In 1865, in the wake of the Civil War, the U.S. began looking to expand its influence on the world stage. This happened at precisely the moment when Russia, having just lost the Crimean War, was seeking to counterbalance British power in the Pacific. This proved to be the perfect recipe for American expansion in the Arctic.

President Trump isn’t taking “no” for an answer on acquiring Greenland. Although the self-governing territory and its colonial authority, Denmark, insist the island isn’t for sale, Republicans in Congress are backing the plan to expand America’s boundaries northward.