Manifest Destiny: The Role Of Imperialism In The United States

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An American Empire The ancient, rather generic definition of imperialism has evolved since its introduction by the Persians, Athenians, Macedonians, and Romans. Specifically, imperialism’s evolution may be seen through United States’ foreign policy from the expansionist policies of the Spanish-American War to the current ideological and economic motives behind the War on Terror. Imperialistic intentions may be connected to over a century of war engagements. It is the motives behind these intentions that are in essence responsible for sparking the evolution into a new imperialism. As the political reality of the world changes through history, American foreign policy must respond to these changes in order gain power, maintain power,…show more content…
American overseas expansion was particularly predominant between 1898 and 1914. The Industrial Revolution that was occurring in the United States prompted enthusiasm in imperialism. During this period, imperialism was defined as, “the establishment of colonies and the building of empires.” In 1890s, the United States began to experience pressure due to competition in Canada and Argentina (Imperialism). The United States required a great amount of raw materials in to facilitate production in factories. Increased acceptance of imperialism echoes the capitalist nature of the international community. In other words, changes within capitalist conditions sparked changes within imperialism. Expansionism represented the ability to expand the United States’ capitalist market through an increase of trade, inexpensive raw materials, and labor. When wealth from undeveloped nations was exported back to the United States, it increased wages for working class Americans…show more content…
Even in 1976, Herbert Schiller recognized a shifting towards cultural imperialism in work Communication and Cultural Domination. He describes cultural imperialism as, “the sum of the process by which a society is brought into the modern world system, and how its dominating stratum is attracted, pressured, forced, and sometimes bribed into shaping social institutions to correspond to, or even to promote the values and structures of the dominated center of the system” (Galeota, Julia). An example of the usage of brides for cultural imperialism may be seen in United States policies in the Cold War. The United States began to heavily employ foreign aid for democratic promotion in order to keep European states from becoming allies with the USSR. Each ally was important for the acquisition of power. Through economic assistance, imperialism is able to promote political ideology while allowing that assistance to promote markets in the aiding country. For example, about ninety percent of United States aid to other countries is American produced goods and services. Julia Galeota, a 2004 Humanist Essay Contest winner, profoundly noted that the motives behind the United States cultural imperialism resemble the same justifications for American imperialism through the history of American foreign policy. These motivations are, according to the article, “the desire for access to foreign markets and the belief in the
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