Imperialism is the practice of extending the power of a nation by direct territorial acquisition of colonial empires. The desire for power and prestige played a role in American imperialism. But it was the economy that led the United States to imperialism. In the late 1800s the United States became the world’s leading industrial producer. The economic success encouraged the nation to establish overseas colonies, just as the European powers were doing. The U.S. hoped colonization would provide new markets for its goods and new sources of raw materials. The support for imperialism grew during the late 1800s. As the U.S. conquered and colonized more land, our nation became a great imperialist in the world.
The exaggerated report of the yellow journalism horrified Americans into agitating for war against Spain. In addition to U.S. horror at Spanish atrocities, threats to U.S. investments in Cuba convinced many that the United States should aid the Cuban rebels. Spanish rude ways of putting down Cuban demands for independence also created some kind of sympathy and anger among Americans. To protect U.S. investments and to help Cuba overthrow Spanish rule, the U.S declared war on Spain. After some battles taken place, the U.S defeated Spain in this short war. By the terms of the peace treaty, Spain granted Cuba its independence and ceded Puerto Rico and the Pacific island of Guam to the U.S. Spain also gave up control of the Philippines in return for a U.S. payment of $20 million. Although the U.S. also paid a price for the war, the rewards offset the negative effects of the war. The U.S. involvement in a short war with Spain increased the American role in the Pacific and the Caribbean. The U.S. gained most of Spain’s overseas territory through victory in the war. Most importantly, the U.S. secured its position as an imperialist and world power. The defeat of the Spanish forces marked the rise of the United States as a global military power.
The Spanish American war also extended the U.S. presence in Asia and the Pacific. After the war, the U.S. established political control over the Philippines. To annex Philippines for commercial and naval reasons, the U.S. began the Philippine American war. To calm the tensions, the U.S. granted Filipinos the right to govern their own country gradually. The Filipinos wait for independence was a long one. The U.S. finally granted independence to the Philippines nearly half a century after the Spanish American war. The U.S. imperialist power grew stronger as they took over the Philippines. The Philippines provided a better access for the U.S. navy to other Asian countries. Most importantly, Philippines gave the U.S. a foothold in the populous markets of Asia. The populous Asia would provide new markets for its goods and new sources of raw materials. The U.S. planned to get involved actively in the Asian trade using the gateway of Philippines. During the U.S. rule in Philippines, the U.S. secured its trade with Asian countries and its position as an imperialist power.
With many vital interests in both the Caribbean and the pacific, the U.S. looked for a way to cut the travel time between the seas. In response the U.S. proposed digging a canal through a narrow neck of land in Central America to allow the U.S. Navy to police both seas. Columbia’s political situation gave a good chance to the U.S. With the U.S. aids, the Panamanian revolution against Columbia cleared the way for the U.S. to build and retain control of the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal brought significant military advantages and economic benefits to the U.S. No nation except the U.S. was allowed to use the canal for military purposes. The canal made the U.S. even more powerful by providing significant military advantages to the U.S. navy. Furthermore, trade ship no longer had to take the long and hazardous voyage around Cape Horn in order to travel between the seas. Much time was saved for shipping and the expense of shipping decreased significantly. The canal also improved U.S. trade and communication with countries in Central America. Most importantly, the U.S. showed how powerful and strong it is to the world again. The U.S. sea power improved significantly with the canal. After all, the Panama Canal brought great economic and military advantages to the United States.
Clearly, as the result of imperialism, the United States became a world power whose trade and politics have a huge impact on the other parts of the world. Imperialism also brought great economic and strategic benefits to our nation. Our nation would not get to where we are today without our ancestors’ imperialist efforts. In this world, only the strongest survive, the weak fall and die. Imperialism, is the only way to be powerful and strong in the world which ruled by the law of jungle.
