Throughout American history, millions of people around the world have abandoned their homeland for a change, to start a new life in a foreign country. Nonetheless, when it comes to Latinos, their migration has been a direct result of the United States’ domination and involvement with Latin American countries. The massive Latino migrant flows had a direct relationship to the growth of the U.S. Empire, whether it was through a political need of establishing relationships with its neighbors or an economic need such as labor demands, the truth is the U.S’s ideologies and policies have shaped their associations with other countries. With this in mind, the main reasons that led the U.S. to interventions in Latin America was the fear the Spanish,
…show more content…
main priorities and in order to achieve that goal the U.S. focused on expansionism. Nonetheless, to justify for U.S. westward expansion, Americans believed that it was their “God given right” to expand west, a term known as Manifest Destiny. The term originated in the 1840s; John O 'Sullivan, used the phrase stating "Our manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions" (Zinn). It was a concept based on racial supremacy that summarized the attitude established during the 19th century. It was a religious approach that expressed the belief that it was Anglo-Saxon Americans’ mission to expand their civilization and institutions across North America, along with modernizing and establishing democratic systems (Magaña, 7/2/2012). This expansion did not only involve territorial expansion, but also included economic opportunities. According to book Harvest of Empire, by Juan Gonzalez he states “Proponents of Manifest Destiny saw Latin Americans as inferior in cultural make and bereft of democratic institutions” (43). In accordance with that, Americans believed that their democratic system was a perfect example of their “God-given right” to conquer the frontier. In that sense, Americans were able to set foot in Latin America, conquering and extracting the countries’ resources, all for U.S. interest. Overall, the Manifest Destiny served as a justification of U.S. expansion, and the main mission was to civilize the countries, since Americans believed Latin American countries were in need of civilization. This idea allowed the U.S. to expand its territory, opening the door to commerce, trade and slavery, while controlling Latin America countries through investment and exploitation of
main priorities and in order to achieve that goal the U.S. focused on expansionism. Nonetheless, to justify for U.S. westward expansion, Americans believed that it was their “God given right” to expand west, a term known as Manifest Destiny. The term originated in the 1840s; John O 'Sullivan, used the phrase stating "Our manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions" (Zinn). It was a concept based on racial supremacy that summarized the attitude established during the 19th century. It was a religious approach that expressed the belief that it was Anglo-Saxon Americans’ mission to expand their civilization and institutions across North America, along with modernizing and establishing democratic systems (Magaña, 7/2/2012). This expansion did not only involve territorial expansion, but also included economic opportunities. According to book Harvest of Empire, by Juan Gonzalez he states “Proponents of Manifest Destiny saw Latin Americans as inferior in cultural make and bereft of democratic institutions” (43). In accordance with that, Americans believed that their democratic system was a perfect example of their “God-given right” to conquer the frontier. In that sense, Americans were able to set foot in Latin America, conquering and extracting the countries’ resources, all for U.S. interest. Overall, the Manifest Destiny served as a justification of U.S. expansion, and the main mission was to civilize the countries, since Americans believed Latin American countries were in need of civilization. This idea allowed the U.S. to expand its territory, opening the door to commerce, trade and slavery, while controlling Latin America countries through investment and exploitation of