Drawing on a postcolonial legal history of United States territorial expansionism, this book provides an analysis of the foundations of US global empire. Charles R. Venator-Santiago argues that the United States has developed three traditions of territorial expansionism with corresponding constitutional interpretations, namely colonialist, imperialist, and global expansionist. Puerto Rico and the Origins of U.S. Global Empire: The Disembodied Shade marries a unique study of Puerto Rican legal history with a new interpretation of contemporary U.S. policy. As such, it is a valuable resource for students and scholars of the legal and historical disciplines, especially those with a specific interest in American and Postcolonial Studies.