this post was submitted on 06 Sep 2024
39 points (80.0% liked)

Explain Like I'm Five

14220 readers
2 users here now

Simplifying Complexity, One Answer at a Time!

Rules

  1. Be respectful and inclusive.
  2. No harassment, hate speech, or trolling.
  3. Engage in constructive discussions.
  4. Share relevant content.
  5. Follow guidelines and moderators' instructions.
  6. Use appropriate language and tone.
  7. Report violations.
  8. Foster a continuous learning environment.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
sabbah@lemmy.world
AradFort@lemmy.world
rikudou@lemmings.world
Don_Dickle@lemmy.world
Rikudou_Sage@lemmy.world
39
Explain like I am a moron. If the US is such apparently a badass super power it has never tried to take over another country to expand its influence and status? (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 months ago by Don_Dickle@lemmy.world to c/explainlikeimfive@lemmy.world
43 comments fedilink hide all child comments
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[โ€“] TheOneCurly@lemm.ee 47 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Manifest Destiny is pretty much that. The US fought Mexico, Spain, and British Canada, exploited the political situation in Europe to buy a huge chunk of land from France, and displaced or killed hundreds of thousands of native people. The US is the 4th largest country by area. Having that much contiguous land is insanely valuable and powerful. By the time the US would have even had to think about colonizing like the Europeans it was going out of style.

[โ€“] Maggoty@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago

And we tried to recolonize parts of Central and South America anyways. Didn't work out though, for obvious reasons.