In this chapter, Tim Marshall presents America’s geographical, historical, and

political perspectives. The country can be divided into three parts: the East
Coast Plain leading to the Appalachian Mountains, the Great Plains stretching to
the Rocky Mountains, and the Mississippi basin with its network of rivers.
Throughout history, the US has been expanding its territory. In 1803, the United
States bought the Louisiana Territory from France, which doubled its size and
gave it mastery over the greatest inland water transport route in the world. With
the help of the Transcontinental Treaty of 1819, the US reached the Pacific, but
in 1821 Mexico controlled land up to Northern California and stretched out east.
Thanks to the Texas Revolution of 1835-36, Mexicans were driven out and
Texas became independent. In 1848, no threats were found in America, so it
was time to make some money. The California gold rush of 1848-49 and the
Homestead Act of 1862 helped this and became successful. In 1867, the
“Seward’s Folly” deal emerged, and two years on came the opening of the
transcontinental railroad. As the country grew wealthy, it began to develop a
blue-water navy. In 1903, America signed a treaty leasing exclusive rights to the
Panama Canal, thus trade was booming. The US managed to avoid
entanglements and alliances until 1941 when it was attacked by Japan. In 1951,
it extended its domination there down to the south, and since then, America has
become a great nation. However, China can be a threat to America since most
analysis assumes that it will overtake the US and become the leading
superpower, but the author states that he is not convinced by that assumption.