An Expansion of the Same Society: Republican Government and Empire in the Early Republic.

This article explores the transformation of the early U.S. republic into an empire, questioning not how a republic could be an empire, but why it would be structured as one. It argues that extending republican governance was a strategic choice to maintain control over diverse territories and peoples, particularly addressing the challenges posed by white settlers in the West. The Northwest Ordinance was crucial in this effort, imposing temporary, non-democratic rule to shape these territories into a unified republican empire. By framing republican principles as universal, the U.S. policy makers aimed to create a homogeneous political structure, excluding diverse cultural and political forms from full participation in the union.