Late Nineteenth-Century Imperialism
In the late nineteenth-century and into the early twentieth-century, the United States was a budding power looking to breakthrough and become one of the leading forces in the economic spheres of the world. The Imperialist Era fostered that transition; Uncle Sam sought out more territories in places that the US had not interfered with before. This encroachment saw new policies, laws, and ideals being created to better handle foreign policy. The change of America’s influence in the world derived from expansionism to a much larger extent than the sustentation of continuity. As a result of this, the country saw a shift away from the following of previously conventional ideologies and towards an evolution in America’s developing role in the world.
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Hawaii and Cuba were highly contested for, and the US fought many battles to ensure that they would acquire those territories. The Monroe Doctrine, originally created by president James Monroe, stated that no country outside of the Americas could interfere with the Americas. With the Roosevelt Corollary, Teddy reinforced this Doctrine when Latin American countries like Venezuela were being indebted by more powerful Europeans. In another one of Teddy’s speeches in 1904 he declared that, “Chronic wrongdoing… [will] ultimately require intervention by some civilized nation… to the exercise of an international police power” (Doc 6.) The territory of Hawaii, about 3,000 miles west of San Francisco, was a necessity for the United States. Not only were they in a perfect environment for sugar farms, but they linked America to the Pacific. The cartoon provided shows Uncle Sam with an expanding waistline to represent the expanding of America’s empire (Doc 1.) By conquering the Sandwich (Islands), Uncle Sam grows bigger and moves on to his next meal. The cartoon originated from New York in 1899, one of the years that Teddy Roosevelt was governor. TR was an avid supporter of imperialism, and he helped pass on the ideal to the civilians of New York. Americans viewed the Spanish presence in Cuba as a threat to the US, and to a lesser extent, the Cuban people. By promising their freedom with the Teller Amendment and breaking that promise with the Platt Amendment, the United States slyly sneaked into Cuba’s government and changed their political and economical
Hawaii and Cuba were highly contested for, and the US fought many battles to ensure that they would acquire those territories. The Monroe Doctrine, originally created by president James Monroe, stated that no country outside of the Americas could interfere with the Americas. With the Roosevelt Corollary, Teddy reinforced this Doctrine when Latin American countries like Venezuela were being indebted by more powerful Europeans. In another one of Teddy’s speeches in 1904 he declared that, “Chronic wrongdoing… [will] ultimately require intervention by some civilized nation… to the exercise of an international police power” (Doc 6.) The territory of Hawaii, about 3,000 miles west of San Francisco, was a necessity for the United States. Not only were they in a perfect environment for sugar farms, but they linked America to the Pacific. The cartoon provided shows Uncle Sam with an expanding waistline to represent the expanding of America’s empire (Doc 1.) By conquering the Sandwich (Islands), Uncle Sam grows bigger and moves on to his next meal. The cartoon originated from New York in 1899, one of the years that Teddy Roosevelt was governor. TR was an avid supporter of imperialism, and he helped pass on the ideal to the civilians of New York. Americans viewed the Spanish presence in Cuba as a threat to the US, and to a lesser extent, the Cuban people. By promising their freedom with the Teller Amendment and breaking that promise with the Platt Amendment, the United States slyly sneaked into Cuba’s government and changed their political and economical