The Influence Of Imperialism

817 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The Impact of World War I on the United States

America came slowly into imperialism, during most of the 18th and 19th century 's being occupied by internal matters, such as industrialization, the construction of the railroads, and the settlement of the West. Near the end of the 19th century political and business leaders alike began to look toward the idea of imperialism as a way to advance themselves. They did so by advocating an activist approach to world affairs, emphasizing the supposed benefits to the country’s domestic health (Norton, M.B.,2015.) The idea of imperialism created a need to increase the size of America, both the annexation of the Hawaiian islands and the United States involvement in World War One were a result of this ideology. When American foreign policy elite began …show more content…

At the time the majority of U.S. citizens and business leaders thought of imperialism as a good thing and a way to increase not only the physical size of the U.S., but also a way to increase the economy with-in the U.S. The increase of trading between nations was one benefit of imperialism. Alfred T. Mahan published a popular book promoting a large navy in order to become a world power. Many Americans saw this idea as the way the nation needed to move forward. In response to this belief the U.S. built 2 new types of cruisers and expanded its military force. This also created the need for outposts of sorts for the navy to have places to refuel and to provide the trade need to support the navy itself. With strong feelings of superiority, Americans desired to spread christianity and the idea of a free government (Fross, J., n.d.) With the reasons to expand American territories including: a larger navy would need places to refuel, the spread of christianity and an increase in resources and trade routes (Fleischmann,2013.) With these desires in mind, Americans were still not in a hurry to go to war with Spain. However what has been dubbed Yellow Journalism changed the minds of many Americans. Spaniards were depicted as evil murderous people who had little regard for lives of others. The USS Main was near Cuba when it exploded, this gave the Yellow Journalism something

Show More
Related

  • Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt's Imperialistic America

    1172 Words  | 3 Pages

    The most predominate justification for imperialism, at least for business America, was to expand its economic interests throughout the world. First off, as the American domestic market for manufactured goods seemed to be shrinking many American business interests started search for ways to keep their businesses expanding; the best way to do this was to rival European imperialism and thus rival European markets (Hewitt, 622-624). Additionally, during the 1870s and 1890s the economy cycle was characterized with booms then busts but it wasn't until the depression of the 1890s did America see its greatest economic contraction; this led political and business leaders alike to search for foreign markets and create them (Hewitt, 623). Furthermore, not only were business leaders looking to sell their goods overseas by acquiring territories as a launch pad into new markets, an example of this was acquiring Guam and the Philippines to have easier access into the Chinese Market, but business leaders also looked to acquire te...

    Read More

  • The New White Man's Burden

    1547 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout the course of history, nations have invested time and manpower into the colonizing and modernizing of more rural governments. Imperialism has spread across the globe, from the British East India Company to France’s occupation of Northern Africa. After their founding in 1776, the United States of America largely stayed out of this trend until The Spanish-American War of 1898. Following the war, the annexation and colonization of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines ultimately set a precedent for a foreign policy of U.S. imperialism.

    Read More

  • Imperialism During The Late 1800s And 1900s

    401 Words  | 1 Pages

    During the late 1800s and 1900s in various societies, imperialism played a major role. Imperialism consists of a country's domination of an economic and cultural life in another country. Within the 1800s and 1900s, Europe became a large-scale global leader. Europeans set up colonies all over the world, specifically Africa, India, China, and Japan. Imperialism is viewed through two different major points such as the imperialist and colonialist.

    Read More

  • American Imperialism Dbq

    1241 Words  | 3 Pages

    Like previous American expansion, American imperialism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was motivated by desire for new economic gains and improvements. However, the social justification, diplomatic and military approach and geographical aspect of imperialist expansionism varied greatly from previous American growth. Therefore, American expansionism underwent more change in this period than continuity.

    Read More

  • U.S. Foreign Policy in the Late 19th Century

    695 Words  | 2 Pages

    The United States, from its inception had a lust for real estate. From the original chants of "manifest destiny" to the calls for the annexation of Indian territories, America has been driven to acquire land. In this country's youth, land was needed for economic expansion; however, by the end of the 19th century, the entire continental United States had been in possession and the citizenry of this country turned their eyes out to sea. The United States no longer sought new lands to farm and work nor did they need new areas for their geological resources; the motives had changed. The United States was now driven by the temptations of world power and political supremacy. The self-absorbed citizenry looked upon their intrusion into foreign areas as a moral obligation; to spread the words of democracy and Christ throughout the world.

