While president-elect Donald Trump hasn’t declared Manifest Destiny as his rationale for wishing to expand American territory beyond its present boundaries, he very well might.
Readers with even a basic understanding of U.S. history will know about Manifest Destiny — the doctrine that the democratic administration of President James Polk relied on to expand continental U.S. beyond the 26 states of the early 1800s. The rationale marked America’s belief in itself as exceptional — a republic, no longer colonies of a monarchy — destined to expand across the North American continent.
A Battle for Greenland?
Trump’s recent call to purchase Greenland is the second go-round at trying to buy the Danish territory. When it didn’t work out in his favour the last time, he cancelled a 2019 visit to Denmark. It still doesn’t appear that Greenland will be raising the Stars and Stripes any time soon.
The world’s largest island, Greenland borders the Atlantic and Arctic oceans on either side and is home to Pituffik Space Base, a large military operation run by the U.S. Space Force with a ballistic missile early warning system. But it’s owned by Denmark and the island is governed by its own parliament.
As a result, Trump’s recent comments on social media platform, Truth Social, regarding the purchase of Greenland as necessary for American security and freedom is falling on deaf ears.
Greenland’s youngest-ever prime minister, Múte Bourup Egede, is clear on the matter: “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our years-long fight for freedom.” In fact, his party is in favour of independence from Denmark. Though, Greenland’s 56,000 inhabitants, relies heavily on budget transfers from Copenhagen.
What happened during the first round of Manifest Destiny?
Arguably 40 per cent of what now forms the United States of America came in the form of land acquisitions — post-conflict treaties or outright purchases. The most famous perhaps is the Louisiana Purchase. That particular buy predates Polk and Manifest Destiny.
France was best friend to early America, rooted in its generous financial support for the colonies in their Revolutionary War with Great Britain. American negotiators were prepared to offer US$10 million to France for the port of New Orleans and the Floridas (east and west). Instead, Napoleon Bonaparte offered the entire Louisiana Territory, which then comprised a massive area from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and the Gulf of Mexico to Canada.
Thomas Jefferson, who was president in 1803, had initial doubts about whether the American Constitution authorized the president to acquire new territory. But when Napoleon threatened to renege, his doubts vanished and America paid the princely sum of US$15 million (all sums mentioned are in the equivalency of the day). This was the first of many land purchases that eventually firmed up the borders of what is modern U.S.A.
The next acquisition was Florida. The 1819 purchase involved a deal with Spain for present-day Florida and the southern parts of Alabama and Mississippi for about US$5 million.
The next two additions, those under President Polk, came in quick succession: Texas in 1845 and Oregon in 1846.
After General Sam Houston prevailed in making Texas independent from Mexico, its denizens voted to join the Union. Though, that addition was not without controversy, since Texas was a slave state and possessed a very different culture from the north.
Oregon became a part of the U.S. in a settlement with Great Britain. It established the U.S. border at the 49th parallel to the Strait of Georgia, which included what is now the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and parts of Wyoming and Montana. This settlement was a significant part of Polk’s 1844 presidential campaign platform.
The last major purchase cementing the boundaries of what are known as the “lower 48 states” came in 1853 — the Gadsden Purchase of what is now Arizona and New Mexico from Mexico for $10M.
Was ‘Seward’s Folly’ a folly?
Alaska, number 49, was bought from Russia in 1867. At the time, the deal made by secretary of state John Seward, was ridiculed as “Seward’s Folly.” Why buy an Arctic wasteland? That was before the Klondike gold rush of the late 1890s, and later, the discovery of vast oil and mineral reserves.
Hawaii was a sovereign state until 1898, when a coup d’etat involving a group of businessmen, including several Americans, called on the U.S. to send in the Marines to protect their interests. It became a U.S. territory, then a state in 1959. Also in 1898, Guam and Puerto Rico were ceded to the U.S. from Spain after the American victory in the Spanish-American War.
Has the U.S. had other real estate dealings with Denmark?
The U.S. has had land dealings with Denmark before now. In 1917, it bought the Danish West Indies from the Nordic country after a referendum in Denmark tilted in America’s favour. They are now known as the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Why does Trump think America has a claim to the Panama Canal?
President-elect Trump has also been asserting American sovereignty over the Panama Canal. After accusing Panama of charging excessive rates to use the shipping passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans on Truth Social (on Sunday), he threatened “we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America” if Panama doesn’t rectify the situation.
American involvement in the canal began with American president, Teddy Roosevelt. Looking to bolster the east-west movement of American and British goods, the U.S. and U.K. established a treaty with Nicaragua to build a canal there, but that initiative never got going. Meanwhile, French efforts in Panama stalled due to malaria and similar diseases that took over 20,000 lives. After heated debate in the U.S. senate, the American venture in Panama began in 1902.
However, geopolitics threatened to thwart Roosevelt’s plans. Colombia’s congress, which governed Panama at that time, was not enamoured with the financial terms offered by the Americans. That prompted Roosevelt to send warships to the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Panama. The threatening move facilitated a declaration of independence by the Panamanians. They would get their country and the U.S. would get its canal.
Several decades later, under President Jimmy Carter, a 1979 treaty transferred the canal to Panama, much to the consternation of conservatives in the U.S. government. It has been managed by the Panama Canal Authority.
In recent days, Panama President Jose Raul Mulino responded to Trump in a video, declaring “every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama and will continue to.”
Trump fired back on Truth Social: “We’ll see about that!”
What does China have to do with any of this?
Trump’s overtures are not even the first American overtures toward Greenland. Proposals were made in 1868 and 1910. In 1946, the U.S. the equivalent of US$100M, but the Danes demurred.
While U.S. financing and expertise could potentially boost Greenland’s little economy, such a move would require consent from Greenland and Denmark. And neither appears to be forthcoming.
Who won the War of 1812, eh?
Trump has recently made cracks on his social media account about Canada becoming the “51st U.S. state” and referred to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as “Governor,” stirring consternation north of the 49 parallel.
But then Canadians remember the last time America set its sights on Canada. We were part of Britain then. The clash is remembered as the War of 1812.
However, Canadians renown for our politeness, don’t like to remind our American cousins who prevailed.
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