Pros And Cons Of American Imperialism

In Ecological Imperialism, Alfred Crosby discusses how European species impacted the indigenous flora and fauna of regions settled by European settlers. The most drastic changes were experienced by North America and Australia. Species such as horses, cattle, and pigs had a prodigious effect not only on the ecosystems they spread to, but upon the livelihoods of indigenous populations. Weeds, fruit-trees, and of course various cash crops would find a home in both continents. Domesticated European animals reproduced rapidly, given the ability to run free on vast terrain that held copious amounts of food. Native species struggled to compete and withstand the drain of resources taken by the newly introduced European species, mirroring the Indigenous

The successful introduction of European plants, animals, and humans to North America and Australia–both continents that were perceived as having highly successful colonies that were debatably easy to subjugate–helped to feed into the economic productivity of the British Empire. These colonies were known for their agricultural productivity, which spanned over a large expanse of land. The extensive farming–rather than the intensive farming found in places like Asia–allowed these settler colonies a significant surplus which could be sold and traded across the world (Crosby, p. 4). Such agricultural practices freed European soil to be used for factories, turning the raw materials imported from the settler colonies into manufactured goods. However, European species could become almost as much of a menace to the Europeans as they did to Indigenous peoples and species. The Brumbies of Australia or American mustangs, wild cattle, wild pigs, rabbits, and notably rats–could not always be controlled–to the point authorities would reward those who captured or slaughtered these animals. The consequences included leading astray what animals were owned by farmers, taking up land and resources, consuming food stores, sustaining Indigenous populations, and causing human injuries or lives. All of these animals still roam North America and Australia, even if only in small

All non-European species were subject to being exploited and used for imperial gain. However, there is one noticeable difference regarding European perceptions of native animal and plant species, and various human ‘races.’ While it is true that many Native plant species would be used for consumption and domesticated, they were not subjected to the same idea of ‘progress’ that Indigenous people were. In the 19th century, the concept of progress would be used to institutionalize inequality and justify imperialism. When Europeans set out to scientifically define race, it reinforced the concept of inequality and hierarchy, and set the white man at the top of the pyramid. It became the ‘white man’s burden’ to bring other races forward–as they were seen as both evolutionarily and socially behind Europeans, especially Western