Isolationism In The 19th Century

The conflicts that occured in the late nineteenth century and into the early twentieth century caused America to shift from a primarily isolationist country to an imperial power. After years of staying out of international affairs, America’s domestic and foreign policy was on track to change completely. Throughout the Progressive Era, we dealt with political corruption and other internal problems that arose from the rapid industrialization. In Man with the Muck Rake which was written by Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, he stated that “There should be relentless exposure of an attack upon every evil man, whether politician or businessman”. His words encouraged others to chase out and prosecute those americans that hadn’t came into power through good doings which contributed to a new style of government. In George Washington’s Farewell Address, created in 1796, it states that “Europe has a set of primary interests which to us have none; or a very remote relation. Hence she must be engaged in frequent controversies, the causes of which are essentially foreign to our concerns”. He was encouraging us to promote isolationism and
United States involvement started with the sinking of the USS Maine which was believed to have been sunk by Spain. Throughout the war the rally cry “Remember the Maine” became a common headline in newspapers. This short war kickstarted the increase of Yellow Journalism, in which journalists would print outrageous stories that dramatized the factual events of the war. The combined forces of Theodore Roosevelt’s Rough Riders and the native Cuban fighters produced the defeat of Spanish forces during the Battle of San Juan Hill. American gained new land in war spoils while Cuba won their independence, provided they followed the limitation given to them by the United States. America’s empire had just began to grow and would only get bigger as time went