Smith 1 Jessica Smith Mr. Dearie AP U.S. History February 5, 15 Imperialism DBQ By 1901, the U.S. acquired exceptional overseas control, the title of a world power, and the third-largest navy in the world. These accomplishments were all mainly because of the current imperialistic philosophies of the age. This caused expansion, colonization, and fierce competition between countries like France, Japan, Britain, and Germany. However, the U.S. was not unaccustomed to these practices. Their expansionism was clearly an extension of previous expansionism with new political and economic influences. Although some things may have changed, the basis of expansionism remained the same. American imperialism demonstrated the same social and cultural reasons for past expansion. Manifest Destiny always drove the Americans by the belief that they were destined by …show more content…
America now longed to be known as a world power, which included the competition for foreign territory Alfred T. Mahan explained through his 1899 book The Interest of America in Sea Power, that America needed to acquire more land that would help our economy and keep the other world powers away from these lands. Theodore Roosevelt and Henry Cabot Lodge responded by the Spanish-American war to gain new lands. Roosevelt demanded that they take Manila Bay from the Philippine territory. As president, in 1904 Roosevelt stated in his Annual Message to Congress that the duty of the U.S. was to protect the lesser countries’ stability and peace. America was to be known as the “police” of the world that would also control Latin America as well. This can be seen as a new advancement because previously the U.S. only spread its territory but remained left out of foreign affairs. This new political interest in foreign affairs therefore changed the actions of the U.S. and allowed for more foreign territory to be