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Imperialism Dbq Analysis

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In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the United States began to grow into an empire. Within the United States, policies of both expansionism, the policy of territorial or economic expansion, and imperialism, the policy of placing a nation under the political, military, or economic control of another nation, were considered. The United States’ first large step toward an empire came with the Spanish American War, a war fought because the United States wanted to buy Cuba from Spain during the Cuban revolution. However, after the war, the United States did not gain Cuba. Instead, it later gained Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines from Spain, beginning the process of turning the United States into an imperialist power. The United …show more content…

Cooper, argues that overseas expansion is positive because it will unite Americans around a common cause, helping to bring whites and blacks together. Cooper’s purpose in Document 1 is to promote expansionism as a way to unite Americans and to create a more unified culture in America. Cooper’s purpose is significant because it supports overseas expansion because of expansion’s domestic cultural benefits: overseas expansion will create a more unified United States. Document 3 also supports overseas expansion because of its potential social impacts. In it, President William McKinley argues that overseas expansion will be culturally beneficial to the Philippines because it will educate and Christianize Filipinos, improving Filipino culture. McKinley’s point of view is that of a white, powerful president attempting to shape public opinion. McKinley’s point of view is significant because it reveals that the upper echelons of American society supported expansionism not only because of its potential economic benefits but also because of its cultural implications. Document 5 corroborates with Document 3. In it, Theodore Roosevelt argues that the United States must control the Philippines because the …show more content…

Document 7 is an image of an eagle stretching itself to reach the Philippines, Panama, and Puerto Rico, all areas where the United States expanded. The Document is captioned “this is an awful stretch”, indicating that expansionism will stretch the United States to its breaking point, ruining it. Document 2 also exhibits concern for the United States if expansionism is promoted. It is from a speech by William Graham Sumner in which he argued that expansionism will ruin the American concept of liberty by denying conquered people liberty. The context of Sumner’s speech was a period of United States expansion into new territories as well as limitations of the rights of the citizens of these new territories. The context of Sumner’s speech is significant because it highlights the real threats to democracy and liberty that occurred as a result of expansionism. Expansionism denied people their rights, opponents voiced well founded concerns over its impacts on the essence of America. Document 4 voices concerns over expansionist war and its impacts on Americans. In document 4, the author, Jane Addams, states that expansionism will promote war and violence, destroying America in the process. Addams purpose is to highlight the darker potential social impacts of overseas expansion. Her purpose is significant because it reveals that not all potential

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588 Words | 3 Pages

Separate countries trade with each other without having to be annexed in another country, so the US took away the Philippines independence and they did not truly profit. In the end, Annexing the Philippines to profit from trade was

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121 Words | 1 Pages

Imperialism, as an irrevocable phenomenon, facilitated the expansionism, conflicting interests, intense nationalism, and seething competition that enveloped the European continent at the beginning of the 20th century. Characteristic of the movement, imperialism fostered policies of colonial expansion and conquest, exemplified by the evidence of Source B. The German imperialistic career, beginning after the events of the Franco-German War in 1884, swallowed almost a million square miles and governed an additional 14 million people; the French Empire, after a revival of ‘the old colonial spirit’ conquered an area of over 3.5 million square miles and brought under its protection over 37 million indigenous peoples of these colonies; Italian, Russian,

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1139 Words | 5 Pages

He had promoted a new kind of diplomacy, which aided the US in becoming a world power, it had been named “big stick” diplomacy. Through this diplomacy the president would rely on his military to help America reach its goals in Latin America. Theodore Roosevelt felt that it was the responsibility of the United States to uplift these weaker nations into civilized ones. With his new diplomacy at hand, Theodore had looked to the country of Panama to finish the Panama Canal. Before building the canal, the US had to aid Panama and liberate it from Colombia’s rule.

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447 Words | 2 Pages

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.

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649 Words | 3 Pages

The Spanish American War was a major turning point in the foreign policy since modern warfare changed things drastically. The wa also gave the United States the Phillippines, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Guam, which therefore expanded the United States in the world. Also, with William McKinley as president he pushed for expansion, involving American in the territoral quest for more land. This brought the United States farther into world issues, expanding foreign policy.

