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American Imperialism

American Imperialism. Imperialism. Definition -- The policy in which stronger nations extend their economic, political, or military control over weaker nations . Imperialism was a global trend in the late 19 th Century.

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American Imperialism

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  1. American Imperialism

  2. Imperialism • Definition -- The policy in which stronger nations extend their economic, political, or military control over weaker nations. • Imperialism was a global trend in the late 19th Century. • Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Portugal and Spain competed for African, and later Asian raw materials and markets.

  3. Reasons for American Imperialism • 1. Economic Interests • 2. Desire for Military Strength • 3. Belief in Anglo-Saxon superiority

  4. 1. Economic Interest • Advances in technology enabled American farms and factories to produce far more than American citizens could consume. • The U.S. now needed raw materials for its factories and markets for its manufactured goods.

  5. 2. Desire for Military Strength • As other nations developed a strong, global military presence (“the sun never sets on the British Empire”), U.S. foreign policy experts advised that the U.S. build up its own military strength. • In his book, The Influence of Sea Power upon History 1660-1783, Admiral Alfred T. Mahan argued for a strong U.S. navy to defend the peacetime shipping lanes essential to American economic growth.

  6. At Mahan’s urging, the U.S. built 9 steel hulled cruisers between 1883-1890. • Modern battleships, like the Maine and the Oregon, made the U.S. the world’s 3rd largest naval power

  7. 3. Belief in Anglo-Saxon Superiority • Some Americans combined the philosophy of Social Darwinism (survival of the fittest) with a belief in the racial superiority of Anglo-Saxons. • These people argued that it was the responsibility of the U.S. to bring “civilization” to inferior races.

  8. Together these factors pushed the United States to colonize areas of the Caribbean and many islands of the Pacific. • By the end of this period of Imperialism, the U.S. controlled Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Hawaii and the Panama Canal.

  9. Works Cited • Danzer, Gerald A.. The Americans. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin, 1998. Print. • MLA formatting by BibMe.org.

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