The US Empire You Never Knew Existed

The United States of America is well known for its 50 states and capital district of Washington DC. A less discussed topic are the 14 overseas territories that are controlled and governed by the USA. Today, nearly 4 million people live in these US overseas territories. That is equal to the populations of Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island combined. Today we’ll seek to better understand where they are located, how they came to be, and how they fit into the fabric of our national identity.

Image Attribution:

[kenkeep]

West Virginia was also never a territory, as it was separated directly from Virginia during the Civil War.

[obits]

1:01 Texas came into the United States as an independent Nation. It was never a U.S. Territory.

[dylanshaffer]

Guam and Puerto Rico were annexed in 1898 after the Spanish American war. The USVI was bought by the US from Denmark in 1917. In my opinion the territories should become US states, and American Samoa needs to be granted US citizenship by birth. Though the residents of the territories need to be in favor of this.

[raymondswenson]

You missed the fact that Guam has thousands of Air Force and Navy personnel and their families and the bases control large amounts of land on the island, and are major contributors to the economy.

[paulgregg]

Vermont was an independent republic before becoming a state in 1791.

[l.ls.]

The one thing this documentary does not emphasize is that DC was created out of Virginia and Maryland. Those states may want their territory back and administer the district themselves.

[AaronKelley]

President Trump offered to provide National Guard to the city but was refused by the Mayor and so the Guard wasn't authorized. He did not refuse to authorize the Guard as you stated.

[GaLuSaTo]

you forgot how the jones act affects the territories

[insaneinnixa]

As a conservative, I am at odds with most of my side on this. I think the territories excluding DC should be given statehood or independence. From my understanding, the majority of people in the territories lean more left, so to keep the balance Republicans tend to lean towards keeping them from statehood.

[rwdyeriii]

The territories could become states if they wanted to. These territories have often voted on independence or statehood and have chosen to stay as territories.

[williammeier]

I feel that Guam and Purto Rico should have oppurtunity to be a statehood. Along with close islands near these islands.

[StevenHughes-hrhp]

Most of our current territories have too small of a population to achieve statehood. Islands too small to grow into it too. Puerto Rico should have become a state a long time ago. If French speaking Louisiana could become a state why not Spanish speaking Puerto Rico?

[We_All_Seek_Truth]

I like how all your maps of the USA show Michigan as one piece and how the Great Lakes are divided with Canada. Maps of the states usually show the Great Lakes as part of Canada, or something; anything but US property. But if you look it up, all the states with shorelines on the Great Lakes actually owns part of the Great lakes. The international boundary between America and Canada generally splits the four lakes that lay between the countries, with the exception of Lake Michigan which is completely inside the US and which mostly belongs to the state of Michigan.

It's refreshing to see a correct map of America.

[StevenClark-ssfq]

Baja Nueva Bank & Serranilla Bank are occupied by Columbia, but were never ceded to Columbia.

[obinnaozoemena]

My take from this video is that a "territory" is about the "land" and a "state" is about the "people".

[greggmaclean]

You do not mention how much the U.S. pumps into these areas, like D.C.

[motowntaiwan]

Hawaii was an internationally recognized independent country. In 1893 the USA assisted the Amerocsn plantation owners in Hawaii to overthrow its legitimate government then UNILATERALLY annexed the country which is against international law. in the 1959 statehood referendum independence was NOT given as an option. Of course by then up to 90 percent of the indiginous people had died from diseases brought by the alien settlers. Many of the US islands in the Pacific were unilaterally claimed by the US under the Guano Act. When the US unilaterally claim uninhabited islands, they become US territories. When China claims uninhabited islands in the South China Sea, USA deems it to be "aggression" and must be militarily opposed. US hypocracy.

[IsabelRivera-bxgo]

Puerto Ricans increasingly oppose the current colonial relationship with the United States, with local discussions frequently labeling Puerto Rico as a colony. Although there have been attempts to secure a binding federal referendum on the island's status, Congress has ignored these efforts. In a 2012 local referendum, 53% voted against continuing as a territory, with a 78% turnout. I’m certain that the percentage of people wanting it to change to a non-territorial status is higher now. This situation highlights the contradiction of a democracy that upholds a colonial status now unwanted by most though there is a lot of division on the non-colonial status people prefer. Initially, people supported what they believed was a democratic commonwealth status, but growing awareness has revealed it to be a colonial relationship. The process of decolonization must be democratic and fair. It should allow the people on the island to express their will through voting for non-territorial options, ensuring their voices are heard and respected.

[gerojimenez]

FREE PUERTO RICO, STOP SABOTAGING OUR REFERENDUMS. VIVA PUERTO RICO libre

[quincycamo]

You were going to get an upvote until you lied about J6.
Automatic downvote.