American Imperialism in the Nineteenth Century, Research Paper Example

American imperialism

The word imperialism refers to the economic, political, cultural, or military enhancement of one’s authority over any additional geographical territory. American imperialism therefore refers to the acquisition of new territories by the American nation expanding its control and influence into these new territories. American imperialism has been traced back to the initial displacement of Native American who inhabited the land even before the American Revolution took place that led to the nation gaining its independence and still continues to date. American imperialism has been part of the United States foreign policy since the time the nation gained independence and therefore the country has used political, economic as well as military means so as achieve dominance over other nations that it has interests in.

American Imperialism in the Nineteenth Century

The Monroe Doctrine that was passed in 1823 defined the United States foreign policy by declaring that the American nation had interests its own within the western hemisphere (Brown, 1994). This therefore restricted any of the European powers from meddling with the matters of any of the developing countries situated there. It was this doctrine that justified the sending of American troops into foreign territories so as to gain control within the 19^th century. It was this imperialistic attitude that made most Marxists, new left members as well as anarchists view American imperialism as being deep rooted. Early 19^th century historians such as D.W. Meining viewed such acts such as the Louisiana Purchase as imperial acts since they involved an aggressive intrusion of a people upon a region that belonged to another which resulted in total or partial subjugation of these people to foreign rule. In addition, the massive expansion of the American economy as a result of an industrial revolution was a big contributor to imperialism as the country was having a surplus that exceeded its consumption levels and thus needed new markets where it could sell of these products (Meyer, 2003). It was also believed that new markets were necessary so that the nation would be able to further its economic growth which played an important role in promoting the country’s aggressive foreign policy.

Most of the countries that were viewed to be competitors to the America nation in its quest to attain dominance and power such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Italy, and France were all involved in imperialistic activities which made the United States feel the need to act in a similar manner so as to be equally powerful as them (Johnson, 2000). Lastly, the Frontier Thesis that was developed by Frederick Jackson Turner that stated that the American frontier was a wellspring that offered creativity as well virility to the American civilization led to the conclusion that an overseas expansion was necessary since the western United States was becoming a part of America instead of being a frontier.

Countries that the United States was involved in The United States was involved in a number of countries with the 19^thcentury as a result of its imperialistic adventures. These countries are the following:

• Alaska: This is a region that was part of the Russian empire and was bought on March 30, 1867 for $7.2 million. On May 11, 1912, the region came to be recognized as an organized territory and consequently became the 49^thAmerican state on January 3, 1959.
• Philippines: The treaty of Paris that was signed in 1898 that was instrumental in ending the Spanish-American war shifted control over the Philippines from Spain to America.
• Puerto Rico:  The United States invaded Puerto Rico following the landing of American troops at Guánica due to the ensuing Spanish-American war. This was followed by the Jones-Shafroth Act that granted American citizenship to the Puerto Ricans.
• U.S. Virgin islands: The United States bought the islands of St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John from the Danish colony as it feared that the islands might have been seized and used as submarine bases during the First World War.

The American Anti-Imperialist League

The American Anti-Imperialist League was instituted following the occupation of Cuba, Philippines, and Puerto Rico by the United States in 1899 so as to campaign against imperialistic activities. The members of this league viewed that imperialism was an act that was hostile to the liberty of any country as it involved military interventions which they considered to be evil. They argued that governments should get the power to rule or govern as a result of consent from the people.

This foreign policy has been extended in to the 20^th century with imperialistic activities being carried out by the United States in its quest to control and expand its territories. Most of the acquired colonies though they have gained independence experience economic, political and cultural imperialism as the united states continues to oversee most of there activities (Smith, 1994).

References

Brown, S. (1994). Faces of Power: Constancy and Change in United States Foreign Policy from Truman to Clinton. New York: Columbia University Press.

Johnson, C. (2000). Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire. New York: Holt.

Meyer, W. H. (2003). Security, Economics, and Morality in American Foreign Policy: Contemporary Issues in Historical Context. Upper Saddle River, NJ:       Prentice Hall.

Smith, T. (1994). America’s Mission: The United States and the Worldwide Struggle for Democracy in the Twentieth Century. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.