Tracing the United States’ encounters with decolonization from its founding to the 21st century, this book explores the end of empire in Latin America, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and modern US territories. In 1776 the United States emerged into a world dominated by empire and hierarchy.US conceptions of where, when and for whom independence has been appropriate have been central to its role on the global stage ever since. This book shows how a hierarchy born of the age of empire and determined by race and civilization has shaped perceived rights to sovereignty.From interactions with Native Americans, to influence in ex-Spanish colonies, interventions in decolonizing Latin America and the relationship between the US and the postcolonial ‘third world’, it explores how America has shaped the ideology of independence through a racial lens. Exploring both the US’s own imperial undertakings, and its reaction to the end of European empire, The United States and Ends of Empire shows how the nation has shaped, and been shaped by, decolonization, empire and the postcolonial world.