Early 20th Century American Imperialism

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 country. Throughout the years, America has had a tendency to take over other people 's land. Authors like Frederick Jackson Turner, Alfred Thayer Mahan, Albert J. Beveridge, Mark Twain, and William James all distinctive perspectives on U.S expansion and imperialism at the turn of the 20th century.

With the late 19th century came a great change in the ideas of expansionism in the United States, but also a continuation of its ideals. The idea of imperialism, where the United States would extend its power around the globe, stood in contrast with the original Manifest Destiny ideal of the 1840s and 1850s when America was expanding west from ‘sea to shining sea.’ However, the inherent social and cultural sentiments were still present in the late 19th century expansionism, though the economic and political purposes had changed.

The effects of imperialism during the late 1800s had been either the means of ruins of a society or the very means of success for a country. Due to the advanced technology, countries manipulated their new found power to the greatest potential. If not all, many industrialized countries expanded their rule over to foreign lands. As imperialism occurs within a country, the natives have the option to follow the new rulers or get destroyed. With inferior technology only such choice will result for the weaker nations. As imperialism continues throughout the early 1900s, nothing is resolved. Imperialist powers continues to depleted the foreign lands of the raw materials and colonized people will continue to suffer.

America should not have been the policemen of the Western Hemisphere during the early 1900s. During the 1900s imperialism was a big factor. Imperialism is a policy of extending a country’s power and influence through diplomacy or military force. During this time America was trying to be the policemen and it created a lot of downfalls.

Why was the United States interested in expansion in these areas? Why was America building a global empire? The America Imperial aimed at the extension of political, economic, and cultural control nation boundaries that were weak. I was four ways for it to be accomplished by military conquest; by treaty or simply lending money to a weak country or recipient country that are unable to pay. The United States engaged these activities to get higher authority. They required a good will and good retentions and expand markets through out the east and west hemisphere. But, was not efficient enough to be successful because, of the intervention they had caused among the affected countries caused by resentment and bitterness. “Imperialism grew in America because of three major reasons- the first reasons are economic interests, the second reasons are military interests, and the last reason is cultural superiority. If we hadn't become an imperialist nation, then we would have never gotten the islands of Hawaii or Alaska. We also helped the Cubans and Philippines to gain their freedom and got Puerto Rico as a territory too. Imperialism was a much better foreign policy than the Monroe Doctrine.”

Imperialism Throughout the years of 1800-1914, Imperialism impacted many regions. The regions were Southeast Asia, Africa, India, Latin America, and Japan. Imperialism is, “the extension of a nation’s power over other lands.” In other words, it when a country gains power by taking over other countries because of their weaknesses.

This part of the story began, not in the Americas, nor in Europe, but in the Middle East. Carrying the message of the new prophet Mohammed out of the Arabian Peninsula, Muslims began making major inroads into western Asia and northern Africa in the seventh century, eventually encroaching on Europe’s southern and eastern frontiers. In 1095, Pope Urban II responded to a request for aid from the Byzantine emperor, whose dominions were under attack by Muslim invaders, launching the era of the Crusades. For two centuries, European-based Christians battled with Muslims in the Holy Lands and elsewhere. For the elite classes who engaged in crusading, provincialism died away, replaced by new information and contacts in the wider world. Soon Europeans would begin turning this new knowledge and these new tools against the people from whom they were appropriated.

The US, for most of it’s history had an isolationist tendency. Part of which stemmed from being physically separated from other nations by two oceans and the rest came from tradition. Washington set a precedent for foreign policy with his farewell address which called the nation to “abstain from foreign entanglements, avoid large naval commitments and expenditures, and refrain from absorbing peoples of ¬¬alien race and tradition” (The National Experience, 1993). Washington’s advice would be mostly abandoned in favor of economic and political pursuits, but similar xenophobic trends would present themselves in immigration policy; the successful growth of American Imperialism can ultimately be linked to the might of the United States’ navy and military might, to quote Alfred T. Mahan “Whoever rules the waves rules the world.”

In the latter half of the nineteenth century -1890’s- there were many economic, political, and social changes due to the gaining of territories during this time. The Age of Expansionism saw several factories coincide to account for American’s desire to pursue an Imperial policy. In the years that followed the Civil War the economy of the United States expanded rapidly. The Civil War briefly froze the Industrial Revolution, which began roughly around 1815, but the end of the conflict allowed the nation to finish the development of Industrialization. The kind of expansion that occurred during Expansionism was called Imperialism. Imperialism is the policy of acquiring dependent territories or extending a country's influence through foreign trade.

The U.S is undeniably the greatest empire in world history, in terms of both control and actual expansion of territory. This conclusion is found in the greatest annals of evidence known to literate man: History. In analyzing the history of the American continent post American Revolution, one can clearly conclude the tendrils of Imperialism in American culture. From such events as Western Expansion and the Mexican American war to the establishment of Banana Republics and overthrow of socialist governments in South America, the claim of the U.S being a gloriously successful empire is substantiated. Before such evidence however, one must historically ask oneself, “ What is an empire?”, and for the purposes of this work, it is defined as such:

In the mid 1900s the world experienced a major change, no more was there a war between two major nations, rather the threat of war between the Soviet Union and the United States, a conflict that always threatened to boil over. Within this tug of war of power, nations broke free from their imperialistic ties, and became individual entities. Southeastern Asia was very much influenced by imperialism, with the Dutch controlling Indonesia, the French controlling Cambodia, and the British presence in Thailand. The cold war was a dissolving factor of imperialism and once these countries gained freedom, without the support of the countries controlling them, they inevitably fell into poverty. The first challenge critical to any country’s success would

Imperialism, through forceful means, opened up new ways and countries to trade with. Although the ways the US used to become more powerful were wrong, if America hadn't abused other countries like it did, the country we know today would not be nearly as

A new European race for imperial possessions began during the last quarter of the nineteenth century because Great Britain, France and Germany divided the land of Africa and some of Asia for themselves. The possession of these colonies gave these countries an increase in their military and economic power over other countries. Eventually failing at gaining more colonies, started being known as a national decadence. This is where Social Darwinism comes into play; countries that haven’t acquired more land were seen as losing at survival. By the end of the century, United States and Japan had then become a part of imperialist powers by winning over Russia. This of course had started tension amongst the powers.

According to Charley Reese, “ the truth is that neither British nor American imperialism was or is idealistic. It has always been driven by economic or strategic interests.” The United States got involved in imperialism because we felt that taking over land would give us new sources of raw materials. It would also open up new markets to sell food. Secondly, the United States thought they were superior to other countries. They wanted to spread their beliefs to other countries to “help” them; to teach them about their democracy and christianity. Lastly, they craved military power. By taking over other countries America was enhancing our Navy by building bases around the world. The United States got involved imperialism for

America in the late nineteenth century, experienced a period of radical imperial expansion. This was due to a multitude of reasons. In 1890, the Census Bureau announced that the western frontier had ended, this limited the American ideal of venturing and escaping civilisation for a dangerous and adventurous conquest for land and a new life. Due to the end of the frontier, the romance of the West ended with it. This caused a lot of psychological stress to many American citizens that their dreams were diminished. Another reason for imperialistic expansion was due to the increase in population, wealth and industrial production; this made many Americans believed they had to expand or explode. These ties with economic incentives allowed the political