American Imperialism In The Progressive Era

American Imperialism was on the rise in the early nineteenth century. Imperialism stemmed from the idea of Social Darwinism which can be explained as, “survival of the fittest.” The idea was to build up your empire and dominate control over other countries. By the 1890’s, America gained a new sense of power that stemmed from a growth in population, wealth, and industrial production. During this Imperialism Era another era began to unfold, known as the Progressive Era. Between 1890 and 1920, America had its most Progressive Presidents. At this time many foreign and domestic policies were being implemented to further improve American society by protecting consumers with the Square Deal, by increasing women’s rights with the creation of the 19th amendment, and by expanding the U.S control over trade with the Treaty of Paris. The Treaty of Paris of 1898 was the result of the Spanish- American War. This foreign policy ultimately ended the war resulting in America dissolving the Spanish empire allowing America to gain control over Guam, and Puerto Rico; and buy the Philippines for $20 million. The Treaty of Paris gave Cuba its freedom from Spain, while also being protected under the U.S. The United states involvement was fueled by Imperial and Expansionist …show more content…
Roosevelt’s plan had three main goals, to conserve natural resources, control corporations, and protect consumers. Acts such as the Meat Inspection Act, and the Pure Food and Drug Act were created to protect consumers and control the conditions of companies. Roosevelt also looked to improve and protect the land and it’s natural resources, for example, the National Reclamation Act. The Square Deal policy improved society by allowing cleaner and safer products to be distributed, while downsizing the number of monopolies, and creating a means for cheaper and better natural