ABSTRACT

This essay explores the question of whether we should consider the newly-independent United States an ‘empire.’ It does so by discussing emerging schools of thought that have suggested that the post-revolutionary state was more powerful than we had previously reckoned, as well as those that argue that the new state, though efficacious, is best considered post-colonial in its international standing and in its fit in a global political economy. To reconcile these positions, to tie the post-revolutionary to the post-colonial, we would be wise to look around the Atlantic and consider how what was happening in the United States was not exceptional during the broader Age of Revolution. The United States, like others, had to be an expansive state – even if the word ‘empire’ does not fit its case perfectly – to address its continuing colonial status stemming from independence and the dilemmas created by revolution.

摘要

本文探讨了我们是否应该将新独立的美国视为“帝国”的问题。它通过讨论新兴的思想流派来做到这一点，这些流派表明后革命国家比我们之前认为的更强大，以及那些认为新国家虽然有效，但最好将其视为后殖民主义的国际学派。在全球政治经济中站稳脚跟。为了调和这些立场，将后革命与后殖民联系起来，我们应该环顾大西洋并考虑在更广泛的革命时代美国发生的事情并不例外。美国和其他国家一样，