President Trump’s second Administration has begun. And one of his most memorable goals mentioned during the 2024 Campaign, is to expand the geographic size of the United States. The locations Mr. Trump identified as potential additions are: the Panama Canal Zone, Greenland and Canada (as 51st state). The last strikes me as highly unlikely, but the other two may be more serious contenders.
Whether his Administration’s pursuit of these two represent negotiating tactics to gain some other concession or represent actual targets for acquisition, is unknown. However, if the latter, then some background to earlier territorial additions and how they were obtained, would be of interest.
Since the founding of the United States on July 4, 1776, twenty nine very large to very small acquisitions have been made. The first was the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 (827,987 sq. miles) and the last, the Northern Mariana Islands in 1947 (467 sq. miles). The USG used six methods over 144 years to grow the square miles subject to US sovereignty: (1) Purchase, (2) Cession, (3) Annexation, (4) Incorporation, (5) Treaty and my favorite, (6) by the authority of the Guano Act of 1856, which permits US citizens to claim uninhabited islands on behalf of the United States, if they contain Guano.
The Treaty of Paris (9/03/1783) granted the 13 colonies their independence and established the external borders of the new United States of America. However, sovereignty over the territory of the 13 states (892,137 Sq. Miles) wasn’t settled until 1802, when they were ceded to the US Federal Government and the individual states.
In 2025, the size of the United States is 3,531,905 Sq. Mi. How the USG gathered an additional 2,,596,937 square miles after 1783/1802 is an interesting 144 years of our history.
Growing Bigger and Bigger: The table below describes when, how and what territory, the USG acquired those accounts for the country’s current size.
It is important to understand the different circumstances under which territory was transferred to the United States. For instance, under the category “Purchase”,between 1803 and 1944 America gained 1,636,695 Sq. Mi. at a cos5t of $57,200,,000. And in 1854, 72,000 Sq. Mi. were bought from Mexico for $10,000,000, but another 529,189 Sq. Mi. were Ceded to the US after Mexico lost the Mexican-American War.
The Spanish-American War lasted only 8 months, but netted the US through Annexation 389,166 Sq. Mi (Texas plus) and by Treaty also from Spain at the same time, another 3508 Sq. Mi. (Puerto Rico)
However, without doubt, the $15,000,000 President Jefferson paid France 1803, for the Louisiana Purchase, Napoleon had earlier seized from Spain, was a bargain. It added 827 million Sq. Mi., almost doubling the country’s size. However, Jefferson’s major reason for pursuing the deal, was national security – the US gained control over the Mississippi River.
And Hawaii’s 6,450 Sq. Mi. of beauty and beaches was annexed in 1898, following a successful coup against the Queen, by a group of wealthy American landowners. And in 1906, the USG annexed 31, 069 Sq. Mi. of Indian Territory.
Turning to President Trump’s possible interest in acquiring Greenland (836,300 Sq. Mi., 80% of which is covered by an ice cap) , the low prices of the past, no longer exist. Moreover, it’s the largest island in the world, inhabited by some 60,000 people and is a largely self-governing part of the Kingdom of Denmark, a US NATO Ally. And then there is the Panama Canal Zone (553 Sq. Mi), the US leased it from Panama under the terms of the 1903 Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty (upfront payment of $10 million and an annual rent of $250,000). Eleven years later the Canal, constructed by the US, opened for public use. President Carter terminated the lease in 1979 and gradually returned the zone to Panama.
And if somehow Canada becomes the 51st State of the USA, it would more than double the size of our country again, by adding another 3,850,000 Sq. Mi.
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