During WW1 the United States followed the policy of Imperialism. Imperialism occurs when a stronger nation extends their military, economic and political control over weaker territories. "During WW1 the U.S. controlled Cuba, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Samoa, Alaska, the Philippines, the Panama Canal Zone, and the Midway and Wake islands." Although the somewhat forceful methods of imperialism are believed to be a bad thing today, it was once thought to be a good thing by the majority of U.S. citizens and business leaders.
Imperialism was supported by many U.S. business leaders because it was extremely helpful to our nations economy. One reason the big businesses liked Imperialism was they wanted more trading between nations. The reason businesses favored Imperialism was because it allowed the U.S. to gain more raw materials. In Alaska, for example the U.S. discovered tons of oil underground after purchasing it for only 7 million dollars.
This effective policy was accepted by the U.S. citizens for a variety of reasons. First, the U.S. had a rising demand for military strength. The U.S. believed that it needed a large navy to become a world power. In response to this belief the U.S. built 2 new types of cruisers and expanded its military force too. Second, the U.S. had a strong feeling of American superiority. We wanted to spread our christianity and our free government. Under the philosophy of social darwinism we also felt the racial superiority of whites, which was another trigger for Imperialism.
Hawaii was one of the victories for American Imperialism during World War 1. It began with a trade policy on Hawaiian sugars. Soon after that the U.S. had built a naval base on one of Hawaii's coasts. Then, a few years later, congress proclaims Hawaii an American territory. In conclusion American Imperialism, although forceful, was very helpful in the long run. It extended American trade boundaries, allowed us to become a world power and we acquired two new states (Hawaii and Alaska).
Imperialism was supported by many U.S. business leaders because it was extremely helpful to our nations economy. One reason the big businesses liked Imperialism was they wanted more trading between nations. The reason businesses favored Imperialism was because it allowed the U.S. to gain more raw materials. In Alaska, for example the U.S. discovered tons of oil underground after purchasing it for only 7 million dollars.
This effective policy was accepted by the U.S. citizens for a variety of reasons. First, the U.S. had a rising demand for military strength. The U.S. believed that it needed a large navy to become a world power. In response to this belief the U.S. built 2 new types of cruisers and expanded its military force too. Second, the U.S. had a strong feeling of American superiority. We wanted to spread our christianity and our free government. Under the philosophy of social darwinism we also felt the racial superiority of whites, which was another trigger for Imperialism.
Hawaii was one of the victories for American Imperialism during World War 1. It began with a trade policy on Hawaiian sugars. Soon after that the U.S. had built a naval base on one of Hawaii's coasts. Then, a few years later, congress proclaims Hawaii an American territory. In conclusion American Imperialism, although forceful, was very helpful in the long run. It extended American trade boundaries, allowed us to become a world power and we acquired two new states (Hawaii and Alaska).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_imperialism
https://www.boundless.com/u-s-history/textbooks/boundless-u-s-history-textbook/race-empire-and-culture-in-the-gilded-age-1870-1900-21/war-empire-and-an-emerging-american-world-power-164/american-imperialism-896-3410/
Our school textbook
https://www.boundless.com/u-s-history/textbooks/boundless-u-s-history-textbook/race-empire-and-culture-in-the-gilded-age-1870-1900-21/war-empire-and-an-emerging-american-world-power-164/american-imperialism-896-3410/
Our school textbook
http://mentorhigh.com/teacher/pierce/amerhist/ch11/webproject/amhist3/UStatesImperialism.htm
I think that in order to further understand American imperialism one also had to analyze the impact of yellow journalism. We all know that yellow journalism was used extensively at a domestic level. Journalists would exaggerate certain things, and the "muckrakers" would use yellow journalism to their advantage in order to fix everything they thought was wrong with the United States. However, one also has to note that yellow journalism was also in order to push American into the global stage. Examples of this include the Spanish-American War and the Great War. However, I do like how you mention that imperialism was indeed very important for entrepreneurs that were looking for resources elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteLink: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1866-1898/yellow-journalism
You could focus on the imperialism of other countries as well and their gains from it. I think its important to talk about the effects imperialism has on the smaller countries when we talk about how great it is. How do you think America would be different today if we had not gotten Alaska or Hawaii?
ReplyDeleteAnother reason you could state why Americans thought imperialism was okay and why they wanted to expand was the fact that Americans were born and raised ever since they settled in this country on the term "Manifest Destiny". American's were taught until there was no more physical space, to move west! West is where your future lies! Even Europeans and Asians thought this, this is why the came to America in the first place. I think you should say more about Manifest Destiny in the beginning while explaining why Americans thought that imperialism and expansion was the ultimate goal. Many don't necessarily understand it today because with our technology and each country being so independent it is unthinkinable to just conquer one another, but back during this time it was an American goal, something that was highly looked forward to.
ReplyDeletesource-http://www.history.com/topics/manifest-destiny
DeleteAs we discussed in class, I think another key factor for why American's decided to pursue imperialism was because European counterparts were doing so too. There lies a certain pressure to claim resources and territories when many European countries are doing the same thing. Was imperialism a means to establish American presence and power or did American presence and power establish imperialism? Which one came first?
ReplyDeleteI disagree with the idea that America just followed Europe in its imperialistic tendency, as America's expansionism is quite different. First of all, while Europe was busy carving up Africa and China, the US seemed content to directly control only a bunch of Pacific islands and some small patches of land in the Caribbean and Latin America. These territories were, without question, strategically important, but not dominated in the same way that Europe directly controlled or puppeted its colonies. Furthermore, rather than taking direct control of territories, the US tended to practice imperialism just by economically dominating a nation. Whether this was true before WWII I'm not really sure, but it is definitely seen in full force afterwards as the US became the world's greatest economic power. This fits in perfectly with the idea that American colonies existed to open up more markets for business.
ReplyDelete