Expansionism

Expansionism in America during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century shared many similarities and differences with earlier expansionist ideas. In both cases of American expansionism, the Americans believed that we must expand our borders in order to keep the country running how it’s supposed to be. Americans also believed that the United States was the strongest of nations, and that they could take any land they wanted. This is shown in the manifest destiny of the 1840's and the Social Darwinism of the late 1800's and early 1900’s. There were also several differences that included the American attempt to stretch their empire across the seas and into other parts of the world. During history, the United States had come off as a stubborn nation that would take what they wanted at any cost, similar to the British. This was obvious in both cases of expansion as the Americans risked war and national safety for the sake of gaining land, or even for proving a point. During the early years of expansion, the Americans had pushed aside the Native Americans. They believed that the land was truly theirs and that everyone else was just squatting on their territory. This idea was continued into the early twentieth century as the Americans looked to the oceans for new territories to their kingdom. The race for expansion became more of a worldwide competition instead of controlling the surrounding lands or what is actually theirs. Other countries were quickly fighting for uncontrolled territories, and America felt that they needed to stake their claim in imperialism around the world. America felt that they were more powerful than ever, with the addition of an improving navy, turning their attention to the seas for conquer. During the earlier attempts of expansion, America had a small, not-so-powerful navy, which made oversea conquest out of their reach, leaving them only the surrounding areas for taking. America only had the opportunity to conquer Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Philippines, due to their navy.