Dbq Imperialism

Conflict of the late 19th century and early 20th century caused America to end its isolation and become a world power. In the late 19th century many Americans started to believe in imperialism, militarism, nationalism, and alliances opposed to the previous beliefs of the country that they wanted to remain isolated and to not get involved with any foreign affairs. These topics, however, relate to how the Great War began, and how the U.S. was dragged into it. In 1909, Taft wrote, “To-day, more than ever before, American capital is seeking investment in foreign countries.” This, along with many other reasons, is why the US decided to reach out of its isolation.

Imperialism, which is the term for building empires by imposing political and economic

control over different people and/or foreign countries around the world, was used to describe the era of the actions America took in the late 1800s. The 19th century was when the US finally decided to end their isolation. There were economic factors such as natural resources and new trading markets, political factors such as nationalism, world power, and to fit in with Europe, and finally social reasons such as white superiority, the Anglo-Saxons, the white man’s burden, and to spread US values and democracy. Due to the Cuban revolution against Spain, America’s investments in Cuba’s sugar industry, the sinking of the USS Maine, and yellow journalism, the Spanish-American war broke out in 1898 leaving America victorious, thus gaining three countries and controlling the economy of others. After this the US realised the potential value of taking control of many other countries and annexed Hawaii, gained the American Samoa, purchased Alaska, and opened the Panama Canal in the late 19th century. By 1914, European countries had begun fighting. President Wilson was trying his hardest to keep America out of the war, but for reasons such as trade and investments with the Allied powers, the sinking of the Lusitania, and the Zimmerman telegram put the US over the edge and they finally joined the war in 1915.

Excerpt from William Taft’s First Annual Message, 1909, William Howard Taft:
At the beginning of this excerpt, William Taft states that America’s economy is changing to rely on foreign countries trade and are seeking foreign markets also.

He believes that the government should protect American interests, and that the government’s responsibilities have increased. The foreign trade also caused countries to be brought closer together and conflict that could be dangerous. Taft believes that in considering whether an American enterprise should be supported in a particular country, the government should be given the full weight (not only to the “national, as opposed to the individual benefits to accrue, but also to the fact whether or not the Government of the country in question is in its administration and in its diplomacy faithful to the principles of moderation, equity, and justice upon which alone depend international credit, in diplomacy as well as in finance.”). The main goal that William Howard Taft wanted to express through this document was that he wanted the government to have responsibility and a voice of the issue of foreign trade, and that he believed that it would be in the nation’s best interest to invest in other countries’ economies and financials. As America became more involved with foreign countries after ending their isolationism, people started to realise that it would help the U.S. to trade and invest in many foreign countries. One of the causes of the Spanish American war was that the US had invested in Cuba’s sugar industry, and the Americans wanted to defend this country. America’s economy changed positively after they started to expand to other parts of the world in trade, alliances, and

imperialism.

Excerpt from What Is Progress, Woodrow Wilson, 1912
In this excerpt, Wilson believes that the government has been stolen from the people and used by the politicians in ways that were not intended. The people wanted to have more of a say in what was going on in America. During this time the people were wanting to be more involved with other countries and other parts of the world. Wilson thinks that “an invisible empire has been set up above the forms of democracy,” and that “there are serious things to do. Does any man doubt the great discontent of this country?” Wilson believes that the unrest of the people should be discussed more throughout governmental decisions and it should be the main focus of the government to make sure the people are content.

Overall, it is evident that from the late 1800s to the early 1900s the United States had changed its beliefs of imperialism, militarism, and alliances. This change was due to many conflicts such as the Spanish American war and WWI. The American government decided that it would be beneficial if they were involved more in world affairs for social, political, and economic reasons. The conflicts of the 1800-1900s changed the American identity from an isolated country to a world power. Still, today, we are not an isolated country because of the change in beliefs in the late 19th and early 20th century.