How Did Imperialism Affect The United States

At the turn of the century, imperialism was a proper and legitimate policy for the United States of America to assume. The economy in the United States flourished as imperialism continued to expand. The United States was also equipped with the top military forces in the entire world, making it easy for them to take over other countries. The U.S also believed imperialism was going hand-in-hand with the idea of Manifest Destiny. Not only did imperialism help the U.S thrive economically, but it helped the entire world thrive. With the spread of the imperialism, the United States economy thrived. The economy grew due to trade with other countries like Cuba and China.By the 1950s, the U.S. controlled 80 percent of Cuban utilities, 90 percent of Cuban mines, close to 100 percent of the country’s oil refineries, 90 percent of its cattle ranches, and 40 percent of the sugar industry (Lotta).
With control over most of Cuba, the U.S was able to profit off of their resources.For example, the sugar industry.
The U.S taxed low tariffs on sugar trade which boosted both countries’ economies, but ultimately made it easier for the U.S to take over Cuba.The United States had long demanded an Open Door Policy for trading in China, which was weak, in order to prevent other powers from carving up China among them (Imperialism, Open Door Policy in China). By the U.S adopting the Open Door Policy, it gave them equal access to any of the ports open to trade in China and in time, helped the economy grow along with business and
trade. Having strong and stable military forces helped the U.S in the spread of imperialism. This strong military system played a vital role in taking over countries, need be, or if a war broke out. This strong military system was eventually needed in Cuba. With subsequent U.S. interventions in Cuba, American forces used Guantánamo Bay as their staging point; it soon became the major U.S. naval installation in the Caribbean (Muir). The Guantánamo Bay played an important role as a naval base, which successfully helped in the spread of imperialism. The Guantanamo Bay wasn't the only naval base to support the spread of imperialism. Pearl Harbor, naval base, later played a key role in American defense; preventing World War Two from spreading to the American mainland. National defense of America benefited in more ways than just the naval powers, American influence expanded greatly thanks to imperialism (The First American Empire and Imperialism). Pearl Harbor was a very useful for both trade with China, and military use. The long held belief of Manifest Destiny helped push imperialism overseas. Manifest Destiny was a widely held belief by the American settlers. The settlers believed that it was their destiny to expand and move across the continent to spread their traditions and their institutions, while at the same time enlightening more underdeveloped nations (Manifest Destiny). Since the U.S could no longer expand westward, they set their sights on spreading their power across the world. The effects of manifest destiny were being seen in U.S. intervention in the Spanish-American war when Spain ceded the Philippine Islands, Puerto Rico and Guam to the U.S. (Manifest Destiny) The ceding of the countries to the U.S was a sign of confirmation that U.S imperialism was expanding globally. With imperialism in mind, the idea of Manifest Destiny encouraged U.S expansion world wide.