The Rise of American Imperialism in the Late 19th Century

Abstract

The United States of America witnessed the age of imperialism in the late nineteenth century. At this time, the United States concentrated on the rapid expansion of their territories, and other major world powers were doing the same. But as far as history was concerned, American imperialism was based on the notion that the United States was different from other countries. The notion of American exceptionalism was that America had a specific world mission of spreading liberty and democracy across the world. Imperialism was much witnessed in the late 1890s in which the United States gained possession and control in Hawaii. The United States gained control of all ports, buildings, military equipment, harbours and all public property that had belonged to the Hawaiian Islands governments. Some parties like the American Anti-imperialist Leagues opposed American imperialism, who argued that imperialism conflicted with the American ideal of republicans. The American Anti Imperialist league was established when the United States was concurring nations and expanding its territories. Its main agenda was to battle the American annexation of the Philippines as a blinkered area. It was at this time that industrialization caused American businesspeople to venture into new international markets. On the other hand, the social Darwinism ideologies led to the belief that the United States was exclusively responsible for bringing change to less developed societies. The change that the United States intended to effect included institutions of democracy, Christianity, and industries to nations thought to be less civilized. In actual fact, the initial need for bringing civilization and Christianity to the primitive people led to the empires, which became excuses for exploitation. Looking at imperialism deeply, it is evident that it brought about international competition, which ultimately led to World War 1. But as far as the United States was concerned, the late 1890s became the turning point for the nation and the white Americans settled in the entire colonies. Imperialism was facilitated by the American territorial expansion, which symbolized the start of America's rise to global power, bringing about much influence globally. In this context, therefore, imperialism changed America from being just any other country to being a nation with significant influence globally. Unfortunately, as people were made to believe that the United States followed its constitution, the letter was not actual. It was believed that all men were created equal. Still, during the rise of America, it became clear that the territories concurred by the United States did not enjoy the same rights and benefits enjoyed by the Americans on the mainland. The newly acquired territories were viewed as inferiors and could therefore be not given responsibilities to mainland American citizens. How the United States turned into an imperial power America realized its imperialism in the late 1800s to World War II. In the 1890s, the United States exerted political, economic and social control over various countries. The countries most affected were the...