So has the USA ever had an empire?

Define 'empire', rigorously please.

>>291236
If by empire you mean having 50 contiguous states including some larger than the largest European empires than yes we did and still do

>>291320
*48 contiguous states sorry

>>291320

No, I mean empire as in owning more than one country.

>>291236
>>291443

Puerto Rico
Hawaii

>>291443
We've stolen large chunks of countries particularly Texas from Mexico and some Spanish territories as well, also >>291568

>>291236
The U.S is an empire. It controls the governments of most of the world's nations, has military bases all over the globe, has colonies, expanded and seized various regions of surrounding nations and is multi-ethnic.

It's also the only empire in history that tries to convince itself that it is not the case.

>>291249
x is mean size of a kingdom
x=1
empire is when x>1

>>291443
"korean" "empire"

there also have meme empires too

America has an empire.

Why you fucking americans hate the term so much? It's a cumpliment of sorts.

>>291930
>America has an empire.

Because the definition of imperialism is still heavily debated today.

A way to word it without triggering Amerifats is to use the word hegemony. For the past 30 years America has had a global hegemony.

Whether it is an empire or not is left to semantics.

File: this triggers neocons.jpg (54KB, 850x400px) Image search: [Google]

54KB, 850x400px

>>291930
The US was founded specifically NOT TO BE an empire, and acts like the Monroe Doctrine shape the US into an anti-imperialistic state (for that time at least).

Yes, we had the Phillipines and Cuba as colonies.

In the modern age, we have vassals but I guess that doesn't an empire make.

>>291930

i've never seen Americans offended at the world empire.

it's all these marxists that call America Imperialistic like it's some sort of insult and they just respond because they feel like they're supposed to.