The U.S. had several reasons for them to imperialize other territories and expand. The desire for military strength, a thirst for a new market and belief in cultural superiority being the three main reasons. Desire for military strength was driven by Alfred T. Mahan. Mahan wrote “The Influence of Sea Power upon History.” Mahan pushed for the U.S. to build a large navy because one of the biggest reasons Great Britain was so powerful was the fact that they had a large and strong navy. He also pushed for the panama canal to be built because we needed an easier and faster way to move ships from the west coast to the east coast and vice versa instead of going all the way down and around South America. Pacific naval bases were also an important
