Was Imperialism Justified

In the late 1800’s/early 1900’s, the Europeans were of the most powerful nations in the world; the British, French, and Dutch. They had industries and resources, among other things, such as a strong military, guns, and things other nations did not have. Things that made it easier to conquer other nations. Europeans established overseas colonies in places like Asia, India, and Africa. They established them to get to their resources and also to have a place to sell their goods. Britain wanted India so they could sell their goods there and take India’s cotton. They thought if they didn’t take advantage of the opportunity, someone else would. Throughout the 1800’s, the United Stated expanded westward. Mexicans and Native Americans lost their land as a result. In most ways, imperialism was justified.

The United States needed to imperialize for economic and military reasons. In his book, U.S. Navy officer, Alfred T. Mahan wrote about why he agreed with imperialism. He said imperialism was needed to go along with the growing production and the increasing volume of public sentiment.