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Why Was America Not An Empire

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All throughout history, there has been stories and tales about the rise and falls of empires across the globe. These pivotal turning points in history have given rulers and different government officials an idea of how to run their country/empire. However, it is debated what defines an empire. That being said, when it comes to America, both sides have argued whether the country is or isn’t an empire.

In order to uncover whether America should or shouldn’t be considered an empire, one must uncover what defines an empire. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, an empire is “a major political unit having a territory of great extent or a number of territories or peoples under a single sovereign authority; especially : one having an emperor as chief of state”. Therefore, in order for America to be an empire it must have the following three traits: a major political unit, owns a number of territories, and said territories are under single sovereign authority. …show more content…

The legislative branch is made up of the House of Representatives (lower chamber) and the Senate (upper chamber). These two chambers are apart of Congress - which composes the legislature. The judicial branch explains laws and applies them. Lastly, the executive branch consists of the President, Vice President, Electoral College and the Cabinet members. While many may argue that the President is the solitary leader, however, the President is the head of state and head of government. This not only proves that America has a major political unit, but a complex one at that. While true that America is closer to being an empire, it is necessary to make sure that the country lines up with the other two

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The United States of America has never been anything but an empire. The first European settlers came to the land as a colony and even after gaining independence, did nothing but push west while murdering and displacing millions of natives. All that mattered was the country gaining and keeping power. The mindset of the American

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463 Words | 2 Pages

Rome conquered many of the countries around them. They conquered most of Europe and all around the mediterranean. The United states it much like that. They don’t necessarily want to expand, but they want to help everyone out. We think that we have the best army and can help everyone out.

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Even with all the technologies that America attains, they can still be compared to Rome. Cullen Murphy’s question is fair more so on the fact that previous American leaders used “republican political models” and the examples he used for America becoming a “principate”. There has been controversies over “personal freedom” and the government keeping secrets. I like how he brought up how Rome was “overwhelmed by the consequences of its own growing size and might”. America grown tremendously, not to mention their power.

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In 1776, colonists fought for independence and the right to self-government. Since then, America has stood for freedom and democracy all over the world. However, there have been instances where America was more empire than democracy. For example, during the Spanish-American war, the Americans used their strength to control the Philippines. The Americans helped free the Philippines from Spanish colonialism.

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Imperialism was a controversial idea that a nation can extend its power outward through means of diplomatic or military force. This often results in a shift of power from one major force currently in control to another. The people of that nation under control conflict may also experience wars, rebellions, or cultural destruction. Looking at some of these events, we see some positives and negatives of imperialistic action taken by the United States, and how it affected the nations imperialized by the United States. For starters, let’s look at Hawaii’s annexation.

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As America became a great power, it has continued its legacy of territorial expansionism through neo-imperialist policies. Aside from acquiring land and expanding American territory, the United States has established policies that have allowed direct and often indirect military and political control, economic exploitation, and the introduction of American ideals. The U.S. has justified this form of colonialism by claiming that it is for mutual economic pursuits, the spreading of democracy, and the establishment of stable governments in developing countries. Despite America’s noble causes, American imperialism has caused many repercussions. The United States should cease to be an imperialist power as it is economically damaging to countries under its rule, costly to America, violates the fundamental American principle of self-governance, and exacerbates social and political situations in countries America has tampered with.

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The US is commonly compared to the Roman Empire and the Roman state. If Machiavelli were alive to compare and contrast the two empires, I think that he would have much to say on the topic. Machiavelli asserts that there are two kinds of cities founded for two very different reasons (7). The first city prototype is an independent city that is founded and created in order to be run freely with autonomy. The second of the city types is the type that is founded for profit by another city.

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In the process, America had to shift their way of thinking, strengthen internally, and assert themselves into the same position as their former colonizer and competition, Britain. In order to imperialize,

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American dominance began when colonists broke away from Great Britain to form America. It has progressed by claiming foreign territories, winning the cold war, and winning two world wars. America started expanding as a superpower country and claiming territories all around the world. It also helped underdeveloped countries become modernized with the rest of the world. America displayed its vastly technological dominance in the Cold War while competing with Russia, but playing a big role in winning two world wars shows how America is the best country in the

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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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A tremendous amount of people wonder if America is trying to achieve world domination because of their involvement with the Middle East that is, however, a debatable and an unproven statement but it was especially true about a century ago during Theodore Roosevelt’s era. After the reparations done due to the civil war, Theodore Roosevelt strived to bring back American traditional values, that it, world expansion also known as manifest destiny. Theodore Roosevelt was an ingenious president whose aim was to make America an imperialistic nation and to colonise all the countries of the world. There is clear evidence that Roosevelt was trying to make America as a world superpower and he made it look like it was democracy even before Theodore Roosevelt’s

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Because America conceived as an empire in the 19th century, it justified action through the ideas of frontier spirit, manifest destiny and the uniqueness of America by spreading democracy,

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Following the end of the Industrialist Era and the emergence of countless technological advancements, the United States entered the world stage. The United States was attempting to create an empire by expanding to land outside of its own borders in order to benefit the country’s economic interests. Many citizens, whose views were greatly influenced by their understandings of national identity, saw this overseas expansion in conflicting ways. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, these groups differed in their opinions on the idea of expansion due to either their wanting to remain a democratic country built on the ideals of freedom and liberty to preserve their sense of national identity, or their wanting to expand for economic reasons and nationalism. Imperialism, which is the extension of a country’s power and influence through expansion, began as early as the 17th century, when Britain colonized the New World in order to expand economically and gain natural resources for manufacturing.

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 Absolutely, America has been been a powerful influence around the world for two hundred years.   Finally, does America have superior character, or has it stooped below what might be considered good character?   An argument can be made for either contention.

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The United States is looked at as a superpower that has lasted for hundreds of years, but this is a miniscule comparison to the Byzantine Empire, which lasted for almost 1100 years. Under Emperor Constantine, the Byzantine Empire flourished with an influx of trade and large amounts of efficacious conquest. The fortuitous location of the Byzantine Empire along with its military strategies and diplomatic policies facilitated its prosperity, while Western Europe was plunged into the Dark Ages by a plague of invaders, which led to Roman dominance of Eastern Europe throughout the middle Ages. Constantinople prospered greatly as a Mediterranean center of trade, religion, and culture due to its geographical blessing. “The city quickly rose in significance

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