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Imperialism: The Late 1800s And Early 1900s

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The United States used force to gain world power through expansion, also known as Imperialism. Imperialism was a thoroughly debated topic in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Imperialists believed the United States should gain foreign territory. Anti-Imperialists, however, did not think that the United States should expand. Imperialism was alluring for many reasons, such as, becoming more powerful, better trading and ports, protecting other countries, and more. However, it was also detested because it went against founding ideals, it took money, time and effort, and there were possibilities for war. There were both realistic and idealistic sides to Imperialism. Imperialism was alluring for many reasons. It would make the United States more powerful, spread democratic ideals, and give the United States more and better trading ports. “The American …show more content…

There were also strong reasons for abiding to isolationism. For starters, it was one of George Washington’s foreign policies. It would also keep the United States from being dragged into a war by allies. “The Influence of Sea Power upon History” suggests that the United States was protected due to the isolation of the country. The Anti-imperialists also found some struggles with imperialism. In “The Philippines Tangle,” America helped the Philippines when they did not need help and it may have backfired. Also, “To the Person Sitting in the Darkness” discussed wanting to stay out of the war with the Philippines, but there ended up being a war and many died, American and Filipino. It also says, the United States robbed them of their “land and liberty.” Not only did imperialism hurt other countries, the United States was also harmed. Empire building took a lot of time, effort, and money for the United States. The United States also had to compete with other countries as mentioned in “Open Door

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