American Isolationism Essay

In the early 1800's the United States took up the intentions of isolationism. Isolationism is the non involvement in world affairs, the United States used as a strategy of protection and defense. On December 2, 1823, James Monroe gave a speech on the Monroe Doctrine which settled that America would not allow European nations to invade any U. S. territory. The U.S. did not start off as a strong military force, that is why isolationism worked at the time. At the time it worked for the safety of the nation, but later it would only hurt them because they then became a target. Germany was the one that brought America out of their neutral state. During this time they did not even wish to expand beyond their own land. Their focus was on their western land.

Since George Washington’s presidency, the United Stated has declared itself an “isolationist” nation, in which they avoided any sort of foreign affairs with other countries. But can America ever be an isolationist country with the many conflicts with its long time rivals in Europe? Before America had authority in the world, stronger nations such as Great Britain, France, and other European powers had already established and expanded their powers abroad. It was not until the late 1800’s and early 1900’s that the U.S. started to gain in strength. This was the period that in American history which they tremendously expanded their influence to other, smaller, parts in the Western Hemisphere. But America was already an imperialist power beforehand, just not internationally, as evident in the Manifest Destiny where America was “chosen” to expand westward. The Spanish-American war proved to be one of the early examples of American involvement in international affairs, which they partook in the liberation of the Caribbean, Philippines, and Guam. Also their involvement with China and the succeeded lands from Spain also sparked relations with the world in which regulations were enacted, such as the open door policy in China, which made it more accessible to trade and keep European powers in check. The U.S. involvements in WWI also enhanced its involvement in international affairs and would lead America to further develop.

The United States wanted to stay as far away from war as possible. It learned its lesson from World War I. When World War I erupted in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson pledged neutrality for the United States, a position that the clear majority of Americans favored. But can you truly isolate a country from war? With allies, and political ties, can it truly be done? No, it can’t. To prevent an arms race that could lead to another world war, America signed several disarmament treaties to limit the size of naval fleets among Britain, France, Italy, Japan, and the United States. It also wanted to avoid any involvement in European or Asian affairs. Isolationism was America’s way of trying to stay safe.

The Isolationist policy in the United States is more seen in the twentieth century with the outcome of the second World War. Hemispherism is a term that could be used to describe the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries because it was a time when the United States wanted complete opposite from the Old World to the New World. In George Washington’s Farewell Address, he told America to refrain from alliances. He realized that America was in a vulnerable state and was too weak to participate in the European power game. Washington thought the most useful option for the United States was to stay neutral so we could gain strength and be able to fight in war. As hemispherism was born and the United States rejected the structure of power that existed in

The First World War began when Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was assassinated by the Black Hand in Bosnia. Initially, the United States was not involved in the war. However, their practice of isolationism shifted before, during, and after the war. Following the German attacks on three American vessels in March of 1917 and other provocations, the U.S. stopped their practice of Isolationism and declared war. When the war ended, the United States rejected the Treaty of Versailles, which included the binding League of Nations, and returned to its previous isolated state.

At the turn of the century, and after gaining our independence, the United States land mass more than doubled through the use of purchasing, annexing, and war. However, the foreign policy of our government took a predominately isolationist stand. This was a national policy of abstaining from political or economic relations with other countries. General Washington shaped these values by upholding and encouraging the use of these principles by warning to avoid alliances in his farewell speech. The reasoning behind these actions was that the Republic was a new nation. We did not have the resources or the means to worry about other

During the era of American Imperialism, a strong desire to further “ambitious designs on global power through military might, territorial expansion, and economic influence” (The American Yawp, “American Empire”) flooded the people and the government’s attention. Increasing the size of the nation with oversea lands created new resources, assisted industries with the formation of new markets, and permitted the creation of tactical military bases. Due to the prospective benefits of expansion, “the U.S. would become increasingly involved in international politics, particularly in Latin America” (The American Yawp, “American Empire”). Once initiated, the action of conquering foreign lands by “projecting America’s power across the oceans” (The American Yawp, “American Empire”) spread to territories such as Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Philippines, despite the fact that these areas were already established by foreign rule.

