Next month, Donald Trump will return to the White House as President of the United States. He has been making plenty of predictions and pronouncements about his plans for the new administration, though he has said nothing so far about his plans for Puerto Rico. He has, however, said some things that suggest that he might be interested in restarting the American flirtation with imperialism.
America’s rise to a world power
In the 19th century, the United States was still a young upstart nation compared with the imperial powers of Europe and Asia. In this 1898 cartoon from a periodical called Puck, the established colonialist nations are carving up China to share amongst themselves while Uncle Sam, representing the United States, tucks into Cuba, the Philippines, and “Porto Rico.” John Bull, the caricature representing England, says, “What are you mad about? We can’t grudge him a light lunch while we are feasting!” to Russia, France, Germany, and Japan.
The point was that the United States, which turbo-charged its global influence by acquiring Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the Philippines, and Guam, was stepping out in the direction the existing world powers had already trailblazed.
Another cartoon shows American expansionism, an early term for imperialism. The United States never established colonies officially, as the Europeans nations did, but the concept of “Manifest Destiny” claimed that the United States was supposed to spread across the continent of America, bringing the ideals of democracy and liberty to everyone.
Not everyone shared this idea. But President Theodore Roosevelt was a devoted expansionist, and his administration worked to develop power and influence throughout the Americas. It was under Roosevelt that the United States took control of the Panama Canal. He believed that the United States had a responsibility to help keep peace in the world, as well as the opportunity to gain economic and military power.
Another supporter was Secretary of State William H. Seward, an earlier leader who negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia. Seward wanted the United States to take over the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, the Pacific, Canada, Greenland, and Iceland.
Echoes of expansionists
President-elect Trump has brought up some echoes of these early expansionists. He has posted “For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity” on social media. He has joked about making Canada a state of the Union. And, according to the BBC, he has said that the United States “will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, quickly and without question.”
If Trump is un the mood to add more territories to the United States, maybe he will also be in the mood to add more states. This could be Puerto Rico’s opportunity.
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