The Start of American Imperialism *US History

Extending Our Borders Not a new concept for Americans. We had been moving westward for over 100 years and taking territory from Native Americans for even longer than that. Americans liked the idea that with more land comes more power.

Affect of the Industrial Revolution New markets were opening up across the world for all the new products we were producing. To make these new products, we needed natural resources and to get these, we sometimes had to go to different countries.

Affect of Naval Power Alfred Thayer Mahan wrote books on the influence of naval power in history. He traced the emergence of Britain’s power to the development of their great navy. We believed that we needed a stronger navy and army to be a world power. With a navy, we needed refueling stations, trading harbors, and friendly harbors.

The White Man’s Burden Religious officials felt that we needed to uplift and civilize the people of the world. We thought that it was for the benefit of the other people. The was used a lot in Europe as a reason for taking colonies around the world.

Social Darwinism The belief of survival of the fittest amongst societies. Americans believed that because we were the dominant society on earth, we should have the most control. Other countries also believed this.

The American Frontier The American Frontier closed. For many year, Americans had been moving west. This helped give Americans a sense of freedom, as if we could go anywhere we wanted. In 1890 census was taken showing that the west was becoming less and less of a frontier.

In Conclusion… All of these things happened within only a few years of each other and Americans wanted action.