“The most basic duty of government is to defend the lives of its own citizens. Any government that fails to do so is a government that is totally unworthy to lead.” – Donald Trump
In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana territory from France. The acquisition from the French Republic consisted of most of the land in the Mississippi River’s drainage basin west of the river .Jefferson paid $15 million, or $18 per square mile, 828,000 square miles which is now the Central United States. This included the right for America to obtain Indian lands by treaty or bargaining to the exclusion of other colonial powers.
The Louisiana Purchase extended United States sovereignty across the Mississippi River, nearly doubling the size of the country. The purchase included land from 15 present U.S. states and two Canadian provinces, including the entirety of Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska; large portions of North Dakota and South Dakota; Wyoming, and Colorado east of the Continental Divide. This was a major acquisition for the United States for westward expansion.
Since the 19th century, the United States has considered, and made, several attempts to purchase the island of Greenland from Denmark. Discussions within the U.S. government about purchasing Greenland occurred in 1867, 1910, 1946, 1955, 2019 and 2025. Acquisition was also advocated by Secretaries of State William Seward and James Byrnes, Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, and by President Donald Trump. “You’ve got to think, so you might as well think big.” – Donald Trump
The United States has long viewed Greenland as vital to our national security. In the early 20th century, it included Greenland among several European possessions in the Western Hemisphere to preemptively seize and fortify in the event of a threatened attack on the U.S. During World War II, the U.S. occupied Greenland to prevent German invasion since Germany had invaded Denmark.
While Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, Greenlandic and Danish authorities have publicly asserted Greenland’s right to self-determination. They stated that Greenland is “not for sale.” Many Greenlanders support independence, and Denmark concurs.
Greenland lies in the shortest route from North America to Europe, making it strategic for the U.S. It is also home to a large American space facility. Recently, there has been increased interest in Greenland for national security and its natural resources, including minerals like uranium.
When Trump returned to office, America expected his foreign policy to focus on China and Russia. Much to their dismay, in his fist news conference on foreign policy, Trump talked about buying the island of Greenland. “Our interest in Greenland is solely to preserve world peace.” – Donald Trump
The U.S. has expressed interest in expanding its military presence there, including placing radar to monitor the waters between the island, Iceland and Britain, since this is the gateway for Russian navy vessels with nuclear submarines. China currently has a dominant presence in the region.
Since Greenland is a territory under the Danish flag, annexing Greenland is not going to be easy.
Trump must wait for Greenlanders to declare independence from Denmark before he can discuss annexation with reluctant Greenland’s King Frederick. This is going to be a challenge since most Greenlanders don’t see the benefits of U.S. annexation. Greenland has no military and depends on Denmark, which has a very small army. This would be no match against aggressive Red China.
According to Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, the Chinese Communists continue to heavily invest in capabilities and operational concepts specifically designed to defeat the U.S. and its allies. Their goal is to increase power in the Western Pacific with weapons targeting U.S. land and sea assets.
“To prevent conflict we must be ready; and to prevail in conflict, we must be ready,” – Frank Kendall
The new U.S. territory of Louisiana greatly increased the size of our country, becoming 10 states and parts of three more. And it was done by a staunch Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson, leader of a party opposed to such sweeping centralized actions by a sitting president alone.
Both Republicans and Federalists flip-flopped over the Louisiana deal since the Constitution only granted Congress the power to admit new states and make laws for new territories. But in the case of the Louisiana Purchase, Congress wasn’t given a say, other than to vote up or down to ratify the Executive branch’s treaty of colossal proportions. Jefferson acted on his own, bypassing Congress.
“I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.” – Thomas Jefferson
France controlled more of the present-day United States than any other European power; from New Orleans northeast to the Great Lakes and northwest to Montana. Jefferson’s insight to buy Louisiana doubled the size of the country, becoming ten states and parts of three more states.
The Louisiana Purchase has a symbolic legacy and set a precedent for expansion in America.
When the French offered to sell Louisiana to the U.S. Jefferson put his country before his party.
Due to Jefferson’s efforts, America is now a nation from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast.
Clairvoyance is essential to managing a nation. In a world that is constantly changing our actions today must reflect what we expect in the future. With an aggressive Red China breathing down our necks and our allies, it is imperative that we take every action available to protect world peace.
After the bloody 1989 Tiananmen Square protests when the Chinese killed thousands of unarmed peaceful pro-democracy protesters, China quietly integrated itself into the global trading system. Within a few years they became the world’s second-largest economy. To maintain that status, they have an aggressive thrust for expansion and recourses to obtain world dominance over the U.S. and our allies. “Our country, our people, and our laws must be our top priority.” -Donald J. Trump
The blood bath in Tiananmen Square should be a wake up call to all nations. They must be ready to defend their nation from the power hungry Chinese. Although Greenland and the U.S. are allies, they both would benefit from annexation to protect the West from a threat from China. America’s goal is to prevent a conflict and maintain the peace by annexing Greenland as their partner, not a subservient territory. This is a long overdue strategic move to protect the U.S. from Red China.
Annexing Greenland has become a necessity.
“There is no question at all that Trump and his advisers are very concerned about the stranglehold that China appears to have on the world. Greenland offers a potentially rich source of these critical minerals, I think Trump’s interest in Greenland is really about keeping China out.” – Klaus Dodds