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19th and 20th Century Us Expansionism Compared to Past Expansionism

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19th and 20th Century Us Expansionism Compared to Past Expansionism
From the beginning of its time, America has held the desire to expand. Manifest Destiny, the belief that the United States has a mission to spread its beliefs and culture, had held true since the formation of the country. Between 1776 and the start of the twentieth century, expansion had always been something on American’s minds. The only difference in each individual case was the place we sought and the time. Other than that, the reasons behind it were more or less very similar. Three main reasons led to annexation of new land and imperialistic dreams: the belief that we had a duty to spread our culture, the belief that it was a mission from God to spread Christianity, and finally, that we should take hold of any opportunities that pass us. Before the late nineteenth and early twentieth century imperialistic movement, America focused mainly on expanding to the west. It began in the seventeenth century when the first white settlers wanted to look to the interior of the new land to get away from the civilized world. The land was unlike anything settlers had come across before. The image of the land was pure and unsettled. However, many tribes lived on them. Throughout the years the Indians had been pushed further and further west to get out of settler’s ways. They soon became a problem because they did not know whether they should grant them citizenship or not. In the mid 1800s severe fighting took place between the whites and the Indians. The Dawes Act in 1887, for example, took away much of what they knew and later they were forced to become assimilated into American culture or pushed aside into Indian reservations. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, however, expansionism was finished inside America and more focused on foreign lands. This was not only true with the United States, however (Document A). Other nations wanted pieces of other lands as well. This is true, for example, in the case of Samoa. Great Britain and Germany were interested in the islands as well as the United States. They came to the conclusion to share power over the land but came close to war, and soon only Germany and the US split it between them. It had become a race to take the land that was not taken already and that had weak leadership (document B). The theory of Survival of the fittest came into fruition and countries were fighting for hegemony of smaller lands. Trade became a factor in the US fighting for lands. China was important to the country’s trade. Other countries were also trying to get their trade into China. In order to protect American trade, President McKinley stated that he wanted access to China but no special advantages there, a statement later turned into the Open Door Policy. It set rules that no countries were to interfere in others’ trades there, Chinese officials could collect tariffs, and the nations could not discriminate against each other in special rates. When the Boxer rebellion occurred, these nations agreed to the notes. America truly had the key to China and could control who traded in China (Document G). Two of the most important imperialistic moves the United States made had to do with Spain and the Philippines. The US chose to intervene in Spain’s affairs in order to support the Cubans. We ended up with control of Cuba and controversy over what to do with this new acquisition. We seized the Philippines from Spain as well, which had been an imperialistic move more than one of good nature. Most of the expansionist projects throughout the United State’s history have been very similar. They all revolved around three main reasonings: Duty, mission, and opportunity (Document E). Americans felt it was their duty to support a struggling nation when it needed help, as in Cuba’s case. Catholics wanted to spread Christianity and thus believed it was their mission when it came to assimilating Indians. And finally, we had the opportunity to seize the Philippines and Theodore Roosevelt (Document F) did just that. Although some disagreed with our Imperialistic ways (document D), most Americans whole-heartedly supported expansion, hoping it would increase the markets overseas for our goods (Document C). It also produced the need for a larger naval power. If we wished to expand overseas, we needed a powerful naval force to protect our trade. The issue with citizenship and rights was always an issue in every expansionist program. The Indians and Filipinos struggled with American ideas of what types of rights they should be receiving (Document H). It became a problem because a fear of annexing other lands occurred because of the question of what would become of its inhabitants. In the Indian’s case, they were pushed aside and fought with. It became the country’s choice over what would become of all of these peoples. Although each of the cases were different in American Imperialism, they were all very similar in that they revolved around manifest destiny, the belief that American culture should be expanded to as many nations as possible. Each of the lands were unique and had their own people to assimilate into American culture. Whether it was for good-hearted reasons or pure imperialistic desire, the United States had acquired many useful lands to add to a growing nation.

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