The Basis of the U.S. Empire: How Bird Guano Promoted Growth and Domination

American Imperialism’s Startling History

America’s quest for resources in the middle of the 19th century produced a surprising source of its worldwide influence: bird guano. The United States began its first significant overseas expansion by acquiring isolated islands covered with nutrient-rich bird droppings. This unanticipated resource, essential to American agriculture, established the foundation for strategic territorial control in the Pacific. This article explores the intriguing history of guano, its role in American empire, and its enduring effects on geopolitics and ecology.

The Search for Guano: The Reasons Why Bird Drops Were a Highly Desired Resource

Three American ships sailed to the isolated coral atolls of the Jarvis and Baker Islands in the Pacific in December 1855 and January 1856. Along with a guano specialist dispatched to evaluate the islands’ resources, these ships also carried representatives of the recently founded American Guano Company. Their objective is to calculate and collect samples of the guano deposits that seabird generations have left behind. The representatives asserted their claim to the islands for both the firm and the United States, following an assessment of the available resources. Driven by the fertilizing capacity of bird feces rather than just land, this was the nation’s first attempt to secure territory outside its borders.

The Guano Islands Act: A Special Imperial Decree of the United States

The Guano Islands Act, approved by the U.S. Congress in July 1856, gave the nation the right to assert sovereignty over any “uninhabited or unclaimed” islands that had guano deposits. The Act made it possible for America to reach people outside of its continental borders. Guano’s high nitrogen content led to increased agricultural yields in the production of wheat, cotton, and tobacco, making it highly sought after. America sought to lessen its reliance on Peruvian supply by securing its own guano resources. American and British guano harvesters had previously contemplated annexing Peru’s Lobos Islands due to their substantial deposits.

Reach Extension: From Guano to Strategic Command

The Guano Islands Act allowed the United States to claim almost 100 far-off islands, 10 of which it still governs today, despite Guano being the original draw. Long after the Guano boom ended, these areas eventually fulfilled strategic and military purposes. For instance, during the Vietnam War, Johnson Atoll, claimed under the Act in March 1858, housed and destroyed the chemical weapon Agent Orange. These island purchases strengthened the United States’ presence in the Pacific, providing American naval and air force access to vital refueling facilities and supply lines.

Empire and Ecology: Guano’s Contribution to Ecological Imperialism

Environmental sociologist Mauricio Betancourt of Washington and Lee University has highlighted the important but frequently disregarded significance that Guano played in American imperial history. According to Betancourt’s research, Guano is a cornerstone of “ecological imperialism,” in which countries use natural resources as a means of gaining control. An excellent illustration of how resource-driven growth changed landscapes and produced long-lasting environmental effects is the Guano Islands in the United States. In certain instances, these changes sparked scientific research on ecosystems and resource management.

Guano’s decline and the move to military bases

The U.S. switched from using these islands for fertilizer to using them for military objectives as guano supplies declined in the next decades. These islands’ evolution illustrates the shift from a resource expansion-driven strategy to one that valued their geographic and military advantages. The United States still governs many of these islands today, and they continue to participate in strategic and defensive activities throughout the Pacific.

Guano’s Legacy: Influencing American Imperial Policy

More than merely a change in historical narrative, Guano’s influence on American history exemplifies the larger idea of ecological imperialism, in which resources are frequently the driving force behind influence and territorial expansion. The United States established a pattern for how resource demands might influence military and foreign policy choices by claiming and then reusing these islands.
The Guano narrative in American imperialism highlights the importance of ecology in the underpinnings of empire and serves as a reminder that resources influence power relations.