Ask people to draw a connection between the words “America” and “colonies,” and most will conjure up revolutionary images of 1776. But America’s colonial history extends much further than the 18th century, and involves a different power dynamic, one in which America was the colonizer, not the colonized. For example, in 1945, the US claimed jurisdiction over more people living outside the States than inside them. In How to Hide an Empire, Northwestern professor Daniel Immerwahr traces the crucial yet oft-obscured role that US overseas territories have played in the development of the nation. From island colonies to military bases, Immerwahr will illuminate America’s evolving influence abroad, giving crucial context for contemporary American foreign policy.

Preorder your copy of How to Hide An Empire: A History of the Greater United States through the CHF box office and save 20%.

This program is presented in partnership with the Alice Kaplan Institute for the Humanities.

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