American Empire

Resources

Business and Professional Women's club memers, trip to Hawaii

America's empire unraveled after World War II. The war was a devastating conflict leaving countries in ruins and millions dead. At the same time, the aftermath of World War II reignited campaigns for independence across colonies. This section follows how Hawaii, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico renegotiated their relationships with the US. From the Pacific to the Caribbean, the legacies of America's empire continued to shape foreign and domestic policy and popular culture.
For Hawaii, the American flag stayed in place. In August 1959, President Eisenhower officially declared Hawaii the fiftieth state. This followed months of debate both on the islands and in the mainland. To determine its fate, the Hawaiian government polled residents in 1950 and 1959, and they overwhelmingly approved both a state constitution and the larger statehood bill. Territorial representative John Burns embarked on an ambitious campaign through Washington DC to rally support for Hawaiian statehood. Meanwhile in Congress, the statehood bill became involved with other national issues. Southern Democrats, as an example, opposed Hawaii because they thought the admission would tip the civil rights debate against them. Nevertheless, Hawaii was added to the union and earned a star on the flag. In 1993, President Bill Clinton issued an official apology for the US's involvement in overthrowing the Hawaiian monarchy.

The End of the Empire

The Age of Imperialism

Building the Empire

American Subjects or Citizens?

Colonization

America's Empire at Home

(Text Page) Illustrated Gazetteer of the United States and Territories (continued)

Since its annexation in 1898, Puerto Rico has challenged America's imperial legacy. In 1916, Resident Commissioner Luis Muñoz Rivera demanded: "Give us the field of experiment...that we may show it is easy for us to constitute a stable republic government...give us our independence and [America] will stand...a great liberator of oppressed peoples."
In spite of this resistance, the island has remained a US commonwealth since 1952. Puerto Ricans have the power to vote for their governor and executive council but, due their nation’s legal status, lack many of the same rights allotted to other US citizens. Puerto Ricans cannot vote for president, though they may be drafted. They have no voting representative in Congress, yet are still taxed under US law. Debate continues: statehood, independence, commonwealth? The government held plebiscites—public polls on Puerto Rico's federal status—in 1967, 1991, 1993, and 1998. In 2012, President Barack Obama, approved yet another plebiscite, with 61 percent of Puerto Ricans favoring statehood in light of enduring economic troubles. Those in Congress, however, fear the labor of restructuring the House, Senate, and even the flag, around a fifty-first state. For now, Puerto Rico remains at the edges of the union and on the cusp of sovereignty.

American Empire

Controversy over Commonwealth

Controversy over Commonwealth