The US was always isolationist country.They was always trying to stay away from foreign affairs.I understand because US had lots of problems during Great Depression and stock market..But US stopped to be considered an isolated nation when the Japan attacked on Pearl Harbor,Because US had to do somenthing about it.

Also, Social Darwinism had been a huge influence to many Americans, which led them to believe that the United States had a responsiblity to bring industrialization and democracy to less developed nations. Many American leaders, such as Theodore Roosevelt, thought that the ticket and key tool for imperialism would be a powerful naval presence, his, “big stick” that would rival any great European power. Through necessity of resources and war with Spain, the United States would free Cuba, annex Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines. Annexation had a pronounced affect on the citizens of those countries, more so in the Philippines. As we know the United States engaged in imperialism to promote their influence of democracy to new parts of the world. The United States believed they had a responsible to police the Western Hemisphere, but the United States’ decision to engage in imperialism was much more than

(Kaufman, pg 17). Isolationism’s key ideals are to resist conflicts and not get involved with other countries, and to stay cut off from the rest of the world. Although there has been times of isolationist sentiments, namely in the years following the Revolutionary War, it is incorrect to say that the United States was completely isolated because they have always, since colonial times participated in intercontinental commerce. They however stayed politically distant in that time period. Therefore these three values connect in this way:

His desire for an isolated nation defined the development of American politics for decades to come. It has been largely debated whether or not the U.S truly harbored a desire for isolationism. This is due to the fluctuation of American foreign policy throughout history. However, between 1783 and 1861, U.S

The United States believed in the idea of isolationism, but with the “Great War” taking place in Europe it was tough for them to be as such. One way which shows that the United States was not isolated was the fact that they were trading with the European powers that were engaged in the war. If the United States were to be truly isolationists, they would have attempted to not trade with any other nations and would have tried to self-sustain themselves as a nation. Even before World War One took place, the United States could have not been involved whatsoever with Europe, but since the nations industries had produced more than most people in America could buy, they had to go out and open trade with nations around the world. Since European

Throughout history, larger powers have bullied smaller, younger, and weaker states to test their resolve. For example, Sparta picked on Athens in ancient Greece, and Russia tested President Kennedy during the Cuban missile crisis. This was the same case in America in 1812. England picked on America by taking her ships, impressing American sailors into the English army, and giving guns to the Indians. These actions blocked American citizens from enriching and expanding the young nation. In Washington’s farewell address, he tried to persuade future presidents to keep the United States in isolationism, defined as “ a policy of avoiding political or military agreements with other countries” (Hart 163). President Madison was justified in

Throughout this period, the United States had undergone an isolationism. They wanted to stray away from the ongoing European conflicts. Unfortunately, their isolationist tactic did not last for long, as the United States, was soon dragged into the war.

In their book American Foreign Policy since World War 2, Steven W. Hook, and John Spanier take a historical look at American foreign policy. Since its independence, all through to the start of the 20th century, the United States had a policy of detachment. This was rooted in the believe that Europe, the only other meaningful powerful in the world in the 18th and 19th century, had intrinsic issues related to feudism that kept the continent in a constant state of war (Hook & Spanier, 2015). The U.S on its part was far away from Europe and had a unique chance to chart a different course, one free from the troubles of Europe. As a democracy free from the class systems of Europe and hence maintain peace and stability (Hook & Spanier, 2015). To maintain this peace and stability, it was in the United States interests to maintain detachment from Europe. In fact, Monroe wrote that Europe and its flawed system was evil and America should strive as much as possible to stay away from it (Hook & Spanier, 2015). However, in the 20th century, this policy of detachment was put to the test when the United States was drawn into the first and second world wars by external factors. This led the United States to get more engaged in global affairs. The idea behind engagement was to promote the ideals of democracy which, the U.S believed were the pillars of peace, as well as to protect itself from aggressors like Japan in the Second World War. After the