The United States has been described by many of its foreign and domestic critics as an "empire." Providing a wide-ranging analysis of the United States as a territorial, imperial power from its foundation to the present day, this book explores the United States' acquisition or long-term occupation of territories through a chronological perspective. It begins by exploring early continental expansion, such as the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon Bonaparte in 1803, and traces US imperialism through to the controversial ongoing presence of US forces at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. The book provides fresh insights into the history of US territorial expansion and imperialism, bringing together more well-known instances (such as the purchase of Alaska) with those less-frequently discussed (such as the acquisition of the Guano Islands after 1856). The volume considers key historical debates, controversies and turning points, providing a historiographically-grounded re-evaluation of US expansion from 1783 to the present day.

About the Author
Adam Burns is Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Wolverhampton. Since completing his PhD at the University of Edinburgh in 2010, Adam has taught US history and politics at a variety of secondary and higher education institutions. He has published a number of scholarly articles for journals such as American Nineteenth Century History, Comparative American Studies and Philippine Studies, and was also a contributor to A Companion to Theodore Roosevelt (Wiley-Blackwell, 2011).


Book Information
ISBN 9781474402132
Author Adam Burns
Format Hardback
Page Count 232
Imprint Edinburgh University Press
Publisher Edinburgh University Press
Weight(grams) 242g