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Imperialism : The Age Of Imperialism

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Indira Yuldasheva C band
Expansionism Essay The late 19th century and early 20th century is known as the “Age of Imperialism”, a period in which major world powers, including the United States, adopted a policy of expansionism. Expansionism is defined as the policy of territorial or economic expansion, which is often achieved through diplomacy or military force. During this time period, the United States notably acquired territory in the Pacific and Latin America. The nation’s growing colonial empire was not the beginning of American expansionism, which started long before the late 19th century. U.S. expansionism in the late 19th century and early 20th century continued the nation’s tradition of justifying expansionism with the …show more content…

When Native American tribes refused to assimilate, they were forced to relocate beyond the Mississippi River and eventually forced into reservations. This is seen in John Gast’s painting “American Progress”, in which a fair angelic female figure leads American settlers West, driving out the Native Americans and the darkness that surrounds them. The U.S. used similar justifications to acquire the Philippines. American troops fought to suppress the Filipino independence movement after Spain sold the territory to the U.S., and hundreds of thousands of Filipinos died in the process. Senator Albert Beveridge claimed that the “Malay children of barbarism” were not capable of self-government, and President McKinley issued the Benevolent Assimilation Proclamation, claiming that the U.S. have come “to protect the natives in their homes, in their employment, and in their personal and religious rights.” The U.S. continued to advertise their invasions as a gesture to “civilize” the native peoples in the Philippines, just like it had in the Louisiana Purchase, showing repeating patterns in U.S. expansionism. The Philippines was finally granted independence in 1946 under the Tydings-McDuffy Act, but not until after America had a chance “to educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize and Christianize them”, like President McKinley intended. While U.S. expansionism in the late 19th century and

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