American Imperialism Essay

After the civil war, United States took a turn that led them to solidify as the world power. From the late 1800s, as the US began to collect power through Cuba, Hawaii, and the Philippines, debate arose among historians about American imperialism and its behavior. Historians such as William A. Williams, Arthur Schlesinger, and Stephen Kinzer provides their own vision and how America ought to be through ideas centered around economics, power, and racial superiority.

European imperialism during 1450-1750, began as a plan to gain more riches for the European nations. The Europeans did this for three main reasons, which were for God, Gold, and Glory. The Europeans domination over Latin America, Africa and Asia were made out to be good for the native people of these lands. However, the Europeans were not there to help these geographic areas. They were there to spread their influence and gain riches for themselves and the European nations. The successes and failures of the Europeans and non Europeans would decide their relationship status for as long as they could co-exist.

Imperialism was a time period in which more developed nations colonized less developed nations. The developed nations took advantage of the less developed nations resources, people, lands, and much more. Many countries lost their freedom and independence due to imperialism, however, they also received new technologies and innovations.

I think that American imperialism was partly a success but mostly a failure. It was sort of a success because America was able to expand and take over many nations to have more land which was the goal, but it was also a failure because after gaining domination in many nations, the U.S. was unable to meet the amount of responsibility it required to take care of all the land. The struggles that America faced in taking care of the nation were shared in a poem written by Rudyard Kipling titled “The White Man’s Burden”1 and I believe that the poem is a good example of how imperialism did work but how it was regretted by America. It also failed because it went against the constitution, created hostility between nations, and it destroyed lasting cultures and promoted the idea of Americans being superior.

Conquering this new foreign land was the plan for English settlers that sailed here and landed on to the eastern coast of America. After many years had passed, John O 'Sullivan, a democratic leader, named this progressive movement Manifest destiny in 1845. The term Manifest Destiny originated in the 1840s. It expressed the belief that it was US Americans mission to expand their civilization and institutions across the breadth of North America. Manifest Destiny wasn’t just an idea to have all the land from one ocean to another. It was a cause every man, woman, and child believed in, if you were from the America. Most Americans truly believed that Manifest Destiny was god’s plan that we as Americans will conquer this land and make it our home. It was one of Americas great causes that everyone could support and help achieve. This movement inspired thousands of the U.S. eastern settlers to travel westward. While the idea of moving to western America was in everyone’s mind, there were many events that occurred such as: The Mexican-American war, the gold rush, and how the civil war. These events helped morph and shape our country into what it is today.

American Imperialism became relevant in the United States government and has influenced American foreign policies. American Imperialism has effected the foreign policies in a negative way for both Americans and the countries who agree to our policies.

In 1910, Europe was the city that rested upon a hill. It was home to countries that

6. Nationalism can be both a unifying and disunifying force in many different ways. One way nationalism was a unifying force was that it brought people together who were not loyal to the king and did not want him to rule. Many of these people we known as liberals and radicals. Since they were not loyal to their kings they were instead loyal to their people or to those that they shared a common bond with. Nationalism was also able to unify masses of people. Specifically nationalism was able to unify the country of Italy when nationalist in Italy had looked for leadership form from the largest and most powerful kingdom in the Italian states, Piedmont-Sardinia. Another country that was also unified by nationalism in the mid-1800's was the country

From: Romesh Dutt, The Economic History of India Under Early British Rule Englishmen…have given the people of India the greatest human blessing – peace. They have introduced Western education. This has brought an ancient and civilized nation in touch with modern thought, modern sciences and modern life. They have built an administration that is strong and efficient. They have framed wise laws and have established courts of justice.

Imperialism is "the creation and maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationship, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination.” (Johnston 375) By the 1890s, many Americans leaders started to have new attitude towards imperialistic adventures abroad. There were numerous reasons for the U.S. to turn to Imperialism at the end of the 19th century, mainly the economic, political, strategic, and humanitarian motives.

American Imperialism has been a part of United States history ever since the American Revolution. Imperialism is the practice by which large, powerful nations seek to expand and maintain control or influence on a weaker nation. Throughout the years, America has had a tendency to take over other people's land. America had its first taste of Imperialistic nature back when Columbus came to America almost five hundred years ago. He fought the inhabitants with no respect for their former way of life, took their land, and proceeded to enslave many of these Native Americans. The impact of the 1820's and 1830's on American Imperialism is undeniable. Although the military power was not fully there during this time period, their ideals and foreign

What is American Imperialism? It is the influences that the United States makes on other countries. Some of the influences are economics, military, and culture. Expansionism is conquering those countries and taking over the land. Without imperialism and expansionism, our county would not be as big and productive as it is in today 's society.

As of today, the United States of America is considered the largest global force in the history of the world. From their humble beginnings, America has made a large comeback, from surviving under the British rule, to becoming an independent and successful country that other nations look up to. However, ever since ancient times, even the most powerful empires have always had their problems, which eventually led to their downfall. For instance, various empires that were at the height of their time, including Rome, the Chinese, and the Abbasid, have always fell, and not one has survived to this day. However, what has not been taken into account is that this could happen to the “Empire” of America. Currently, the U.S. has been involved in multiple

In the 20th Century, the strongest case that could be made for the U.S. as a democratic beacon rather than an imperialist capitalist juggernaut is it participation in the world wars that prevented Germany from controlling Europe an authoritarian Germany in the First World War and Nazi Germany in the Second. To be sure, the genocidal crimes of the Third Reich were qualitatively and quantitatively worse than those of any imperial power in 1914-18, but after both world wars the U.S. did play an important part in establishing and supporting democratic governments in Europe. Its leaders like Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman expressly claimed that the U.S. was not an imperial power in the classical sense and this was partially correct. In the developing world or the so-called 'Third World', however, the countries that were mostly colonies up until the 1940s and 1960s, it has more of a mixed record. From 1898 to 1933, American interventionism in Asia and Latin America was often overt and direct, simply landing troops on the shores of some prospective banana republic and installing a 'friendly' government there.

     Throughout American History the U.S. has sought to expand its boundaries. This need increased greatly during the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century with the start of the industrial revolution. This Expansion was a big departure from earlier attempts to expand the boundaries of the U.S. The needed for Natural resources forced the U.S to look for places that could supply them with the natural resources they needed and markets where they could sell their goods in. The need to imperialize caused the U.S. to look to foreign places to gain resources to better the nations industries.