    Read More

  • Imperialism in America

    1186 Words  | 3 Pages

    One argument backing U.S. imperialism is by naval strategist, Alfred Thayer Mahan. At this time, Great Britain had the strongest sea power. Mahan states that America’s navy must be as strong to compete in trade and war. Expansion would aid exports, and more naval power would grant the ability to overcome obstacles such as a dispute between the U.S. and another country. Most importantly, Mahan states that the world is in struggle and the U.S. must protect itself to survive.

    Read More

  • Effects Of Imperialism

    770 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although imperialism helped the colonized people by improving the economy and the lives of the people, for the most part imperialism hurt the colonized people because the people were forced to grow cash crops which led to death by starvation.

    Read More

  • The American Imperialism

    556 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Causes and Effects of the Spanish American War

    1326 Words  | 3 Pages

    As shown, America’s rapid change as the 19th century came to a close was supported by a various amount of imperialistic beliefs, motives, and incidents that almost jumpstarted the U.S. onto the world stage. Many of these incidents such as the public’s thirst for expansion, the annexation of several faraway lands, and the build-up of U.S. military forces would not have been possible without the Spanish American War. Moreover, the Spanish American war would not have been possible without the American people. Imperialism was a consequence of the American Democratic experiment, giving the people what they want.

    Read More

  • American Imperialism Dbq

    629 Words  | 2 Pages

    The last quarter of the nineteenth century is known as the age of imperialism and for most of this period, the United States remained a second-rate power. After 1870, the “new imperialism” was dominated by Japan and European powers. Countries such as Great Britain, France, and Belgium consolidated their hold on their colonies in Africa, and then Germany acquired colonies there also. By the early twentieth century, most of the Middle East, Asia and Africa had been divided among these empires. In the 1890s, America had a major turning point with its relationship with the rest of the world. The United States emerged as an imperial power by the postwar attainment of overseas empire, such as Hawaii being annexed, the United States also acquire the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Guam. Not only did the United States acquired these territories but they also spread racial views to the new colonial possessions.

    Read More

  • Westward Expansion and Imperialism

    654 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout most of the nineteenth century, the United States expanded its territory westward through purchase and annexation. At the end of the century, however, expansion became imperialism, as America acquired several territories overseas. This policy shift from expansionism to imperialism came about as a result of American's experience in the Spanish American War and the Congressional debates that followed the American victory.

    Read More

  • Goldism In The Gilded Age And The Gilded Age

    1769 Words  | 4 Pages

    The last few decades of the 1800’s were times of expansion for the United States. The U.S. morphed from the state of being an owned colony to one that possessed colonies. The driving motive for expansion was both economic and political as the U.S. sought to keep up with the other leaders of the world by looking for new opportunities beyond the continental land.

    Read More

  • The Age of Imperialism

    1586 Words  | 4 Pages

    Imperialism was a time period in which more developed nations colonized less developed nations. The developed nations took advantage of the less developed nations resources, people, lands, and much more. Many countries lost their freedom and independence due to imperialism, however, they also received new technologies and innovations.

    Read More

  • The Rise of Imperialism

    459 Words  | 1 Pages

    Although there are many other important factors, the main cause of the rise of imperialism was most certainly economic. The Age of Empire, by Eric J. Hobsbawn, provides an interpretation of New Imperialism. Hobsbawn calls imperialism “a natural by-product of the international economy” (Sherman pg 177). He is basically saying that imperialism is dependent on the rivalries of competing industries, which continually drive the international economy. Hobsbawn also dictates the need for external markets. The Industrial Revolution created many products that needed markets, thus creating a need of colonies. Hobsbawn believed that the overproduction of the Industrial Revolution and the Great Depression could be solved. He also realized that many businessmen knew that they could make a large profit off of China’s large population. For example, if every one of the three hundred million Chinese purchased one box of tin-tacks the businessmen knew that there would be a huge profit, consequently increasing the desire for colonization of weaker countries.

    Read More

  • 20th Century Pros And Cons

    1302 Words  | 3 Pages

    The idea of Imperialism, in America, began in 1838 when “Washington, D.C., had decreed that they must be driven west and their lands given to the white man” (“The Cherokee Removal

    Read More

More about The Influence Of Imperialism

Open Document