Question

What factors motivated the United States to create an empire in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which was the most significant? Explain.

Answer 1

1.Expansionism in the late 19th/ Early 20th century

Expansionism in America during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century shared many similarities and differences to that of previous American expansionist ideals. In both cases of American expansionism, the Americans believed that we must expand our borders to keep the country running upright. Also, the Americans believed that the United States was the strongest of nations and that they could take any land they pleased. This is shown in the "manifest destiny" of the 1840s and the "Darwinism" of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Apart from the similarities, there were also several differences that included the American attempt to stretch their empire across the seas and into other parts of the world.

Throughout history, the United States had come off as a stubborn nation that would take what they wanted at any cost. This was prevalent in both cases of expansion as the Americans risked war and national safety for the sake of gaining land, or even merely for proving a point. During the early years of expansion, the Americans had pushed aside the Native Americans and whoever else inhabited the land they wanted. They believed that the land was rightfully theirs and that every one else was merely squatting on their territory. This idea was continued into the early twentieth century as the Americans looked to the oceans for new territories to their kingdom. This idea is greatly exemplified in document 'E', in which Senator Albert J. Beveridge delivers a speech to Congress, saying that, "...and thanksgiving to Almighty God that He has marked us as His chosen people, henceforth to lead in the regeneration of the world..."

2.Nationalism and Racism

Nationalism and Racism in the Late 19th and 20th Century
In the late 19th century, with the squelching of the revolutions of 1848, many Europeans still desired reforms. In this desire, the seeds for unification began to germinate. As the probability of unification in places, such as, Germany and Italy began to intensify, Europeans with liberal views quickly began to entertain a nationalistic way of thinking. Many leaders of this school of thought were supporters of, British statesman, Benjamin Disraeli. Disraeli gave a famous speech at the Crystal Palace in London, in 1872. In his speech, he challenged Europeans to choose one, of two, paths. The two paths were to either advance global Imperial expansion or embrace insignificance in world affairs (Perry 151). This aroused the spirit of loyalty in many European citizens and inspired many speeches and literature in allegiance. These loyalists included Hermann Ahlwardt and Karl Pearson in The Semitic vs. the Teutonic Race and National Life from the Standpoint of Science, respectively. The beginnings of Nationalistic extremism threatened to destroy the peaceful ideals that had come about with the Enlightenment. European Nationalists combined the ideas of Social Darwinism with extreme Nationalism, effectively creating a recipe for intolerance and a justification for racist practices. Pearson and Ahlwardt outlined their racist agendas and ideas for expansionisms that were nationalistic at its core, thereby blurring the lines of Racism and Nationalism Social Darwinism and extreme nationalism was a recipe for intolerance and a justification for racist practices.