Packing the Union

"American Progress" by John Gast (1872)
"American Progress" by John Gast (1872)


I have never been persuaded by those who would "pack" the Supreme Court. Just because FDR wanted to do it at one point doesn't mean it's a good idea now. Just because one disagrees with the Court vociferously doesn't mean the institution is broken in need of repair. 

That said, I am fully onboard with packing the Union. Expand the USA! Admit more states! 50+ or bust!

Fifty is a nice, round number of states. Per the Constitution, it means we have a satisfying number of 100 Senators. The 50 stars fit nicely on the navy field of Old Glory. These justifications for keeping 50 states are psychologically powerful. 

I think the 21st century will be an age of expansionist foreign policy. It is clear that Russia’s current leadership is pursuing revanchist foreign policy on its borders. (Previously in Georgia and currently in Ukraine.) The US can grow again without resorting to the worst parts of imperialism and colonialism that were vanquished by the World Wars. Because America is unique. A growing America is good for the USA and good for the world. 

As our nation grows, it improves. Our nation has been growing for the entirety of US history, in population, square miles, greatness, and in the number of states admitted to the Union. Growth keeps things dynamic. It wards off sclerosis. 

We are not, and have never been, a preexisting nation of one people. We are an unfinished project, perpetually striving toward a more perfect Union. Out of many (peoples, states) we comprise one great nation. The bottom line here is adding foreign people won’t dilute the native population because we don’t really have a native population.* 

Expanding the Union is not an imperial project. Any other historical polity would be considered an empire for its expansionist policies/adventures. In the case of the US, it would be the extension of the rule of law and liberty. This would be good for America and good for the world. 

Nor does expanding the Union need to be a project of assimilation. The United States is full of local cultures and dialects. We are the most diverse nation on the planet. As it is, we need more diversity among the states. I’m a big fan of "our federalism." 

We have no official language. Instead, we have universal ideas: liberty and justice, equality, free thought and free speech, interstate travel and trade, the pilgrim and the pioneer, the pursuit of happiness. 

Foreign peoples may subscribe to these ideas as well as any person whose home's on North America. Why shouldn't they join the greatest political union ever established?

Potential States

I like the idea of Greenland, but the idea may be unpopular with the residents. 

I oppose statehood for the District of Columbia. 

I am open to statehood for Puerto Rico joining and other US territories. Holding non-state territories doesn't seem consistent with a great republic that is, fundamentally, a union of states. 

We should definitely admit the Canadian provinces. That territory will be prime real estate if climate change is real. 
  • Thomas Jefferson once envisioned that the U.S. would inevitably absorb Canada. He saw it as a natural expansion of the republic, believing it would be a straightforward process due to cultural and economic similarities. 
  • Andrew Jackson also harbored ambitions regarding the northern neighbor, although his focus was primarily on territories to the south and west. 
  • Proponents of Manifest Destiny often saw the annexation of Canadian territory as a natural part of the westward and northward expansion of the United States.

Chronology of US Expansion

"The Oregon Trail" by Albert Bierstadt (1869)
"The Oregon Trail" by Albert Bierstadt (1869)

18th and 19th Centuries

  • Louisiana Territory purchased from France (1803)
    • Doubled the size of the USA
  • Northwest, Mississippi, and Missouri Territories admitted as states (1803-21)
  • Florida purchased from Spain (1819)
  • Missouri Compromise (1820)
    • Maine admitted independent of Massachusetts
    • Missouri admitted to preserve the balance of free and slave states
  • Texas annexed (1845)
    • Formerly the Republic of Texas
  • Oregon Territory via treaty with Britain (1846)
  • Mexican cession of the southwest including California (1848)
  • Alaska purchased from Russian Empire (1867)
  • Hawaii annexed (1898)
    • Formerly Kingdom and Republic of Hawaii
  • Spanish American War led to the acquisition of territories (1898)
    • Puerto Rico
    • Guam
    • The Philippines
  • American Samoa via treaty with Germany and Britain (1900)
  • Panama Canal Zone via treaty/lease (1903)
  • US Virgin Islands purchased from Denmark (1917)

World at War^2

  • WWI (1917-18) and its effects 
    • Ended the age of empires (Austro-Hungarian, German, Ottoman, and Russian empires dissolved) 
    • Why? Rise of nationalism, military defeat in WWI and resulting instability and treaties 
  • WWII (1941-45) and its effects 
    • Germany fully conquered/vanquished; Japanese and Italian empires dissolved. 
    • Ended the age of colonialism (Britain, France, and the Netherlands) 
    • Shift from empires to nation states 
    • Rise of US and USSR as superpowers 
    • Emergence of the Nuclear Age 
    • Formation of the UN 
    • Shift toward self-determination

Subsequent US Foreign Policy

  • Cold War containment policies (1945-91) 
  • Monroe Doctrine acts in our hemisphere 
  • International rules-based order 
    • United Nation (1945-present) 
    • NATO (1949-present) 
    • World Bank, IMF, etc. 
    • Unipolar moment (1991-2001) 
  • GWOT (2001-present) 
    • Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan 
    • Saddam Hussein in Iraq 
    • ISIS in Iraq and Syria 
    • Libya, Yemen, Somalia

Analysis

First and most obvious, the US expansionist project faded in the 20th century, mirroring the global effects of both world wars on ending the age of imperialism and colonization. 

Going through this list, key themes emerge as the drivers of US expansion, such as manifest destiny (divine right and duty to spread democracy and capitalism across the continent), unease over the balance of free and slave states, the displacement of native tribes, and strategic interests (military and economic considerations).

Framework for Admitting New States

Here is an outline of criteria to assess whether to admit new states/territories.
  • Constitutional process for admitting new states 
    • See Art. IV, § 3, cl. 1. 
  • International law 
    • Existing treaties 
    • Principles such as sovereignty and self-determination 
  • The state of the prospective state 
    • Political stability 
      • Republican form of government? 
      • Tradition/aspiration of self-government? 
      • Restraint, rule of law, human rights 
    • Economic viability 
      • Stability 
      • Potential 
      • GDP, debt, economic diversity 
    • Natural resources and their management 
    • Cultural compatibility 
    • Population dynamics 
      • Demographic implications 
      • Migration patterns 
  • Implications for foreign relations 
    • Neighboring countries 
    • Global powers 
    • Allies and partners 
  • Alignment with US national security goals/priorities 
  • Misc. upside of admission
  • Misc. downside of admission