I am for imperialism because it was a logical and effective decision for the United States to do during that time. The American mindset had always veered towards some form of imperialism even though American Imperialism didn't officially begin until the late 1800s. For instance, when the American citizens had the constant desire to expand their territories and settle west in hope for land and more opportunities, they conquered the land previously owned by Indian and placed them on horrific reservations. Later, the Americans sought to americanize the Indians because they felt that the Indian’s lifestyle was inferior to that of theirs and thus needed help from Americans, who had the superior style of living and should come in and change the Indian ways. Americans essentially repeated this process again in the late 1800s/early 1900s …show more content…
I believe that the American way is that we always want more, which we must do by expanding. If we are low on something we need, we will always find a way to get it somehow.This was the case for the United States , which was in need of raw materials since the nature of the influx of factory workers and immigrants had caused overcrowding and less materials being produced. The US believed that the best way to get the raw materials it desired was to conquer them from other countries, which is what it did during the American Imperialism. The US believed that by conquering other countries, it could build an empire and form a market that would not only sell materials, but also be a place to buy the raw materials. By getting raw materials from less developed and conquered countries, it would guarantee a market for the United States. Another important factor was the military because the idea of Alfred Thayer Mahan’s was gaining
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
American imperialism has undergone varying transitions through its developmental stage in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, and it was interpreted to be many things, including controversial to the original colonial beliefs. The United States rapidly took up the sport of becoming involved with foreign nations, and it was clear that through influence on these nations, the United States would grow in both territorial size and power in the global sense. America helped many Polynesian, Latin American, and Asian nations during this period, and most of the conversed issues was trade and foreign relations. The desire of territorial expansion was also in response to the blossoming ideal of Social Darwinism, where expansionism was justified if the United States was aiding struggling nations with their foreign and domestic policies. Although justified, Social Darwinism was an unethical approach to world power, and many perceived this step in American Imperialism as corrupt. The Panama Canal also held a large part in building American Imperialism. Creating this canal would determine which nation dominated the sea, and the United States was more than eager to pounce on the opportunity to increase their global influence. The United States dipped its hand into many global issues during and following the Gilded Age, and these hold the honor of molding American Imperialism, but its change over time was held up to debate by scholars in the Gilded age and by contemporary
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
After the Civil War, the United States began to prosper and get stronger, ultimately because of the second Industrial Revolution. As time went on, the urge for overseas expansion became a big must and began to spread throughout many Americans of the time. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, overseas expansion played a big role, from new rules to new policies. And not all people, especially the Americans, like these new rules and policies.
Expansion has been a huge part of America since the very beginning. Starting with expansion West, to expansion around the globe, the United Sates had lived off Manifest Destiny. Though factors changed throughout the years such as technology and desires, the intentions of American expansion from the beginning to the nineteenth century had stayed relatively consistent. America had continuously taken over land they thought to be rightfully theirs and civilized the people in it. Along with this they always strived to make America bigger, better, and efficient. In doing so in the, 1800s and 1900s, their tactics and attitudes changed based on the circumstances. However, this
Even though the United States Originally thought about the idea of expanding its economic, military, and culture beliefs on other countries during the 1840’s, known as the Manifest Destiny theory, it did not take foot until the Age of Imperialism during 1890’s. Reasons for this is because of the destructive forces from the Civil War, as well as the industrial revolution (Small Planet, n.d.). The United States was currently trying
Imperialism was an extremely controversial issue in the 1800s and early 1900s. Imperialism is defined in our book as: “The practice by which a nation acquires and holds colonies and other possessions, denies them self-government, and usually exploits them economically.” The Republicans and Democrats had a huge role in the idea of expansion during this time period, Republicans defined themselves on the idea of what their party did to gain self worth and the Democrats were more focused on what they opposed rather that what they stood for. Democrats imposed government influence on economy and countless other things. Democrats stood for white supremacy.
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
Throughout history, humankind has been extending their power to others to gain more control. Whether that was political, military, or even economics, this use of dominance, no matter how large or minuscule, is considered imperialism. It has been used all over the world for centuries to gain strength, land, and even alliances, but when it came to being used by America, it changed. The United States, along with several other countries, preferred the use of indirect imperialism. (“Imperialism | Definition, History, Examples, & Facts''2024) Like others, America wanted to continue the growth of their influences on different countries and territories, which in turn caused a lot of conflict for the United States.
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
Essentially, the US wanted to get more land so it would in the long run give them more power and money. We needed these policies to make us successful and the result is that we did become more expanded; we got more money, and more power due to these two previous things. I feel Imperialism was a success for the US for the reasons I just stated and feel it was an intelligent decision and action for our country. Even now, we are still somewhat Imperialistic considering we’ve spread our culture all over the world and help the poor. The only disadvantage is that now we pay too much attention to
Imperialism is a policy that has positively impacted nations and their development for centuries. This was especially true during the late 1800s and early 1900s, when many European nations began to expand far beyond their borders. Imperialistic policies were not only good for the development of countries that were expanding, but in many cases, the countries that were being expanded into as well.
During the 1890’s, the United States began building and advancing their economy, as well as focusing more independently on becoming an even more powerful nation. Not only did the Americans begin to create a stronger national military and navy, they also began to look overseas towards the Pacific Ocean for resources and territories; this is when America began to look less like a national power and more like an imperial power. There were many reasons as to why the United States began to expand between 1880-1929, two of which include the military opportunities countries abroad had to offer, such as Pearl Harbor, as well as the domestic and political objectives the U.S. felt obligated to fulfill. Although, there were many important reasons for the United States to began to expand, the most significant reason for the expansionist foreign policy was the economic resources and opportunities other foreign countries had to offer the U.S.
Imperialism has been a long standing ideology that is able to withstand the tests of time due to the applicability of the concept. The general definition of Imperialism, as provided by Merriam-Webster, is the practice in which a country furthers its power by the means of control and domination in other regions of the world. This took on a new form as the nineteenth-century approached, as Traditions & Encounters a Global Perspective on the Past elaborated, it mainly pertained to European powers at this time and their control over colonial land and the world of influence. 19th century imperialists had three main foci, these being economic, political, and cultural motifs, these foci dominated the reasons for imperialism in the nineteenth-century and determined how nations would interact with the world and others; these foci would often find conflicts with each other and overlap causing disruption in the goals of the nations involved.
The 19th and 20th century imperialism was substantially about the exploitation of the empires colonies and thus was not a necessarily an ‘civilizing mission’. During the 19th and 20th century European powers tried to justify their actions, by claiming that they were trying to re-educate the native population through education, this included Christian missionaries which were placed throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America. However, it became apparent that these powers gained significant wealth by commercializing items that could not be obtained otherwise. Two key examples of imperialism in the 19th and 20th century includes the Belgium Congo whereby Leopold II gained significant wealth through rubber plantations and the British