When reflecting on the two fundamentally conflicting arguments -are foreigners better on their own or do they need our help? “American imperialism” comes to mind. This term denotes the economic, military, and cultural influence of the United States internationally. First propagated during the presidency of James K. Polk, the concept of empire-building in the America’s, developed throughout the late 1800th century. During this time, industrialization caused American capitalists to seek new global markets in which to sell their commodities. In addition, the increasing effect of social Darwinism led to the acceptance that America was superior to other countries and essentially responsible for bringing concepts such as industry, democracy, and Christianity to under-developed societies. The mixture of these attitudes along with other factors led the United States toward imperialism. …show more content…
As a result, American imperialism experienced its highpoints from the late 1800s through Post-World War II. During that time, the United States exercised political, social, and economic control over countries such as the Philippines, Cuba, Germany, Austria, Korea, and Japan. In this demonstration of power, America’s intervention in foreign affairs throughout the world had proven to have a cynical agenda rather than humanitarian