The Logo Map

The “logo map,” which is introduced in the introduction, operates in the book as a symbol of the predominant image of the United States: including all 48 continental states, but excluding Hawai’i, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Guam, and other unincorporated territories around the world. As Immerwahr suggests, the simplicity of the “logo map” is appealing and comforting to many viewers; moreover, the “logo map” has a certain finality to it, whereas a more accurate portrayal of the United States looks messier and more undone.

The Greater United States

The Greater United States is the central place in question in Immerwahr’s How to Hide an Empire. Who or what is “the Greater United States”? How is the “Greater United States” measured against the “logo map” in terms of value and worth? Ultimately, Immerwahr suggests that the Greater United States includes both incorporated and unincorporated territories, and...