Us Expansion After The Civil War Term paper
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Expansion Essay April 29, 1999 After the Civil War the United States began to take a policy of imperialism and started to appropriate foreign lands. Previous to this the U.S. had looked only on the North American continent to expand its borders. For example the Louisiana Purchase was acquired by the United States mainly for its rich farmland that was available to be cultivated. Also the territory provided ports like New Orleans from which trade could be enhanced. Furthermore the purchase provided the United States with a defensive border in the South. Then America acquired Florida through the Adams Onis Treaty which benefited the U.S. greatly because of ports of trade and the defensive border the peninsula provided. Soon after the United States instigated a war with Mexico in order to attain California and Texas. The reasons for instigating the war were justified; because California and Texas were needed to appease conflicting U.S. interests before the Civil War. California was to be a free state, while Texas became a slave state. Furthermore, the two territories provided ports and farmland to the U.S. The expansions served two main purposes for America either they were economically beneficial such as agriculture or living space or they were used to defend U.S. borders. However, after eighteen ninety the U.S. began to expand overseas for different reasons. The U.S. had acquired the status of a world power. In order to remain at this level American foreign diplomacy was Imperialistic; and used any pretext to acquire territory abroad. The three main reasons the U.S. expanded overseas was for competition against other dominant nations, to maintain racial dominance, and preserve foreign business interests. These reasons were a departure from past justifications the U.S. used to attain land. Politically the reasons the U.S. expanded abroad were a departure from the past ways in which America acquired territory. Primarily after eighteen ninety the U.S. felt like it must compete with other European nations for World Dominance (doc. A/C). America was competing for dominance against countries such as Great Britain, Germany, and Russia, nations that had been imperialistic for centuries. The only way to compete with these nations for dominance was to have military control around the globe. Alfred T. Mahan stated, " Three things are needful: First, protection of the chief harbors, by fortifications and ships Secondly, naval force, the arm of offensive power, which alone enables a country to extend its influence outward (doc. C)." The only way to attain military control was by acquiring bases and stations on other territories. Thus America began to take over countries or influence their governments to set up military bases. America fought the Spanish American war in order to acquire two main naval bases in Cuba and the Philippines. The fact that the U.S. wanted naval bases was hidden under the pretext that the war was for Cuban and Filipino independence. In order to instigate this war to allow the U.S. to take the Spanish colonies the American government accused the Spanish of attacking the American warship the Maine, despite the fact that the ship exploded due to technical problems internally. This may seem similar to the way America instigated the Mexican War, however this for much deeper reasons and purposes. The Mexican war was for domestic tranquility and living space, but the Spanish war was to aquifer land abroad to establish military dominance worldwide. Furthermore, the Spanish war was on two fronts the pacific and the Atlantic Oceans, which meant that the U.S. needed a way to cross from one ocean to the other. Thus, the United States instigated a revolution in Columbia that resulted in the independence of Panama who paid the U.S. for our aid with control of the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal was a military necessity to the U.S. because it provided access to both sides of the globe. Furthermore the Panama Canal established the American navy as one of the most dominant in the world. The way in which the U.S. attained the Philippines, Cuba, and the Panama Canal is typical of American Imperialism after eighteen ninety. The U.S. manipulated foreign governments in order to benefit the U.S. This became a practice under the Roosevelt administration. President Roosevelt developed what was known as the Roosevelt Corollary, which was his own interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine, that in order to prevent Europe from Colonizing the Western Hemisphere the U.S. would colonize themselves. The Corollary allowed Roosevelt to intervene in any country that he did not see as stable or fit to run their own government (doc. F). During the Roosevelt administration the U.S. militarily intervened in "unstable" countries one hundred and three separate times (text Zinn). For example in Argentina in eighteen fifty-two Marines ahs to be sent in to protect American interests during a revolution. As well as in eighteen fifty four the village of San Juan del Norte was destroyed by U.S. troops to gain revenge for an insult to the American Minister to Nicaragua. Many times these countries did not need American aid or intervention, however if it benefited U.S. political interests intervention was deemed necessary. The economic necessities that caused U.S. imperialism after eighteen ninety were very different from past economic reasons for expansion. Technology and large business had brought about many changes in the American economic structure; furthermore it these effects forced the U.S. to look abroad to preserve these business interests. Monopolies such as Carnegie steel began to take control of most of America's finances. Most of the American population was working in factories producing goods for big business under harsh and disgusting conditions. However, when the injustices of labor were exposed labor unions were formed to...
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