politics
February 18, 2026
Can you buy a country?
The debate over Greenland revives a question that shaped America's rise for more than two centuries
TL;DR
- The US has historically expanded its territory through large-scale purchases, a method that shaped its rise.
- The Louisiana Purchase doubled America's territory, acquired from France for $15 million when Napoleon couldn't hold it.
- Florida was ceded by Spain for $5 million in 1819, after American settlers encroached and Spain struggled to maintain control.
- The US purchased the Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25 million in gold during WWI, using strategic concerns as a pretext.
- Donald Trump's interest in Greenland follows this historical pattern of territorial acquisition through transaction and leverage.