--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On 16 September 1985, when the Commerce…" description: "\"On 16 September 1985, when the Commerce Department announced that the United States had become a debtor nation, the American Empire died.\" — Gore Vidal" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ae/gore-vidal-466_american-empire_on-16-september-1985-when-the-commerce-d_3044111.jpg" --- # On 16 September 1985, when the Commerce Department… ![“On 16 September 1985, when the Commerce Department announced that the United States had become a debtor nation, the American Empire died.” quote by Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ae/gore-vidal-466_american-empire_on-16-september-1985-when-the-commerce-d_3044111.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ae/gore-vidal-466_american-empire_on-16-september-1985-when-the-commerce-d_3044111.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ae/gore-vidal-466_american-empire_on-16-september-1985-when-the-commerce-d_3044111.jpg) > “On 16 September 1985, when the Commerce Department announced that the United States had become a debtor nation, the American Empire died.” [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Marks the 1985 debt declaration as the symbolic death of U.S. dominance. **In simple terms:** Debt signaled the fall of American power. Key Takeaway Critically assess national economic policies. Themes politics economics history Mood analytical critical Type political historical When to use this quote - policy debates - academic research - public discourse Key Concepts imperial decline financial analysis Questions to Reflect On - What defines a nation’s power? - How do debts affect global influence? A Different Perspective May ignore subsequent economic resilience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [1985 Commerce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/1985-commerce-5031388/) [American empire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-empire/) [Commerce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commerce/) [Debtor Nation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debtor-nation-1976123/) [Debtors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debtors/) [Department](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/department/) [Died](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/died/) [E commerce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/e-commerce/) [Empire Died](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empire-died-1191699/) [Empires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empires/) [September](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/september/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [States Debtor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states-debtor-5031389/) [United](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) ## Related quotes > [We are a debtor nation, our airports are third world, our highways are falling apart. Our roads, our bridges, everything, we're like third world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-are-a-debtor-nation-our-airports-are-third-world-our-highways-are/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America has tremendous problems. We're a debtor nation. We're a serious debtor nation. And we have a country that needs new roads, new tunnels,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/america-has-tremendous-problems-we-re-a-debtor-nation-we-re-a-serious/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I would love to see a fundamental re-thinking of whether we truly want to be the world's largest debtor nation, feeding an insatiable desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-hayes/i-would-love-to-see-a-fundamental-re-thinking-of-whether-we-truly/) [Denis Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-hayes/) > [Our country has tremendous problems. We're a debtor nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/our-country-has-tremendous-problems-we-re-a-debtor-nation/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [We are a debtor nation, and we owe now $19 trillion and it's going to go up very fast by the way from this point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-are-a-debtor-nation-and-we-owe-now-19-trillion-and-it-s-going-to/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [The story of the fifth century was one of the exploitation of imperial weakness. Thus the Western Empire died.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-goldsworthy/the-story-of-the-fifth-century-was-one-of-the-exploitation-of/) [Adrian Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-goldsworthy/) > [“Yet as the Angkor empire died, Cambodia lost its soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-brinkley/yet-as-the-angkor-empire-died-cambodia-lost-its-soul/) [Joel Brinkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-brinkley/) > [The dream of empire died when Shanghai surrendered without a fight. Even at the age of 11 or 12, I knew that no amount…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/the-dream-of-empire-died-when-shanghai-surrendered-without-a-fight/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [“The arrival of the Spaniards must have been like the arrival of people from Mars to us would be today. The shock must have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/the-arrival-of-the-spaniards-must-have-been-like-the-arrival-of/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) > [“Marco Polo had been to China; Vasco de Gama had discovered the route to the Cape. The continent was in ferment, in movement, whereas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/marco-polo-had-been-to-china-vasco-de-gama-had-discovered-the-route/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) > [I think that we are not in the position that we used to be. I think we were a very powerful, very wealthy country.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-think-that-we-are-not-in-the-position-that-we-used-to-be-i-think-we/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [As Chomsky says here, clearly and in depth, the American empire is doing all it can to consolidate its system of domination. And we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-chavez/as-chomsky-says-here-clearly-and-in-depth-the-american-empire-is/) [Hugo Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-chavez/) > [The American empire should be destroyed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-dugin/the-american-empire-should-be-destroyed/) [Aleksandr Dugin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-dugin/) > [The Soviet Union and something called communism per se had not been the object of Washington's global attacks. There had never been an International…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blum/the-soviet-union-and-something-called-communism-per-se-had-not-been/) [William Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blum/) > [Basically, what Economic Hit Men are trained to do is to build up the American empire. To create situations where as many resources as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perkins/basically-what-economic-hit-men-are-trained-to-do-is-to-build-up-the/) [John Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perkins/) ## More by Gore Vidal > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Many people in the United States happen to believe that United States policy is wrong in Vietnam and the Vietcong are correct in wanting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/many-people-in-the-united-states-happen-to-believe-that-united-states/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“It is curious how little interested we are in the sexual desires of those who do not attract us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-little-interested-we-are-in-the-sexual-desires-of/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [This separation was absolute in our original Republic. But the sky-godders do not give up easily. In the 1950s they actually got the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/this-separation-was-absolute-in-our-original-republic-but-the-sky/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/style-is-knowing-who-you-are-what-you-want-to-say-and-not-giving-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The oligarchs think that the people are both dangerous and stupid. Their point is moot. But we do know that the oligarchs are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-oligarchs-think-that-the-people-are-both-dangerous-and-stupid/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [It is