To what extent was the Spanish-American War the turning point in American foreign policy? The Spanish American War, which occurred during the end of the 19th century, can be said to be a major turnover in American foreign policies. Before the war, America had adopted an isolationist policies during the Gilded age and also the Post-Civil War Era. However, with the Spanish American War, American was made more imperialistic and expasionistic through this war. Prior to the Spanish American War, America was isolated in its affairs, and did not intervene with global politics.
The author of A Peoples History of the United States opens up his book with the legendary mistake of Christopher Columbus. As Columbus landed his ship, the Santa Maria on an island of the Bahamas in 1492, he was sure he reached India. However, today it is well known that Columbus had reached the American Islands. The misconceptions start here. The people on land were branded as the “Indians” and the land itself was recognized as the land of gold and spices.
The Spanish came as conquerors, the resulting political system was entirely autocratic and solely devoted to the furthering of the motherland. Spain gave its colonies little self-rule. Instead, Spanish rulers dictated all the policies of its New World territories. (political class hierarchy discussed on link) The Spanish looted large amounts of gold, silver, and other valuables. This tradition continued into the seventeenth century as Spanish ships would come annually to bring gold and other valuables back to Spain.
It failed to reach any goals of stable government or happy living. Chapter one tells of the first successful English settlement in the new world. Not to be mistaken for the first English voyage to the new world. A number of attempts, such as Sir Walter Raleigh in 1585 and 1587 and also Captain Newport in 1605, to settle in the Americas had failed due to small size of investments and not enough men. After these failed attempts, seeing how power was in numbers, Many London merchants, soldiers, and country men came together and organized a trading company and then were granted a charter by King James as The Virginia Company of London, on April 10, 1606.
And while there is a litany of reasons that caused the English colonists in America to start the revolution, there are some that had they been handled differently there may not have been a revolution at all. The three main reasons for the American Revolution were the English economic policy of mercantilism, the French and Indian Wars (Seven Years War), and the feeling of having no control over policies affecting the colonies i.e. “no taxation, without representation”. Firstly, during the late 1600’s the English economic policy of mercantilism (the belief that there was only so much wealth in the world, and that government must defend, and acquire wealth in a militaristic strategy, albeit using tools other than the actual military). This policy led England to view the American Colonies as nothing more than a source of raw materials, and a market for manufactured English goods.
Chesapeake vs. New England The inhabitants of the Chesapeake and New England both settled in those regions for different reasons; New England settlers came for an escape from The Church of England to practice their own Puritan beliefs, and the Chesapeake settlers came for the quest of wealth. Since both groups of people were searching for different things in the New World, both regions developed differently. John Winthrop was the man leading the Puritans to New England, to create a “city on a hill,” stated in Document A, written even before arrival to the New World. Winthrop emphasizes the “unity” in his piece, clearly stating that the arrival of these people are not for physical gain, but instead spiritual. The goal of the new town was that of creating almost a model society, working together as one.
Sometime in the early 16th century a letter was written to King Charles I of Spain. This had not been an ordinary letter; it was the letter that at the time defined, a declaration of achievement, a symbol of superiority, and a prize of expansion. The letter had addressed the King about, the successful expedition, the gullible settlers, and the wide array of land ready to be colonized. Hernán Cortés had written this important letter. Originally a poor Spaniard, Cortés was born in Medellin, Spain.
Like the latter, Aguirre was a Spaniard who came to the New World to further his career. He was an officer in Francisco Pizarro�s conquest of the mighty Inca, lords of the Andes. However while Cabeza de Vaca was forthright and noble, and Cort�s was educated, Pizarro, and his brothers including Hernando and uncle Gonzalo, and his officers were cut of rougher cloth. Pizarro was an illegitimate child, illiterate, raised as a peasant in Extremadura, the dry ranch land of western Spain so like the dry southwestern USA. He was brave, pitiless, and single minded.
The two groups also had different political views and different ways to go at them. The Spanish wanted to conquer so their political policies were completely autocratic and made to help out Spain. The Spanish dictated the settlements all the way from Spain. No to very little self-rule ever happened in them. On the other side of the country, the English went to a
The United States said that they would provide support to the Cuban rebels. According to the article: Reasons for imperialism, the United States said, “ The right to intervene may be justified by the very serious injury to the commerce, trade, and business of our people”. But the fighting did not began in Cuba, it made its beginning within the Philippines. With more anticipation of expanding their empire economically, the president of the United States, whom at the time was Theodore Roosevelt, ordered their enlarged navy to the Philippines. The Philippines were a Spanish colony for just about four centuries.