Toward the end of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century, the United States was becoming an increasingly powerful nation and world power. The country was competing with other nations also expanding. Their motives for expanding were to gain land and resources. While there was a slight departure from past expansionism, the United States mostly continued as it had been in the previous years. In order to accomplish expansionism, the United States needed to acquire foreign territories to increase their global presence.
Between the 1870s and the 1920s, imperialism increased because of economic, social, and political forces. Economically, many groups were interested in colonizing other countries because of their natural resources. Socially, they wanted to make themselves the highest and they wanted to look the best. Politically, they wanted to make more income and be the richest country. Two groups in particular were the most interested in imperialism.
During the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century United States main goal was to imperialize other territories. After the Spanish- American War, the United States became an imperialist power by annexing the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Samoa. Americans also developed overseas trade with China and Japan. The United States proposition was to expand their region because they wanted to influence other nations for new trading locations, more resources and the increase of military protection. In spite of the fact that they had the same proposition, their political and economical motives were departed.
While the Louisiana Purchase was a key starting point for American expansionism, aggressive imperialism into the West didn’t begin until the middle of the Jacksonian Period. Many Americans considered Manifest Destiny as a benevolent movement and a divinely ordained right to move west toward the Pacific Ocean. It combined discourses of imperialism and freedom by claiming that it was the duty of the US as a Christian, democratic country to take over lands in the Southwest. Manifest Destiny was aggressive imperialism that created a greater need for slavery, oppressed natives, and lead to the Mexican-American War.
A vast majority of the history of the United States was marked by an age of expansionism. This era was particularly pronounced throughout the 19th century; such events may include the acquisition of Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and the annexation of Hawaii and purchase of Alaska, all of which are the hallmarks of U.S expansionism. The main motives were of a multitude and varied, but there is one particularly strong motivation in this conquest. The acquisition of economic opportunities was a common belief among many of the people of the U.S. and among its leaders. This idea fueled and garnered this idea of expansionism and directed the course of history in its conquest.
As America became a great power, it has continued its legacy of territorial expansionism through neo-imperialist policies. Aside from acquiring land and expanding American territory, the United States has established policies that have allowed direct and often indirect military and political control, economic exploitation, and the introduction of American ideals. The U.S. has justified this form of colonialism by claiming that it is for mutual economic pursuits, the spreading of democracy, and the establishment of stable governments in developing countries. Despite America’s noble causes, American imperialism has caused many repercussions. The United States should cease to be an imperialist power as it is economically damaging to countries under its rule, costly to America, violates the fundamental American principle of self-governance, and exacerbates social and political situations in countries America has tampered with.
A Change to Imperialism After the civil war, Americans remained surprisingly aloof to the outside world. Because America was struggling with many problems over Reconstruction, such as trying to maintain a steady flow in the economy and settle the West, many Americans weren’t very concerned with foreign affairs. There was a drastic shift, however, that made America change from isolationism to imperialism in the early 20th century. America made this drastic shift because it wanted to expand and gain prestige, convert people into one’s own beliefs (missionary zeal), and indulge itself in foreign affairs to aid its economy and marketing. With the control of the Panama Canal, America was then able to obtain its worldwide power.
During the 20th Century the United States was going through big changes. Imperialism was a big thing going on during this time. The US was imperialistic because it was constantly annexing new states and discovering new territories. After the Spanish-American war, the US acquired a few new territories, one of which being the Philippines. The annexation of the Philippines was a big debate in the USA during 1898.
United States Imperialism in the late 19th century was very selfish time. Many people in that time, debated about whether are not benefiting our country was the right way or the wrong way. The motiving factors that impacted our imperialism are economic, military, and cultural. These factors impacted the American Imperialism from 1890-194 by having control over weaker territories meeting our expanding needs.
Leading up American Imperialism was an era defined by change and monopolies. Prior to Imperialism was the Gilded Age. The Gilded Age was an era dominated by monopolies and “Titans of Industry” like JP Morgan with banking, Andrew Carnegie with steel, Cornelius Vanderbulit with railroad, and John Rockerfller with oil. Each of these men dominated their industry eventually creating a monopoly over them, they did this with the process of vertical/horizontal integration where companies would buy out their competitors then eventually all steps of their production process. There were many developments in the age of Imperialism however the biggest was the American shift from Isolationism to Interventionism.
The American Age of Imperialism was the time period that took place after the Gilded and Progressive Eras, as they emerged as a great power with new economic opportunities that resulted from those times. In the early 1900s, American Westward expansion had ended as the frontier was considered closed. However, Americans wanted more so they looked elsewhere for land. This is when they entered into imperialism when a country expands its policy through diplomatic or military means. To America, this meant taking control of small islands to the south considered inferior, expanding trade into Asia, and justifying with the belief racist supremacy belief that America is “saving” them.
Before the 20th century the United States was an isolationist nation but around the late 19th century America decided to convert into an imperialist power. They had numerous reasons to shift into being an imperialist nation. America didn’t want to begin imperializing to settle and live in the nations they were taking over, they already had America for that reason, they wanted to adopt these nations for what they had to offer, which was many things. America saw an opportunity to improving their nation and took it. Even if there were many causes for America to imperialize, three of them stood out the most.
Following the end of the Industrialist Era and the emergence of countless technological advancements, the United States entered the world stage. The United States was attempting to create an empire by expanding to land outside of its own borders in order to benefit the country’s economic interests. Many citizens, whose views were greatly influenced by their understandings of national identity, saw this overseas expansion in conflicting ways. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, these groups differed in their opinions on the idea of expansion due to either their wanting to remain a democratic country built on the ideals of freedom and liberty to preserve their sense of national identity, or their wanting to expand for economic reasons and nationalism. Imperialism, which is the extension of a country’s power and influence through expansion, began as early as the 17th century, when Britain colonized the New World in order to expand economically and gain natural resources for manufacturing.
And lastly the desire for a new frontier to settle in order to maintain America’s identity and prosperity. All three of the examples: economically, politically/military, and culturally can simply explain why and how America became an imperialist nation in the late
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