American Imperialism

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Imperialism, defined by Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary, is "the policy, practice, or advocacy of extending power and dominion of a nation especially by direct territorial acquisition or by gaining indirect control over the political or economic life of other areas"(Merriam-Webster). During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the United States pursued an aggressive policy of expansionism, extending its political and economic influence around the globe. The United States has become an empire. Although the United States has less power – in the sense of control over other countries’ internal behavior – than Britain did when it ruled a quarter of the globe, the United States now has more power resources relative to other countries than Britain had at its imperialistic peak. American Imperialism was driven by a need for markets and raw materials, as well as the desire for power and success. The United States increasingly appears to be an imperial power. Manifest Destiny was the driving force responsible for changing the face of American history. Manifest Destiny, described by Dictionary.com, is a policy of imperialistic expansion defended as necessary or benevolent. It is the 19th century doctrine that gave the right to the United States to expand through North America. In 1845, a democratic leader and influential editor by the name of John L. O'Sullivan gave the movement its name. In an attempt to explain America's “thirst” for expansion, and to present a defense for America's claim to new territories he wrote: ".... the right of our manifest destiny to over spread and to possess the whole of the continent which Providence has given us for the development of the great experiment of liberty and federaltive de... ... middle of paper ... ...ong the Kuwait-Saudi Arabian border (www.deoxy.org). It is only logical, due to the previous history of the United States, that one can only conclude that our invasion of Iraq is only to pursue imperialistic ambitions. Throughout the United States history, imperialism has been prevalent. Even with its mother country Britain, when Britain had controlled a quarter of the Earth. The imperialistic ambitions primarily started with our Manifest Destiny philosophy. In many of today’s magazines, newspapers, and articles, they theorize, question, and argue about the question: Is the United States an empire? The answer to that question is: Yes, America is an Empire. A lot of Americans are calling this the Age of American Imperialism. In conclusion, America is an imperial power. Works Cited http://www.merriam-webster.com/ http://www.fff.org http://www.deoxy.org

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