Introduction
At the end of the 19th century, the United States began to take a more active role in the affairs of other nations, particularly in Europe and Latin America. This action resulted from the country’s increasing economic and military dominance. The United States of America had interests in these regions that it wished to safeguard, such as its investments in the various countries of Latin America (Wu, 2018).
During 1860-1920, the United States of America started expanding its territory and building its military. In addition, it participated in several wars, notably World War I in 1914 and the Spanish-American War in 1898 (Wu, 2018). The United States became a global force due to its participation in these wars. Additionally, it took control of several territories, including the Philippines and Puerto Rico. Therefore, this essay will research Imperialism in the United States and its advancement between 1860 and 1920. The study will rely on literature from different sources to come up with a reasonable conclusion.
The Course of United States Imperialism
Imperialism has a long and storied history in the United States, stretching back to the 19th century. According to Olson (2021), the acquisition of Hawaii and Alaska in the 1860s marked the beginning of the expansion of the United States empire. This growth trend continued in the early decades of the 20th century when the United States obtained Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.
In addition, the United States of America founded several protectorates in Latin American countries, including Cuba and Panama. The United States of America defended its Imperialism by asserting that it delivered civilization to parts of the world lacking such development. Additionally, it stated that it was responsible for exporting democratic principles and Christian ethics to other regions. The United States of America further justified its conduct by arguing that they were defending the safety of its population.
U.S. imperialism has brought different negative impacts on itself and the world. According to Molen (2019), the United States’ imperialistic actions led to various difficulties, both within the country and outside the world. The acts of the United States abroad sparked several uprisings and rebellions in other countries, including the Philippine-American War and the Boxer Rebellion.
At home, criticism was leveled at the United States for its conduct, and many Americans started questioning the value of Imperialism. After suffering a string of setbacks in conflicts and uprisings throughout the early 20th century, the United States finally abandoned its imperialistic foreign policy (Molen, 2019). Additionally, the United States started to direct its focus inside, and it grew increasingly isolationist during this time. However, the imperialistic legacy of the United States can still be observed in its activities today, such as its engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Factors Catalyzing the Development of U.S. Imperialism
Different factors led to the development of U.S. imperialism between 1860 and 1920. According to Kennedy (2021), one of the significant factors that led to Imperialism was the growth of the United States economy. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the United States witnessed substantial economic growth. This period is known as the Gilded Age, and it was a time when the country’s economy expanded rapidly. This expansion resulted in the creation of major corporations and the emergence of an affluent upper class. High levels of political corruption also characterized the Gilded Age.
The United States began to increase its territory and global influence during this period. The country established itself as a world power by acquiring new territories such as Puerto Rico and the Philippines (Malone, 2017). The U.S. became more involved in other countries’ affairs, such as Latin America and China. A variety of circumstances contributed to the growth of Imperialism. The expanding economy created a thirst for additional markets and raw supplies. Therefore, having the economy grow at such a rate, the influence in the world could be inevitable, leading to Imperialism.
The U.S. has established itself as a critical advocate of democracy worldwide. According to Greenberg (2021), Imperialism increased due to the belief that America had a divine mission to spread democracy and civilization across the globe (1860-1920). Many Americans at the time held this belief, which was used to justify the expansion of the United States.
American exceptionalism, the belief that the United States was distinct from other nations and played a unique role in the world, also contributed to the rise of Imperialism. Americans believed their nation was the greatest and were responsible for sharing its benefits with the rest of the world. Manifest Destiny, the belief that it was the United States’ destiny to expand across the continent, was another factor that contributed to the rise of Imperialism. This notion was utilized to justify the annexation of Hawaii and the acquisition of additional territories.
The growth of U.S. imperialism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was primarily attributable to the expanding military and naval strength of the United States. In the 1860s, the U.S. military successfully conducted a war against Mexico, annexing vast portions of Mexican territory, including California, Arizona, and New Mexico (Oslo, 2021). The United States and Spain went to war in 1898, resulting in the annexation of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. As a result of the Spanish-American War, the United States also obtained authority over the Hawaiian Islands.
During the early 1900s, the United States extended its territorial reach and strengthened its global influence. (Greenberg, 2021). In 1904, the United States assisted in the establishment of the Panama Canal Zone, which gave them control over the Panama Canal (Olson, 2020). Moreover, the United States became more actively engaged in Latin America and the Caribbean, often carrying out military interventions in countries like Cuba, Nicaragua, and Haiti. In 1914, the United States attempted to overthrow the Mexican government by occupying the Mexican city of Veracruz.
