19th Century American Imperialism

The late 19th century marked a new era for the United States; gone were the isolationist principles of George Washington, and in were the imperialistic visions of the future. America was no longer keeping to herself, but instead entering the fray as an emerging world power. This sudden shift was brought on, in short, by pride. America always had to prove herself to other countries; the American Revolution, War of 1812, and Mexican-American War were all fought with a cry of nationalism. The American people wanted to come out on top, as winners, as the ones with control. Imperialism was no different. America, through expansion, racial assimilation, and expansion, aimed for domination. By the 1890s, the western frontier of the United States was …show more content…
Americans believed in the supremacy of the American way, and felt it their duty to spread this way of life with the world. This is clearly seen in Rudyard Kipling’s poem, “White Man’s Burden,” in which Kipling asserts that Americans must Christianize underdeveloped nations to save them. America had naturally risen to the top, it was an understood responsibility to lay claim and provide for other, weaker nations. Many also supported a trend that took after social Darwinism, that imperialism was the natural expansion and success of a well-evolved culture. America hoped to spread her own religion, language, and economics while at the same time keeping other cultures out. This thinly veiled racism was a factor for the annexation of Hawaii, in an attempt to prevent the spread of Asian culture to the U.S. Instead of letting that happen, America purchased an entire chain of islands, and forcefully exerted American …show more content…
The motive behind being of the same religion or economically stable went further than eye level; the global ripple effect was what mattered. Why have money? To have more than the country across the pond. Why control territories so far away? To have more power than the growing empires of Eurasia. Why promote Protestantism? To hold to the legacy of America’s first settlers, separating from what they did not believe right. Instead of being the underdog, America wanted to be respected, to be feared, and to be envied. The United States sought to rival the imperialistic ventures of European countries such as England and Spain to reinforce its own identity. America’s humble beginnings had produced a bold and even audacious country that had prospered despite the odds. The United States of America vowed to prove that a nation founded on such revolutionary principles as found in the Constitution could weather the storms of bureaucracy, corruption, and civil war, and still rise to the top,