Interventionist America: The Spanish War

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When America claimed independence from Great Britain and became a self-governing nation, one of the founding fathers’ most ardent desires, and indeed one of the foremost principles upon which the nation was founded, was isolation from the affairs of other countries. Having just turned their backs on the Old World, the new republic had no wish to become embroiled once more in the wars, alliances, and false-faces of Europe’s nations. Thomas Jefferson believed that, “[It is] fundamental for the United States, never to take active part in the quarrels of Europe.” Explaining the reasons for this necessary separation, he argued, “Their political interests…their mutual jealousies, their balance of power, their complicated alliances, their forms and principles of government, are all foreign to us. They are nations of eternal war” (Maybury, iii). This policy of non-involvement was further cemented by James Monroe in his famous Monroe Doctrine of 1823, which essentially declared that America would not tolerate Europe meddling her affairs, and in return America would grant Europe the same consideration (OurDocuments, n. pag.). How did the nation transition so drastically from this non-interventionist philosophy of foreign affairs to the current global network of interventionism and political crisis? The 1898 Spanish-American War was a first and drastic step towards modern policy, swiftly followed by the United States’ interference in Panama. America’s first foray directly into European affairs, World War I, proved to be the turning point for American intervention and the beginning of the end for the principle of isolationism. Together, these three occurrences initiated a chain reaction, the repercussions of which continue to resound througho... ... middle of paper ... ...e Worldwide Network of US Military Bases.” Global Research: Center for Research on Globalization 12/24/13: n. pag. Web. 1/30/14 ( ). “Milestones: 1866–1898: The Spanish-American War, 1898.” U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian 2014: n. pag. Web. 1/30/14 ( ). “Woodrow Wilson’s “War Message to Congress”.” Heritage Foundation 2014: n. pag. Web. 1/31/14 ( ). “The Panama Canal: Connecting two oceans.” United States History www.u-s-history.com 2014: n. pag. Web. 1/31/14 ( ). “Crucible of Empire: The Spanish-American War.” Public Broadcasting Service 1999: n. pag. Web. 1/31/14 ( ). “Imperialism and the Spanish American War.” The Guilder Lehrman Institute of American History 2014: n. pag. Web. 1/31/14 ( ). “Milestones: 1945–1952: The Truman Doctrine, 1947.” U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian 2014: n. pag. Web. 1/31/14

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