Imperialism : A Vital Goal And Factor

What were some of the political, economic, social, intellectual, and military factors that explained the sudden increase in the pace and importance of European imperialism in the late 19c? The essential impetus was the Industrial Revolution which led to a search for (and control of) sources of raw materials and captive markets to sell manufactured goods, and become a world power with the most colonies and most money.

As seen through Progressivism, the corruptions of large industries were exposed to the Commonwealth. Progressivisms brought out a true change to how America began to function, and through this purification, the United States began to focus on one main objective: international affairs. As the U.S. began to take over weaker nations in a plan to extend its own power through a military force, imperialism began to spread. This meant that other nations, along with the U.S, began to demonstrate their immense powers, and America wanted to become prominently dominant. A principal justification for America’s imperialism was the policy of Social Darwinism. It stated that the powerful nations, such as America, was destined to help less powerful nations because we were a dominant force, and we must provide aid. Through this process, both self-interest and idealism were important driving forces in American foreign policy from 1895 to 1920. Starting in 1895, President William McKinley showed the aspect of self-interest through his actions. On the other hand, in 1913, President Woodrow Wilson used idealism.

Imperialism has been one of the most powerful forces in human history, serving to set the foundation of our modern world. While this has led to the formation of a global society where cultures, ideas, and innovations are spread across countries, imperialism has also left a history of exploitation, racism, and violence that is still affecting the world today. Imperial relationships are always imbalanced when it comes to power and influence; that is, one group (known as the metropole) maintains authority and control over another group (known as the periphery) with economic, political, and cultural dominance (Spiegel 2012). There are many reasons why one group chooses to dominate the other, such as expanding territory, extracting raw resources to fuel economic development, or to spread their beliefs (i.e. religion) (Spiegel 2012). In spite of these varied reasons, one of the main motivators for imperialism began with competition between empires.

Imperialism is when a larger, more powerful nation takes control of smaller, weaker nations. The American idea is for freedom. As a nation the United States promotes the freedom of itself and other countries. America once fought for the freedom from a larger, more powerful nation, so why would the government want to go back on what this country was started on, which was freedom.

Josiah Strong, a reverend and famous Protestant clergyman, wrote in his book, Our Country, about why the United States should support imperialism. He himself is American, but where exactly in America is unknown. It is important that this established, as it makes it easier to understand his motivations for promoting what he thinks are best interests for America. The exact date of this publication is not given, but further research states it is from 1885. At around 1885 was a period of time where imperialism was a concept which was spreading quickly to many large countries, and there were many who supported it in the United States. His book, given the quote, appears to embrace American imperialism for spreading the ideals of the United

Imperialism is a recurring theme in the history of the world. Stronger countries see themselves as superior to other societies and believe their ways are right. They force religion, government, and practices on countless foreign lands. At the very end of the nineteenth

For one to fully understand why the U.S. was an imperialistic nation, they must first understand the definition of imperialism. Imperialism is a policy of extending a country's power and influence through colonization, use of military force, or other means. During the decade of the 1840’s, the U.S extended its power through obtaining

The period 1875-1920 has been described by some historians as a period of “selflessness” during which the United States helped weaker nations from dominant European powers and spread the “blessings of democracy and civilization.” Others have described the “New Manifest Destiny” as a time of “ruthless American expansion” at the cost of weaker nations and in violation of our own principles of consent of the governed and popular sovereignty.

In 1899, U.S. Senator George F. Hoar said “… under the Declaration of Independence you cannot govern a foreign territory, a foreign people, another people than your own…”4 There was a lot of arguing and contemplation about whether it was okay or not to govern another nation and I agree that it isn’t right. Abraham Lincoln said, “no man is good enough to govern another man without their consent.”5 In my opinion I think that imperialism failed because it was wrong for them to do it in the first place and it created tension between America and other

The exploits of imperialism is averse to our American values, including personal and collective rights. One of these values, which is freedom, is a core component in our country. It embraces the fundamental beliefs put forth by our Constitution. Based on treaties, pacts and alliances between our country and other nations, we are lured into conflicts that force upon the human rights of the populations of other

American imperialism is embedded in the idea that America has the right to play the policing role of maintaining democracy across the world. America’s view of acquiring overseas territory to maintain and promote American national interest can be traced back in the 1800s. I believe that American imperialism is not justified because Americans are more concerned about acquiring wealth at the expense of others.

Imperialism, the policy of extending a country’s power and influence by taking over land and establishing colonies through military force or diplomacy was one of the many ways that Europeans displayed their wealth and power to the world. Across the Pacific, European powers were steadily extending their control over Asia and establishing their military strength. As a result, despite a previous bad experience under imperialistic policies, America opted to follow imperialism in the early 1900s. After the Spanish-American war, America had freed Cuba and was given Puerto Rico, the Philippine Islands, and Guam. With these new additions to American territory, many questioned if imperialism was a proper/legal policy for the United States. On the other

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

Imperialism became an issue when new territories were being taken under the American flag, with no anticipation that they would ever be accepted into statehood. Imperialists responded by insisting that the federal government had the right to acquire new territory by purchase, treaty, or war. To them, it was Congress’s decision as to how colonies would be governed. The Supreme Court later created a doctrine of incorporation, which stated that the United States first had to incorporate the territory in question in order for the Constitution to be applicable (Ries and Weber 7). Therefore, none of the newly acquired territories met this requirement. The people of the newly acquired territories were not entitled to the same rights and guarantees

Beginning around late 1890s America had begun to develop into an empire. There were serval reasons to pursue an empire but it mainly boiled down to economic and social reasons. United States Naval officer Alfred T. Mahan spoke about how no nation can prosper without a large fleet of ships engaging in trade and a large navy to protect such a fleet. However there is no new frontiers as most of the land accost the world has been conquered or is occupied by another nation. Therefore expansion will have to take place at the cost of other civilizations and groups of people. However a sizable portion of the population may be against expansion if it is shown in the light of murdering innocent people and betraying leaders. So a new approach was taken to justify imperialism and it hinged on racist ideology. Propaganda was made that showed that the takeover was beneficial to the inhabitants of those nations. Most of these nations were not developed and pro-expansion propaganda claimed that as a prosperous nation (the United States) it is our duty to civilize and modernize the world. These claimed leveraged the racist ideology of the time by painting the white man as developed and futuristic while the natives of other territories as backward savages. Such propaganda also stated it was important to spread Christianity around the world to save the innocent souls of the savages. Even though this ideology was rooted in racist ideals it morally justified the conquering of other nations to even the kindest of uninformed souls, and soon the nation was on its way to become an empire. First Hawaii was tricked into trading then a short but hostile takeover. Later the Spanish war began but quickly ended with now Cuba and the Philippines under American rule. In this conflict the Philippines agreed to help the United States with the goal of removing themselves from empire rule. However the United States turned back and now rules over the Philippines. These battles were obviously not blood free and innocent people from Spain and Cuba died for the economic interests of America.