Imperialism drove the world, from the Roman Empire, to America in the early 1900’s. The US imperialized nations to give them peace, gain their natural resources, and protect them. But not all things imperialism are good. When the US imperialized some nations, it limited their ability to govern and protect themselves. But the US has more experience doing so in a modern world, and would ultimately benefit them. The world’s most powerful nations practiced imperialism, and in 1890, the US came to the board.
Peace is every nation's goal, no matter what they do, the end of the line is peace. Theodore Roosevelt, Former Assistant Secretary of the Navy, stated, “Fundamentally, the cause of expansion is the cause of peace”.(US Intervention in the Philippines)
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John Hay, A US Secretary, states “The policy of the government of the united states will bring about permanent peace…”. (US Intervention in China) The actions of the US will bring and keep peace to all of it’s allies and colonies. Because of us assistance, China is a global powerhouse today, with a great economy and plenty of trade. Not all nations, however, got only great benefits from American Imperialism.
Imperialism was beneficial to many nations, but not to all. Emilio Aguinaldo, a Central Filipino Committee Member, states “What would you do with our 9 million people? Would you permit us to take part in your elections?” (Emilio Aguinaldo’s letter to the American people) When the Philippines declared their independence from America, the US did not recognize it.But the Filipinos could have waited, and eventually become a state, similar to Hawaii, and they would have attained the guaranteed help and protection of the US.
After watching the other world powers practice imperialism, the US began its quest for colonies. The US was a great help to the other nations it imperialized, providing peace and defense, among other things, to them. US Imperialism might not have been positive for everyone, but the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. If the US hadn’t imperialised, the world would have different nations, and the US might not have become the power it is
At the turn of the 19th century, America presented the policy of imperialism and there was a ton of debate over the subject. Some say that imperialism would benefit America by increasing trade and help make this country more powerful. Others say that imperialism would be horrible for America because we are taking over countries without their permission and restricting their choice. The United States should adopt the policy of imperialism because it would help grow our country, increase trade, and help the economy.
In Alfred T. Mahan, The Interest of America in Sea Power, expresses that America must look outward to extend its influence. This shows that this was a departure from past expansionism because the U.S. wanted a political and economical status in the other country, they wanted to control trade. United States never really want to govern a country, they have always kept the idea of
Rooted in American exceptionalism, the idea that the United States is different from other countries due to its mission to spread liberty and democracy, America acquired territories like the Philippines. Many Americans accepted the ideology of the white man’s burden; an important factor in the decision to rule, rather than liberate the Philippines after the country was taken from Spain after the Spanish-American War. One of America’s notable examples of American imperialism was the annexation of Hawaii in 1898 which became a state later in 1959. Imperialism greatly effected many nations throughout the late 1800s and 1900s. As countries fought for more power and influence, it became one of the main reasons for WWI in the early 1900s.
Some Americans believed that the US should acquire the Philippines in order to save them from other countries, to help govern them, and of course, in order to expand and grow our country. Whereas others believed that America should leave the Philippines alone because they should be allowed to have independence, the same way America gained
Imperialism was a controversial idea that a nation can extend its power outward through means of diplomatic or military force. This often results in a shift of power from one major force currently in control to another. The people of that nation under control conflict may also experience wars, rebellions, or cultural destruction. Looking at some of these events, we see some positives and negatives of imperialistic action taken by the United States, and how it affected the nations imperialized by the United States. For starters, let’s look at Hawaii’s annexation.
The spirit of 1776 was independence and by annexing the Philippines the US took away the independence of the Philippines as well as the Filipino people. Taking away the independence of another colony/nation is hypocritical because it goes against the values of which the US was founded on. The Philippines should not have been annexed because the US could still profit from the Philippines without annexation. “It is not necessary to own people to trade with them,”(document D). The US did not profit from annexing the Philippines, trade wise, because they could still trade with them whether they were annexed into the US or not.
Imagine waking up one day and being forced to drop every custom and tradition you’ve ever known. This is what many countries had to endure when Americans decided it would be okay to imperialize them. Imperialism is the act of extending a country 's power and influence through diplomacy or military force. By the late 1800’s America started imperializing weaker countries. Americans were not justified in barging into weaker countries, and taking over for their own selfish gain.
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.
Why Imperialism Was Not Justified Many Americans and Europeans believe that there was many good reasons for imperialism. These people think this because they were the ones that benefited from it. In imperialism, the stronger countries took over the weaker countries and used them for their resources which improved their economy. Most also claim that they helped the countries they were imperializing, but the Europeans were actually hurting them. This led to the natives rebelling which arguably led to World War 1 later on.
American imperialism is economically, socially, and politically damaging to countries, as well as costly for America. Furthermore, it infringes upon national sovereignty and the right to self-governance. Historical cases have shown the detrimental repercussions America has repeatedly caused. The few cases of success should not undermine the calamitous effects American neo-imperialism has caused. The United States should cede its colonies and stop intervening in the affairs of other nations.
Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States, had said “No man is good enough to govern another man without the other’s consent.” Now picture one’s own home, city, and country being liberated from their past tyrannical rulers by the United States, which goes on to rule them with the same dictatorial hand. That is exactly what happened to the Philippines as the result of the Spanish-American War. The United States’ annexation of the Philippines was a very controversial act that took place in 1898, and it took a great amount of debate over whether it was a good or bad idea to annex it in the first place. This conquest was the result of the United States’ war with Spain, of which the Americans won with assistance from the Philippines.
Imperialism was motivated by, “political ambitions… Nation’s will to power… or glory or national greatness,” (Doc 3). Imperialism for many countries is caused to improve the nation’s overall power. Additionally, according to President Mckinley, the U.S.’s involvement of Imperialism in the Philippines, was due to the fact that, “They were unfit for self-government,”(Doc. 7). The U.S. believed that there was nothing else for them to do, but take them over.
Imperialism means that one country controls all political, economic, or cultural life in another country or region. Europe successfully did this in the Americas and established colonies in South Asia, Africa, and China. Although this would seem like a substantial amount of power, Europe did not gain much influence until later on. Once Europe recognized their own growing control, they embarked on what is now called the “New Imperialism”. Many components played into this seemingly rapid success, but one significant reason was that of the
What is imperialism? Imperialism is an approach to expand a nation’s power and their influences over other lands. Empires would look for expansion in their rule over other countries like Africa, Asia, and the Middle East starting in the 1870s and continued until 1914. But, was Imperialism beneficial for developing nations? Imperialism benefited developing nations from the positive aspects of technological advancements, economic gain, and political power.
Cindy you bring up great points. I too feel that imperialism has helped many individuals become more civilized. Imperialism allowed for furthering education, economic growth, and the list continues. There has been many benefits when it comes to imperialism. According to Brower, D., & Sanders, T (2014) "Nineteenth-century Western empires shared important characteristics unique to the age of new imperialism.