At the turn of the 20th century, the United States used different tactics to expand its power and land. Sometimes it used military force, like in the Spanish-American War, which helped the U.S. take control of places like Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. Other times, it used money and business. The podcast Throughline talks about Minor Keith, a businessman who made deals in Central America to grow bananas and build railroads. He gained a lot of control over land and politics in those countries. The narrators call this “American colonialism” because even though the U.S. didn’t officially take over, Keith used business to control people and land, just like a colony. The main difference is that Keith was a private businessman, not the government, but both used power to control others. This shows how the U.S. used both imperialism and colonialism to grow its influence.