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1155 Words | 5 Pages

James K. Polk and the Expansionist Impulse by Sam W. Haynes Haynes’ biography of James K. Polk is a little bit different from the traditional biographical book with enumeration of important dates from life of historical figure. Instead the author takes different approach: while recounting development of Polk’s career, he looks at the Polk’s presidency through the lens of expansionism. Though he frames the 11th President as a strong adherent of aggressive territorial expansionism, Haynes also emphasises that Polk’s decisions cannot be separated from the political and social climate of his time. The author renders Polk from one side as the initiator of expansionists political moves, and from the other, as a product of contemporary social beliefs,

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1007 Words | 5 Pages

When America, as we know it today, was created, it had just freed itself from an unwanted, suffocating European power. The people wanted nothing to do with foreign affairs and their presidents’ policies reflected that. As America moved forward and established themselves as a world power, they began to want more. At the turn of the twentieth century, this want for more hit its peak and because of other circumstances, more was just within reach. America had always prided themselves in staying out of foreign problems and focusing inward, but now a new age was dawning.

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374 Words | 2 Pages

William McKinley in his thoughts on American Expansionism has identified the reasons why America had no other choice but to incorporate Philippines as a part of it. This writing has been lifted from the excerpts of an interview with William McKinley soon after Spain had surrendered in the Spanish-American war. McKinley cleverly talks in this interview about how Philippines just came and fell into the laps of America thereby suggesting the helpless stance of America. He talks about how America’s sole intention and purpose had only been to safeguard its own interests as a country. He had to order that the Spanish fleets in Manila be destroyed because if left unattended, they would have crossed the Pacific and wreaked havoc in the American states

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900 Words | 4 Pages

Their efforts were not successful on a large scale because of the great momentum the movement had taken up in the end of the 19th century. The political cartoonist Thomas Nast, renowned for exposing the infamous misdeeds of Boss Tweed, created the cartoon depicted in Document A. It shows the great powers England, Germany, and Russia divvying up the world into their spoils bags, which parodies imperialism and shows its viewed immorality. Nast’s drawing is an attempt to detach the United States from similarities to the expansionist nations by showing the injustice of their actions. More blatant in desire against expansionism and imperialism was the American Anti-Imperialist league, who attempted to dissuade the Americans from continuing to pursue overseas ventures, especially in the Philippines.

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744 Words | 3 Pages

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.

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825 Words | 4 Pages

The Monroe Doctrine was a speech given in 1823 by James Monroe, the 5th president of the United States, to the U.S. Congress concerning European presence in the Western Hemisphere. Monroe was becoming continuously concerned about European influence in the region. While the primary audience for this message was Congress, the intended audience was all European powers, including Russia, and Latin America. The events in Latin America before and after the Spanish-American War will be used as an example of the imperial reach by the U.S. The United States, ironically, became an imperial power through its mission outlined in the Monroe Doctrine to end European colonialism and imperialism.

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813 Words | 4 Pages

Imperialism is a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force. It is a great way to strengthen the economy and gain power and territory for countries that practice it, though it often failed and resulted in war and the deaths of innocents. Four intellectuals that played a big part in influencing American imperialism were Frederick Jackson Turner, Alfred T. Mahan, Herbert Spencer and John Fisk. All of these influencers had different ideologies and came together to justify American imperialism. They believed America needed to expand power and gain territories.

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928 Words | 4 Pages

There were many important causes and effects of the Spanish American War. In the 1880’s the U.S. wanted to achieve manifest destiny and so they expanded out west and took control over the Native Americans. There were four different motives that the United States could’ve used to imperialize: political and military interest and economic interest were mostly with trading. Humanitarian and religious interest, to help those that you have allied with or to spread religion and the rich help those who were “under privileged.” Lastly, social darwinism, the idea that you are superior than someone else.

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1423 Words | 6 Pages

During this time the United States set in place islands that were never intended to be more than colonies in the first place. There was so much interest placed in areas further than the boundaries of the United States. Americans believed it was quite necessary to expand outwards, allowing them to give Natives guidance. The United States persuaded an expansionist foreign policy shortly after the Civil War.

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718 Words | 3 Pages

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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