Manifest Destiny 19th Century Essay

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Through presidents Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson, America’s ideology was changing, and the desire among the people to impact other countries with that ideology was strong. From 1898 to 1914, the United States expanded its international role dramatically, in order to grow the country both economically and politically using those same principles. Ever since the creation of it’s government, the United States had ideals and goals to follow for the interest of the people. During the Civil War and Reconstruction for example, American goals centered around freedom, and during most of the 19th century, American goals centered around industrialization. The difference between the interests of America before and after the 19th century, is that after, …show more content…

The desire to expand was alive in the minds of Americans much before then, and continued long after Manifest destiny was used as a justification to annex Texas, New Mexico, and California in the 1840s, and again in the Spanish-American War of 1898 (Foner, 230). In the Spanish-American War, America was fighting against Spain, which marked the first time they faced a European power, and although highly motivated by the principle of manifest destiny, America had other reasons to expand its control. The Cuban struggle for independence became a particularly important one, during the war against Spain. In light of Cuba’s need for independence from Spain, help from the United States would seem to be beneficial to both countries, especially since Cuban sugar was desired by the US. Fighting between the Spanish and Cubans threatened the stability of Cuban sugar production, which aggravated business owners, and when the Spanish bombed the American Battleship Maine in Havana Harbor, the U.S. population called for action. They were desperately wanting to expand their country, and they …show more content…

In the start of the war, President Wilson proclaimed American neutrality because of a division of opinion within the country. British-Americans sided with the Allies, but German-Americans, as well as the Irish, opposed Britain, therefore sided with the Central powers. The downfall of this neutrality was that the war was hard to avoid, and when the British ship Lusitania was attacked by Germany, killing 124 Americans, the US had to ensure its dominance as a world power. (Foner, pg 581) But before 1914, President Wilson set the stage for the upcoming war by preaching idealist goals and democratic values. A perfect example of Wilson’s love for democratic values is shown in his first inaugural address in 1913. “Nowhere else in the world have noble men and women exhibited in more striking forms the beauty and energy of sympathy and helpfulness and counsel in their efforts to rectify wrong, alleviate suffering, and set the weak in the way of strength and hope...This is the high enterprise of the new day: To lift everything that concerns our life as a Nation to the light that shines from the hearthfire of every man’s conscience and the vision of the right.” (Kaufman, pg 48) In this speech, Wilson is expanding on the Roosevelt Corollary, which was a principle of President Roosevelt’s soon before, that stood for America’s

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