Cuba In The 19th Century Essay

858 Words4 Pages

The end of the 1800s marked a turning point in the United States’ engagement on an international level. The United States, a nation previously known to follow the isolationist ideas of George Washington, now started to expand both militarily, and economically. As a result of this expansion came new ideas, and political decisions to be made. A nation previously centered upon self-preservation now turned to the international sphere for the resources to support its exponential population growth. With this change in foreign policy came new challenges, most namely, how the US would address human rights and civil violations across the globe. While the United States was known for exporting many goods, the most important thing it exported was no longer …show more content…

Cuba, a country where civil injustice thrived, provided the perfect place to exhibit Americanism. By engaging in the war the United States took an official stance on civil liberty in the global sphere. After the sinking of the Maine, America saw the perfect time to take action. The United States empathized with the issues Cuba had dealt with, remembering their own struggles during the revolutionary war, and, by creating a global democratic presence, The United States was able to form alliances and could continue to trade with Cuba. The incentive to decrease isolationism grew as the Spanish continued to decrease the Cuban’s rights. Kipling illustrates the democratic responsibility the United States held writing “Take up the White Man's burden--No tawdry rule of kings, But toil of serf and sweeper--The tale of common things.” He says that instead of dictatorship or monarchy, the responsibility of the United States should be to promote an equal government. This is exactly the logic behind US engagement with Cuba. Document 3 shows the push for the American imperialist machine, projecting liberty and power on a global scale. This picture shows the wide reach of influence America grew to have as a result of the Spanish-American war. By engaging in the war, America put itself on the roadmap of international