US, but due to its non-White population, it was kept as a territory.
Key Arguments
The author of the book provides several insightful pieces of evidence to reveal the fact that the United States is a pointillist empire of global proportions. The author constructs his arguments by using historical facts, an accurate description of the current state of the US, and focusing on key moments in history to illustrate and reshape the usual understanding of America. Immerwahr outstandingly demonstrates the imperialism of America by beginning his argumentation since the inception of the nation. He adheres to the chronological order of American history and illustrates how the Greater United States was always an empire and still is an empire.
The first evidence is rooted in the map of America, where the United States is usually depicted as a unified landmass of its states, including Alaska and Hawaii. However, the Greater United States also includes a wide range of islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, and many critical lands under the US military bases scattered across the world. Although the cumulative mass of these lands might not be as large as one might expect, the United States adheres to the frameworks of the pointillist empire, which only holds small but highly important pieces of land in strategic positions to assert its dominance and authority without appearing imperialistic.
The second piece of evidence is rooted in historical accounts during World War II and the response of the leadership toward the Japanese invasion. The author showcases how the president of the period struggled and manipulated the information to carefully communicate as well as justify going to war against Japan. Although Japan swiftly attacked the Philippines, Guam, and Hawaii and held the former under the cruelest occupations, the American leaders did not use that information as a reason why the US was declaring war against Japan. By stating that Japan attacked American Hawaii, the act was justified to the public (Immerwahr, 2019).
It is evident that the Philippines, as an American colony, suffered significantly more from the Japanese invasion than Hawaii. However, to keep the American mainland public unaware of the Greater Empire of the United States, such communication methods were utilized.
The third evidence is the application of the United States Constitution in its colonies, which is non-existent. Such a state of affairs enabled the conduct of inhumane experiments and the practice of unconstitutional activities, such as torture. For example, Dr. Cornelius Rhoads was a Harvard graduate who traveled to Puerto Rico and conducted unethical experiments on the inhabitants of the American colony (Immerwahr, 2019).
He killed several people and injured and impaired others by refusing to treat them, injecting them with dangerous parasites and cancer inducers, and other forms of unethical and immoral practices. After such practices were revealed, he returned to the United States and never faced any form of ramification. It took several decades to realize that he was advocating for Puerto Rico’s genocide as a population.
The fourth piece of evidence is the language used to hide the American empire. For example, it is stated that at some point, the colonies of the United States were renamed into territories in order not to appear imperialistic, at least for the American citizens (Immerwahr, 2019). The use of such a language is a powerful tool, which allows the nation to keep the public unaware of America’s imperialist practices. In addition, American English became an international language, not on its own but because the US was highly successful and effective at exporting its language abroad.
Sources
It should be noted that Immerwahr uses a variety of sources to support his arguments by utilizing books, archive documents, historical accounts, research articles, journal articles, speech documents, legislative documents, newspaper articles, memorandums, biographies from official websites, and literature. The fact that he uses such a wide range of different sources enables him to defend his arguments in a multifaceted way by enriching his statements with factual data. With his book, the author seeks to reeducate the American public about the true nature of American history and its current imperialism.
By knowing this information, the public will be aware of the atrocities and crimes committed by the government against inhabitants of American colonies, and thus, will keep in check that the arbitrary laws imposed on the territories will not violate their rights. It will also educate people to be more knowledgeable about the global influence of the United States since by understanding the power of the pointillist structure, it becomes more apparent why America is an empire hidden from sight.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Immerwahr’s central argument is that the United States is a pointillist empire of global proportions, and the American population is not aware of this fact due to the use of language and filtration of history. The arguments are highly compelling and well-structured because they are authentic, accurate, well-evidenced, and adhere to the chronological course of American history. The author showcases the imperialist foundations of the United States, which allowed it to grow to what it is today.
Reference
Immerwahr, D. (2019). How to hide an empire: A history of the greater United States. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.