curious how often one prefers his enemies to his friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-often-one-prefers-his-enemies-to-his-friends/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/as-societies-grow-decadent-the-language-grows-decadent-too-words-are/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Rome ... at its most decadent, had never thought of hiring an actor to go through the motions of being an emperor while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/rome-at-its-most-decadent-had-never-thought-of-hiring-an-actor-to-go/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [History is nothing but gossip about the past, with the hope that it might be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/history-is-nothing-but-gossip-about-the-past-with-the-hope-that-it/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The malady of civilized man is his knowledge of death. The good artist, like the wise man, addresses himself to life and invests with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-malady-of-civilized-man-is-his-knowledge-of-death-the-good-artist/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Sex is a continuum. You go through different phases along life's way... and if you don't, you've been sort of cheated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/sex-is-a-continuum-you-go-through-different-phases-along-life-s-way/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [All I want is that Americans still be able to read the alphabet in a hundred years. I am not very ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/all-i-want-is-that-americans-still-be-able-to-read-the-alphabet-in-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [I do not admire 'the people,' as such. No one really does. Their folk wisdom is usually false, their instincts predatory. Even their sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/i-do-not-admire-the-people-as-such-no-one-really-does-their-folk/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“One of the problems of a society as tightly controlled as ours is that we get so little information about what those of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/one-of-the-problems-of-a-society-as-tightly-controlled-as-ours-is/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) [Explore all 539 Gore Vidal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## More American empire quotes > [Basically, what Economic Hit Men are trained to do is to build up the American empire. To create situations where as many resources as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perkins/basically-what-economic-hit-men-are-trained-to-do-is-to-build-up-the/) [John Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perkins/) > [The Soviet Union and something called communism per se had not been the object of Washington's global attacks. There had never been an International…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blum/the-soviet-union-and-something-called-communism-per-se-had-not-been/) [William Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blum/) > [The American empire should be destroyed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-dugin/the-american-empire-should-be-destroyed/) [Aleksandr Dugin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-dugin/) > [As Chomsky says here, clearly and in depth, the American empire is doing all it can to consolidate its system of domination. And we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-chavez/as-chomsky-says-here-clearly-and-in-depth-the-american-empire-is/) [Hugo Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-chavez/) > [I hereby accuse the North American empire of being the biggest menace to our planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-chavez/i-hereby-accuse-the-north-american-empire-of-being-the-biggest-menace/) [Hugo Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-chavez/) > [Americans need to understand that they have lost their country. The rest of the world needs to recognize that Washington is not merely the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-craig-roberts/americans-need-to-understand-that-they-have-lost-their-country-the/) [Paul Craig Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-craig-roberts/) > [The American empire is hovering between life and death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsen-rezaee/the-american-empire-is-hovering-between-life-and-death/) [Mohsen Rezaee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsen-rezaee/) > [Once you run current-account deficits, you depend on the kindness of strangers. This might be the beginning of the end of the American empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouriel-roubini/once-you-run-current-account-deficits-you-depend-on-the-kindness-of/) [Nouriel Roubini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouriel-roubini/) > [The fabric of American empire ought to rest on the solid basis of THE CONSENT OF THE PEOPLE. The streams of national power ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/the-fabric-of-american-empire-ought-to-rest-on-the-solid-basis-of-the/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [New England is a finished place. Its destiny is that of Florence or Venice, not Milan while the American empire careens onward toward its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-devoto/new-england-is-a-finished-place-its-destiny-is-that-of-florence-or/) [Bernard DeVoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-devoto/) > [“For Obama, however, it is good for America to have less influence. In tune with his progressive and anti-colonial ideology, Obama regards the American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/for-obama-however-it-is-good-for-america-to-have-less-influence-in/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [I don't like the triumphalism of the American narrative, this kind of "chosen people" complex that American people have, so it's inspiring to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-svenonius/i-don-t-like-the-triumphalism-of-the-american-narrative-this-kind-of/) [Ian Svenonius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-svenonius/) > [The American empire will not disappear... because America does not have an empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mandelbaum/the-american-empire-will-not-disappear-because-america-does-not-have/) [Michael Mandelbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mandelbaum/) > [America cannot have an empire abroad and a Republic at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/america-cannot-have-an-empire-abroad-and-a-republic-at-home/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [The Roman Empire came to an end, but the Roman people didn't come to an end, so I see the American Empire coming to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/the-roman-empire-came-to-an-end-but-the-roman-people-didn-t-come-to/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) [Browse all 26 American empire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-empire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "On 16 September 1985, when the Commerce Department announced that the United States had become a debtor nation, the American Empire died.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gore Vidal" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/on-16-september-1985-when-the-commerce-department-announced-that-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American empire" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/on-16-september-1985-when-the-commerce-department-announced-that-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ae/gore-vidal-466_american-empire_on-16-september-1985-when-the-commerce-d_3044111.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ae/gore-vidal-466_american-empire_on-16-september-1985-when-the-commerce-d_3044111.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ae/gore-vidal-466_american-empire_on-16-september-1985-when-the-commerce-d_3044111.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“On 16 September 1985, when the Commerce Department announced that the United States had become a debtor…” — Gore Vidal", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Gore Vidal", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "On 16 September 1985, when the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/on-16-september-1985-when-the-commerce-department-announced-that-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/on-16-september-1985-when-the-commerce-department-announced-that-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```