Teaching the United States as an Imperial Power

Those who read way too much history, and get lost in internet comment sections like myself, often come across statements like “wow, I never learned that in high school”.  The book “Lies my teacher told me” still resonates with adults who remember spending hours and days memorizing information that turned out to be only partially true or downright false.  And that book was written in 1995.  Since then there continues to be misinformation taught in schools about US History, and World History in general.

The United States is an empire.  We all know it, but we don’t have time to really think about it.  However, it is the job of teachers to present the story of the United States correctly, without the mythology.  The United States has been gathering territory since it began as a small colony in Virginia.  The United States is the progeny of a colonial power - Britain.  So it only makes since that the nation would carry in the parent country’s footsteps.  But the United States has taken it to a new level.  White Britain boasted of its colonial might, the United States hides it.  In fact, it hides it so well that many people born, raised, and schooled in the United States rarely hear about our Imperial might.

We have to teach about the United States as an imperial power for many reasons.  The most important reason is that Americans often look ignorant in the eyes of foreigners who know more about our colonial past than we do.  People living in United States territories know very well that they live in U.S. outposts but the people in the mainland have no idea.  Those teachers who have the responsibility of teaching American history should explain this story.  Instead of trying to show the United States as a great power who has grown because of it’s intelligence, hard work, and religion (or in other number of myths), history teachers should explain how the country grew at the expense of others.  And this should be highlighted over and over again because it happens over and over again.  Every story of American history could be told from the side of the losing party, and it would have a much different tone.

Another reason to teach the United States as an imperial power is economics.  Many people complain about losing jobs to immigrants.  These people have no idea how much money the country brings in from its imperial interests.  Or how much money is spent to maintain those territories.  Teaching U.S. as an empire will help students ask the right questions about our nation’s finances as they become adults.

A third reason to teach U.S. as an empire is honesty.  Our country has dirt on our hands and we should feel guilty.  Too often, we try to hide the bad things that our country does.  The consequence is that we repeat the mistakes of the past.  Our country has done things that would be considered genocide and military crimes if committed by another country.  It is a tough story to tell, but it is the truth.  And if we want our nation to reach the potential that it claims - that we are a great nation - we should own up to the mistakes of the past.  The history class is a great place to share these stories and work out ways that our country can be better.

Oftentimes, people try to shy away from the past, saying that certain things happened because times were different.  But that is not true.  People in the past knew that the Iroquois, and the Seminoles, and the Apache were real people.  And they killed and stole their land anyway.  People knew that the people of Puerto Rico and the people of the Philippines had a unique culture and fought hard to gain independence from the Spanish.  They conquered and turned them into American territories anyway.  The United States had a choice in so many matters of empire, and our nation chose to murder and take land from people who we decided were inferior.  As a teacher today, you have the choice to teach the truth of these historical incidences, or teach the mythology.

Below are sources that can be used to tell the story of Imperial America.

How to Hide an Empire

Daniel Immerwahr does an amazing job of explaining how the U.S. retains colonial power, without claiming all of its territory.  His book was actually the inspiration for this article.  If you are not sure about reading the book, check out some of his interviews.  It will make you want to learn more about these stories.

Filipino American War

This article gives a brief summary of the Filipino American war.  This is an important story to highlight the cost of war in lives.  As well as the efforts to rebel against imperial conquest.  Theodore Roosevelt was part of the group that led the fight against the people of the Philippines.  This fighting takes place after the people of the island had gained independence from the Spanish Empire.

At a time when the United States could have been a great liberator, helping a smaller group fight off an empire, we chose to attack this smaller group instead.

Conquest of Hawaii

When the United States was attacked by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor, that military base was not yet part of the United States.  Hawaii was still a territory of the United States on December 7, 1941, that day that will live in infamy.

Hawaii became a territory of the United States through the efforts of businessmen and military personnel who disregarded the native people of the island who asked and fought for self-government.  Different United States presidents, including Grover Cleveland and William McKinley had the opportunity to step in and prevent the removal of the Hawaiian monarch, but chose instead to allow it to happen.

Immerwahr, Daniel. How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2019.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Philippine-American War.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/event/Philippine-American-War.

Greenspan, Jesse. “Hawaii's Monarchy Overthrown With U.S. Support, 120 Years Ago.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 17 Jan. 2013, www.history.com/news/hawaiis-monarchy-overthrown-with-u-s-support-120-years-ago.