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Becoming America : Throughline When the United States of America was founded, it was only a union of a small number of states. By the beginning of the 20th century, the United States had become an empire; with states and territories and colonies that spanned the globe. As a result, the country began to not only reconsider its place in the world, but also its very name.

Throughline

Becoming America

Becoming America

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The United States and its territories that were annexed by 1900. Bettmann/Bettmann Archive hide caption

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Bettmann/Bettmann Archive

The United States and its territories that were annexed by 1900.

Bettmann/Bettmann Archive

When the United States of America was founded, it was only a union of a small number of states. By the beginning of the 20th century, the United States had become an empire; with states and territories and colonies that spanned the globe. As a result, the country began to not only reconsider its place in the world, but also its very name.

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