Daniel Immerwahr's "How to Hide an Empire" posits a history of the United States extending beyond its familiar "logo map". The first act involved westward expansion and the displacement of Native Americans, including the creation of an all-Indian territory in the 1830s. The second act began remarkably quickly, just three years after the continental borders solidified with the Gadsden Purchase (ratified in 1854). Starting in 1857, the US began annexing numerous small islands in the Caribbean and Pacific, amassing nearly a hundred by the end of the century. This overseas expansion, fueled by strategic considerations emphasized by thinkers like Alfred Thayer Mahan, marked a shift beyond "manifest destiny" on the continent. The Spanish-American War further propelled this expansion, bringing territories like the Philippines and Puerto Rico under US influence.

The administration of these territories varied. In the Philippines, figures like Cameron Forbes and Daniel Burnham sought to implement American ideals, even planning and building cities like Baguio from the ground up, sometimes disregarding the rights of indigenous populations like the Igorots. Public health initiatives, such as the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission's work on hookworm in Puerto Rico, also became tools of American influence, though sometimes with unintended and controversial consequences.

After World War II, the nature of American empire evolved. The US emerged as a global power with the means to influence foreign lands without direct colonization, leveraging its economic strength, technological advancements (like synthetic rubber, which diminished the need for resource-rich colonies), and the establishment of global standards. English, while not always imposed, increasingly became a de facto global language due to various factors. The "strategic island concept" emerged, emphasizing the acquisition of small, lightly populated islands for military bases, marking a shift towards a "pointillist empire" where traditional colonialism became a liability. This allowed the US to project power globally while often remaining less visible than traditional empires.

Despite decolonization movements worldwide, the US maintained a network of military bases and exercised influence through various means, sometimes covertly, as seen in the Iran-Contra affair and the use of CIA "black sites" in the "War on Terror". Places like Guam and Guantánamo Bay highlight the complex and often legally ambiguous relationship between the US and its territories. Even seemingly benign efforts, like promoting a simplified version of English called Basic, revealed underlying ambitions for linguistic influence. The story of Axel Wenner-Gren and the figure of Julius No in Ian Fleming's "Doctor No" reflect anxieties and realities of powerful, transnational actors operating beyond traditional state control. Ultimately, Immerwahr’s work suggests that the American empire, far from dissolving, has adapted and often operates in ways that obscure its vast reach and influence. The continued existence of territories like Saipan, with its complex economic and political relationship with the US, serves as a reminder of this enduring, often hidden, empire.