American imperialism is the exercise of power or control by the US outside its borders.

The concept of an American empire was first popularized in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War of 1898, although the founding fathers of the American republic also spoke about "empire". [1]

But the question of whether the United States should become an empire was sharply debated across the nation in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War and the acquisition of Hawaii in July 1898.

Oct 16, 2025 · American empire is perhaps a little trickier to research insofar as no "American Empire" was ever declared, and yet, from the moment the "United States of America" were declared, they …

Unlike the Soviet empire, the United States has often been characterized as an empire of the willing or as an informal coalition. This characterization refers to the preference that many states had for …

3 days ago · But the Spanish-American War of 1898—what the Atlantic editor Walter Hines Page deemed “ a necessary act of surgery for the health of civilization ”—commenced a new phase of …

2 days ago · United States - Colonization, Revolution, Constitution: When Columbus arrived, he found the New World inhabited by peoples who in all likelihood had originally come from the continent of …

American Empire goes beyond the myth of American exceptionalism to place the United States within the wider context of the global historical forces that shaped the Western empires and the world.

The growth of the American "empire" can be understood in several contexts: territorial expansion, economic influence, military presence, and cultural dominance.

Jan 2, 2026 · Donald Trump promised to restore America, but his presidency revealed the country's deep-rooted issues of debt, declining soft power, and social fragmentation, which cannot be reversed …