I. Roots of Imperialism 1. Ideological Arguments * Scholars, authors, politicians and religious leaders provided interlocking ideological arguments for the new imperialism. * Some used Darwinism which they believed the US should engage in struggle for wealth and power with other nations. * Others belief in racial inequality. * To Americans, the industrial progress, military strength, and political development of England and US were proof of an Anglo-Saxon superiority that carried with it a responsibility to extend the blessings of their rule to less able people. * American missionaries promoted expansionist sentiment where religious groups increased the number of Protestant foreign missions six fold from 1870 to 1900. * Missionaries pursued a religious transformation that often resembled a cultural conversion where they promote trade, developed business interests, and encouraged westernization through technology and education. 2. Strategic Concerns * Other expansionists were motivated by strategic concerns. * The geography of America convinced Americans that the US had to develop new policies to protect and promote its national security and interests. * Alfred Thayer Mahan emphasized the importance of a strong navy for national greatness in his book, The Influence of Sea Power upon History. * Mahan proposed that the US build a canal across the Isthmus of Panama to link its coasts, acquire naval bases in the Caribbean and the Pacific islands to protect the canal, and annex Hawaii and other Pacific islands to promote trade and services the fleet. * Mahan’s program was a group of nationalistic Republicans. * Theodore Roosevelt promoted Mahan’s idea when he became assistant secretary of the navy in 1897. 3. Economic Designs * All Americans favored economic expansion through foreign trade. * Policy promised national prosperity: larger markets for manufacturers and
I. Roots of Imperialism 1. Ideological Arguments * Scholars, authors, politicians and religious leaders provided interlocking ideological arguments for the new imperialism. * Some used Darwinism which they believed the US should engage in struggle for wealth and power with other nations. * Others belief in racial inequality. * To Americans, the industrial progress, military strength, and political development of England and US were proof of an Anglo-Saxon superiority that carried with it a responsibility to extend the blessings of their rule to less able people. * American missionaries promoted expansionist sentiment where religious groups increased the number of Protestant foreign missions six fold from 1870 to 1900. * Missionaries pursued a religious transformation that often resembled a cultural conversion where they promote trade, developed business interests, and encouraged westernization through technology and education. 2. Strategic Concerns * Other expansionists were motivated by strategic concerns. * The geography of America convinced Americans that the US had to develop new policies to protect and promote its national security and interests. * Alfred Thayer Mahan emphasized the importance of a strong navy for national greatness in his book, The Influence of Sea Power upon History. * Mahan proposed that the US build a canal across the Isthmus of Panama to link its coasts, acquire naval bases in the Caribbean and the Pacific islands to protect the canal, and annex Hawaii and other Pacific islands to promote trade and services the fleet. * Mahan’s program was a group of nationalistic Republicans. * Theodore Roosevelt promoted Mahan’s idea when he became assistant secretary of the navy in 1897. 3. Economic Designs * All Americans favored economic expansion through foreign trade. * Policy promised national prosperity: larger markets for manufacturers and