The United States also participated in World War I and joined the Allies in 1917. The United States emerged as one of the world’s foremost military and economic powers after World War II. The United States pursued its expansion policy during the 1920s by annexing Alaska and Hawaii. According to Mitchell (2017), under the excuse of protecting U.S. people or business interests, the United States also began to engage more regularly in the affairs of Latin American nations.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the expansion of the U.S. military and navy was a crucial component in the growth of U.S. imperialism. The United States utilized its military might to expand its global territory and influence (Mitchell, 2017). Additionally, the United States grew increasingly involved in Latin America and the Caribbean, frequently intervening militarily in nations such as Cuba, Nicaragua, and Haiti.
Effects of Imperialism in the USA
The United States was impacted in various ways due to the rise of American Imperialism. To begin, it increased the amount of money spent on the military. According to Satgar et al. (2020), the United States federal government started allocating a more significant budget to the country’s armed forces to ensure the safety of its expanding foreign territories and interests. This rise in spending on the military resulted in the establishment of several new military bases in various locations across the world.
Second, the expansion of American Imperialism resulted in a rise in the total number of people who sought refuge in the United States of America. Many people from the new territories that the United States gained during this period decided to relocate to the United States to escape the poverty or political unrest in their native nations. The United States became more ethnically and racially diversified due to the rise in immigration.
Additionally, the expansion of American Imperialism increased the volume of trade in the United States engaged. The expansion of the United States territory brought with it the opening of new consumer markets for products made in the United States (Satgar et al., 2020). This rise in trade volume ultimately increased the United States’ aggregate wealth.
Fourth, the expansion of American Imperialism caused an increase in the number of people from the United States who went to other parts of the world. As the United States expanded its territory holdings, many citizens were interested in traveling to the newly acquired regions. A more significant number of people in the United States were able to broaden their cultural horizons due to increased travel.
Effect of Imperialism on the Rest of the World
The emergence of American Imperialism during the latter part of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century significantly affected the rest of the world. The United States of America rose to prominence as a significant force on the international stage, becoming influential in various domains, including politics, the economy, and culture (Surguladze, 2022). People worldwide were affected in a variety of ways, both positively and negatively, as a direct result of the expansionist policies of the United States during this period.
The expansion of American Imperialism was responsible, on the bright side, for a surge in international trade and investment volume. American businesses started making significant investments overseas, which sparked economic expansion and development in many countries and regions of the world (Surguladze, 2022). During this period, people from all over the world started coming into contact with the concepts and values of the United States of America, which increased cultural interaction.
The expansion of American Imperialism had the unintended consequence of making the United States more involved in the affairs of other nations. When the United States of America wanted to safeguard its interests or advance its values, it would frequently engage in military intervention in the governments of other nations. According to Burns (2017), this resulted in many instances of conflict, the shedding of innocent blood, and the exploitation of other nations by the United States and its corporations.
Conclusion
In conclusion, new territories were obtained by the United States through war, treaties, and purchases. The United States then incorporated these new areas as states or territories. The United States also exerted its influence by intruding in the affairs of other nations, such as by overthrowing the Hawaiian government in 1893. The United States’ imperialistic policies during this period were driven by a desire for power and prestige (Burns, 2017).
The United States desired to be perceived as a significant power with a global sphere of influence. These measures led to war with Spain and Germany, among others. Many individuals in the countries that the United States sought to govern were likewise opposed to it. Therefore, Imperialism’s effects and trajectory are adequately explained.
References
Burns, A. (2017). American imperialism. The Territorial Expansion of the United States, 1783-2013. Web.
Greenberg, A. S. (2021). US expansionism during the nineteenth century. The Oxford World History of Empire, 1011–1034. Web.
Kennedy, T. C. (2021). British Quakerism, 1860-1920: The transformation of a religious community. Oxford University Press, USA.
Mitchell, D. (2017). Reflection: American imperialism. Kulturgeographie der USA, 267-271. Web.
Malone, I. T. (2017). The Gilded Age in New York, 1870–1910. Women’s Studies, 46(6), 595–596. Web.
Molen, S. L. (2019). A cultural imperialistic homecoming: The Korean Wave reaches the United States. The Korean Wave, 149-187. Web.
Olson, G. (2020). United States imperialism, 19th century. The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Imperialism and Anti-Imperialism, 1-9. Web.
Olson, G. (2021). United States imperialism, 19th century. The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Imperialism and Anti-Imperialism, 2754-2763. Web.
Satgar, V., Adam, F., Amin, S., Bond, P., Carroll, W. K., Chase-Dunn, C., Gallas, A., Garcia, A., Kato, K., Majumdar, N., & Seipato, K. (2020). BRICS and the new American imperialism: Global rivalry and resistance. Wits University Press.
Surguladze, V. (2022). Value-behavioral transformations of Generation I: The American model for Russia and the rest of the world? USA & Canada: Economics – Politics – Culture, (1). Web.
Wu, S. X. (2018). Geology in the age of imperialism, 1890–1923. Empires of Coal, 160-187. Web.