American Imperialism
By: regina • Essay • 773 Words • December 18, 2009 • 1,555 Views
Essay title: American Imperialism
America had definitely played its role in its imperialism. First of all imperialism is the control from one country doing to another. America has controlled a lot of countries in its time. In this essay I will talk about the causes and effects that America’s imperialism played a role in. We have really controlled a lot of countries in our time but this essay will focus more on the 19th and 20th century. We play a pretty big influence in the world today as in status wise. A lot of countries respect us because of our integrity and greatness that we have achieved. Overall I will talk about how imperialism existed in the time of American in 19th and 20th century as well as explain the causes by this time and effects that resulted on our lives today.
Imperialism is the policy or action by which one country controls another country or territory. Most such control is achieved by military means to gain economic and political advantages. Such a policy is also called expansionism. An expansionist state that obtains overseas territories follows a policy usually called colonialism. An imperialist government may wish to gain new markets for its exports, plus sources of inexpensive labor and raw materials. A far-flung empire may satisfy a nation's desire for military advantage or recognition as a world power.
Imperialism has definitely played its role in our lifetime as well as in the 19th century. First of all we attacked Iraq regarding a power issue. We believed they had some powerful items in which could be harmful to our nation so we decided to attack them to ensure our security. Another one is how we attacked Japan because they were becoming to powerful. We have done a lot to these countries just so we could have the security of keeping our power. Military reasons are also another reason for Imperialism.
Since ancient times, nations have absorbed territory near their borders to
protect themselves from foreign attack. This kind of territory could be used as kind of a cushion support. This way they have land around them to help them stay secure.
In the late 1800's, many European powers had colonies throughout the world where their ships, both naval and merchant, could take on supplies. Imperialism can also be encouraged by patriotism, religion, and a sense of cultural and racial superiority. During the late 1800’s, a strong feeling of nationalism swept most European countries. Many people believed their nation's greatness depended on the size of its territory. They encouraged expansion and the planting of their nation's flag on foreign soil. In addition, many Europeans considered the peoples of Africa and Asia to be racially inferior. The
lack of industrial development in these lands reinforced this prejudice. Many expansionists thought they had a God-given mission to take new territory and to spread Christianity