About this episode

The episode discusses America's historical attempts to acquire various territories and the implications of these efforts.

America’s desire to expand its borders has existed since its first colonies – from attempts to settle beyond the Appalachian Mountains in the 18th century to Manifest Destiny in the 19th century down to talks today to purchase Greenland.  But the United States spent two centuries eyeing acquisitions far stranger than California or Oregon—from Canada to the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia and even Syria after World War I. These weren't fever dreams of fringe politicians; they were serious diplomatic efforts involving presidents, congressional debates, and appeals from foreign leaders themselves who saw American annexation as preferable to rule by Mexico, France, or Britain. The difference between success and failure often came down to whether Washington offered full statehood and constitutional protections (like Alaska and Hawaii) or imposed colonial supervision without citizenship (like Cuba and the Philippines), creating either assimilation or nationalist resentment that echoes today. Today's guest is Mark Kawar, author of America, but Bigger: Near-Annexations from Greenland to the Galápagos . We discuss how Woodrow Wilson was the last president to…

People in this episode

Host: History Unplugged

Guest: Mark Kawar

Topics covered

• American expansionism
• historical acquisitions
• diplomatic efforts
• colonialism
• Manifest Destiny
• self-determination

Keywords

• American expansion
• territorial acquisitions
• Woodrow Wilson
• Greenland
• El Salvador
• Canada
• Kamchatka Peninsula
• colonial rule
• self-determination

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: U.S. Virgin Islands, King-Crane Commission

Books & works: America, but Bigger: Near-Annexations from Greenland to the Galápagos

Places: Greenland, El Salvador, Canada, Kamchatka Peninsula, Syria

More episodes of History Unplugged Podcast

• 95% of Ancient Greek Theater Is Gone. Here's How One Classicist Resurrected 500 Lost Playwrights · April 23, 2026 · 38 min
• How Medieval Monks Used the 7 Deadly Sins to Map Human Behavior…and LinkedIn Weaponized them Against Us · April 21, 2026 · 54 min
• 1,000% Profit Per Voyage: The Economics of Civil War Smuggling and Blockade Running · April 16, 2026 · 39 min
• The Lost Voices of Pompeii: Lives Cut Short When Vesuvius Erupted, Including a Fish Sauce Tycoon and an Isis Priest · April 14, 2026 · 50 min
• The Body Worth Stealing: Why Medieval Cities Fought Over Francis of Assisi’s Corpse · April 9, 2026 · 38 min
• The Alphabet as Artifact: How Egyptian Pictograms Became Your ABCs · April 7, 2026 · 57 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the History Unplugged Podcast podcast page.