The Evolution Of American Imperialism

During the late 1800's and early 1900's, America was working toward becoming an imperialistic nation. With such a change, government policies must evolve in order to adapt to its country's needs. However, there is a point in which new government policies can be detrimental to those involved. While America's government's changing role was certainly necessary in expanding the country, there were numerous instances in which the government became too imperialistically rapacious.

After the civil war, United States took a turn that led them to solidify as the world power. From the late 1800s, as the US began to collect power through Cuba, Hawaii, and the Philippines, debate arose among historians about American imperialism and its behavior. Historians such as William A. Williams, Arthur Schlesinger, and Stephen Kinzer provides their own vision and how America ought to be through ideas centered around economics, power, and racial superiority.

     Since its inception, America as a nation has developed and progressed according to trends of change that collectively define an era. Like all other eras, the time period of 1875-1925 experienced growth, changes, movements, and new ideals. It is the way that these changes came about that defines this era. Americans started to push for changes in many arenas of life that were previously unchallenged. New experiences and opportunities were also presented to America that caused tributaries in the former American ideal. These pressures for change could not be ignored and thus America continued its maturity in a new and unique manner. The changes in the American sphere of life and the development of greater

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.

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.

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.

During the early 1900s, America’s reputation as a world power prospered by possessing the third largest navy in the world and a significant domain over smaller countries. It was able to acquire superiority internationally due to its intervention in the intense colonialism of the time, including fast extension, colonization, and rivalry. However, America’s colonial power did not suddenly develop. Though the United States expansionism of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century was an explicit continuation of cultural and social factors that had powered the country’s past expansionism, it was more of a departure from the strategies for the past in which financial and political motives were sought.

Mark Twain: I believe that Imperialism would make our nation strong in some ways, but weak in more important others. It may give our nation global eminence in military and trade. However, it takes the land belonging to native people, and creates a mode of self-interest from it. In the treaty of Paris, instead of civilizing the people of the Philippines and bringing them Christianity, it oppresses them, conquers them, and kills them. There is no moral excuse for this conduct. America will be seen as weak because, instead of honorably setting a people up for prosperity, it shuns, weakens, and destroys them. Imperialism is the key to a controlling, tyrant country.

In the last few decades of the19th century, it was a period of imperial spreading for the United States. The American story took a different route from that of its European rivals, however, because of the U.S. history of scuffle against European empires and its divine

After the Spanish-American war in 1898, America attained much power. The defeat of Spain led the U.S. to 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 the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. The American foreign policy of imperialism was unjustified due to geographic greed for resources, unjustified subjugation, and cultural oppression through white washing.

Examining through American Empire by Joshua B Freeman, it evident that American has indeed integrated into an empire. In the writing, Freeman advocates that the tenure of World War I created one of the most profound legacies across the world. The legacy resulted in the collapse of countries such German, Russia, Ottoman Empire, and Austro-Hungarian. On the other hand, the author defines that existence of World War II came in with much influence to the Americans. The events within the World War II integrated America from being a collection of states to a formidable American empire. Compared to its presence after World War I, Freeman notes to the readers that at the time it was a reluctant empire with that faced extreme restraint in various

The United States experienced a period of growth and maturation during the twentieth century. Now, this is not to say that this was the only period of growth, but it was a significant time during which the United States began to establish its military force at an international level. By establishing itself during the twentieth century as one of the world’s largest superpowers, America grew to be respected by most of the world’s nations. America also grew to become much more active in foreign affairs, even in ones that had no relation to the nation. The United States began to look for chances to expand their country, as well as opportunities to benefit financially from these territories. Imperialism is the word that best describes the foreign

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

The notion of globalization dates back to the early modern period, this practice of globalization consists of the international development facilities, influences, and operations. With time the practice of globalization evolved into Imperialism, which is the practice of forcefully implementing a country’s power and influence over other countries, and transforming them into colonies. This act of colonization began when countries desired to increase their supply of raw materials in order to maximize the greatest good. A country in particular who has faithfully practiced the policy of imperialism is the United States. The United States has imperialized

The First American Empire ranged from the 1950s to the 1980s and brought affluence and development to its dominions. During this time frame the world enjoyed an “economic Golden Age” (Amsden 2007:1) and countries like Asia and Africa developed immensely. The culture of the American Empire shone through onto the Third World countries and made a fundamental impact on their development. The First Empire was a key factor in the dismantling of colonization and it gave American production the chance to enter markets that were previously dominated by European and British countries. The process of development and industrialization in the Third World was more challenging than predicted as many countries expected that American multinational firms would