Imperialistic Forces In Latin American Imperialism In The United States

In the 1890s some Americans were eager to expand. Post-Civil War the U.S. was going through a time where they thought that they were lagging behind other nations in terms of expansionism. America felt that they were lacking what they needed in order to become a powerhouse. Many Americans, like Theodore Roosevelt or Alfred Thayer Mahan, were imperialists who wanted to acquire land/territories for the U.S. The United States sought to find their identity as a nation in the world. American Identity to imperialists can be defined as patriotism, military power, and dominance/hegemony.  This was controversial because some Americans were anti-imperialists who did not believe in expansionism, but in defending the Constitution. This brought about both supporters and opponents of imperialism during the Spanish-American War.

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.

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

America wanted to expand their foreign policy to help boost their economy. They felt threatened because not only did they have to compete with countries like Germany and Japan to secure access to Chinese markets. The first foreign policy the U.S. had was the Monroe Doctrine, which closed the Western Hemisphere to further colonization from European countries. This secured the U.S. foreign trade with Central America. The American foreign policy warned European nations to stay away from the Western Hemisphere while the U.S. also competed for trade in the Eastern Hemisphere.

Throughout United States history, there have been a variety of trends in foreign policy. While these international relations are all unique, some share striking similarities. American foreign policy during the early 20th century in Latin America and the late 20th century in Asia are very similar as they share an important underlying factor: imperialism.

By late the nineteenth century the world was in an Age of Imperialism. The foremost European powers were all competing and swiftly increasing their territorial claims. Americans have always felt the desire to grow and expand the United States, they ultimately proved that with Manifest Destiny, when they settled from the east to the west coast. The idea of expansion overseas was something not new to the United States. The war against Mexico had allowed the United States to be carried into the Pacific and the issuing of the Monroe Doctrine allowed the United States to expand their sphere influence well beyond the Caribbean and into Latin America. American Historian Howard Zinn (1980) says that the Monroe Doctrine was, “Issued in 1823 when the countries of Latin America were winning independence from Spanish control, it made it plain to European nations that the United States considered Lation America its sphere of influence” (p. 297). Also, the very idea of imperialism is deep rooted and is expressed through that very ideal of Manifest Destiny. Bowles (2013) states that, “Many believed it was God 's plan for the United States to control the continent from sea to shining sea” (p. 8). With the outbreak of the Civil War, the idea of expansion and Manifest Destiny would be nonexistent, but this very idea of expansion outside the continent would return into the hearts of many American politicans and leaders at the end of the nineteenth century.

From the late 1800’s to after World War I, the United States moved from the idea of isolationism to being actively involved with world affairs which include several countries. The United States was now following a policy called Imperialism. Imperialism was criticized by some but praised by many because of the many drawbacks but also of the many benefits. The benefits of American imperialism did outweigh the drawbacks. Imperialism was a benefit for America because it helped in the trading industry which was extremely important during this time period.

American imperialism were in the western hemisphere and the pacific with Spanish war and the creation of colonial empire by American policies during late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries leading up to world war II imperialistic and forceful acquiring many territories over the span of a short period. By the end of the Spanish-American War, the U.S. was occupying four of Spain’s former colonies Imperialists saw this as an opportunity. And they believed the U.S. should

With European conquest spreading throughout the world, the US as a growing nation needed political influence and military influence to protect themselves from imperialism. In the early 1800s, Latin America had been establishing their freedom from the Spanish empire, and the US decided to strengthen its power in the region. After acknowledging some of the first Latin American countries, President James Monroe announced the foreign policy, the Monroe Doctrine. President Monroe’s new policy followed three main ideas: no European colonization in the American continents, the US would not meddle with European affairs, and if the Europe did intervene in American matters then it would be considered as an act of war. Despite the lack of US military

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

After the Spanish-American war in 1898, America attained much power. The defeat of Spain led the U.S. to the broadening their horizons through international expansion. Seeing how the U.S. rivals had already established overseas empires, the U.S. wanted to emulate. They jumped into action and produced a ‘foreign policy’ giving America the right to build empires in areas such as Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. The american foreign policy of imperialism, exerting military, economic, or political control over weaker nations, was unjustified due to geographic greed for resources, unjustified subjugation, and cultural oppression through white washing.

American attitudes towards Latin America can be summed up as an extension of larger global directives, and the exclusion of foreign powers in the region. This was highlighted especially during the Cold War as US involvement was essentially in competition with the USSR. Latin America was therefore a mere pawn in the larger context of US-Soviet competition for global dominance. The actions and methods used are also characterized by the lack of an international authority, or an atmosphere of inter-state anarchy, which shaped their calculations in the endeavor to increase their influence over Latin America. When one analyzes the situation, it seems only rational that the United States treated its southern neighbors so, due to the geographical

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the United States was the most dominant power in the Western Hemisphere. European nations conceded to the United States their right of any intervention in the Western Hemisphere and allowed the United States to do whatever they wanted. The United States took this newly bestowed power and abused it. The United States intervened in many Latin American countries and imposed their policies on to these countries against their will. A perfect example of this aggression is what occurred in the Dominican Republic in 1904. The United States intervened in this sovereign nation and took control of their economy and custom houses. A memorandum from Francis B. Loomis, the United States Assistant

Galeano portrays this moment in Latin American history as the instant U.S investors took control over the industries. He details the dangers they went through when producing one item to export for the benefit of foreigners, and how they later imported the processed goods from those same foreign countries, injecting money only overseas. The fact that Latin America needed imports to survive initiated the imperial link the U.S has upon it. As stated by Galeano, “The growing dependence on foreign supplies produces the growing identification of the interest of U.S. capitalists operating in Latin America with U.S. national security”11, bluntly showing the relationship between the United States and Latin America. “With petroleum, as with coffee or meat, rich countries profit more from the work of consuming it than do poor countries from the work of producing it”12. Because profit was not being retained in the Latin American countries, nationalization of the industries became of importance. The United States offered intervention in order to protect everyone’s interests with the proposal of free trade, but this was no more than another manipulation to continue having power over Latin America and its resources: “Latin America’s big ports, through which the wealth of its soil and subsoil passed en route to distant centers of power, were being built as instruments of the conquest and domination of the countries to which they belonged, and as conduits

The United States has been a heavily involved in Latin American affairs for a long time, and there is great controversy surrounding how good of a neighbor we have been. As the “Colossus of the North”, this country holds enormous power. The question is; have we used our power for good or for evil? At times, we have been generous to Latin American countries. We returned the Panama Canal to the Panamanians and created free trade with Mexico through NAFTA. However, the negative impact we have had outweighs the good. Time after time, the United States has put dictators into Latin American countries out of the fear of growing communism. We have meddled, taken the situations of our neighbors into our own hands with force, and vilified them for situations like the drug trade dilemma that are partially at the fault of the United States. Due to the selfish overstepping upon Latin American governments, our discrimination and blame upon immigrants and foreigners as well as patronizing actions like the Cuban embargo and the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, the Colossus of the North has historically been a poor neighbor to Latin American countries.