Download What was imperialism?

What was imperialism?
Imperialism is a situation where one nation extends its
influence over foreign nations through economic or
military means.
A nation that has taken over outside areas is said to
have an "empire."
At the end of the 19th century, the United States sought
to build its own empire (meaning the US wanted to take
over other parts of the world.)
The question is, why did the nation want to do this?
Why did the US decide to start building an empire?
1. Nations with empires looked stronger around the
world. If you can take over a foreign nation, you must
be pretty strong.
2. The US needed some natural resources that were
not available inside the country.
*Sugar cane, fruit plantations, rubber: the US needed all of
these, and they aren't very plentiful on the continent. We were
an "extractive economy" that needed resources.
3. The desire for new markets: if the US took over
other nations, the people inside those nations would
start buying American goods.
4. Belief in cultural superiority: some people argued
that the US had a responsibility to spread Christianity
and "civilization" to the world's "inferior" people.
6. Alfred Mahan, a Naval Officer believed it was
indicative to have a strong US Navy for World
domination. As a result, since our ships still
ran on coal we needed places to stop and
replenish. Therefore, we needed to take
islands as “coaling stations” to replenish their
goods; to include food, water and fuel.
And let's remember, Americans had ALWAYS tried to
expand. They pushed the Native Americans away from
the east coast, past the Appalachians, over the
Mississippi, and onto small western reservations.
Americans believed in Manifest Destiny: the idea that
we had a God-given right to expand to the west.
GOD-GIVEN.
In the late 1800s, after taking the west, that feeling was
applied to the rest of the world.
• Thinking about our own history, what major
reason would we want and not want to
become an Imperial Nation?
The Debate over Imperialism
• Arguments for Imperialism
1. New Markets
2. Places for investments
3. New sites for naval bases
4. Civilize the natives
The Debate over Imperialism
• Arguments against Imperialism
1. Too much money spent to defend
2. Other races and countries were
entitled to life liberty and pursuit
of happiness