During the 19th century, the United States’ imperialism era has reached one of the strongest points in the history. American imperialism was carried out through a system of policies seeking to extend control over foreign territories.
The American Imperialism was rationalized by the American’s belief in the Manifest Destiny. This concept has been used by politicians and government leaders during this period as a means to justify United States intention to seek for new territories.
The American people believed that they were the chosen people entrusted to rule and bring balance to the world. According to the ideals behind Manifest Destiny, the American people were destined and obliged to share their idealisms and beliefs in the democratic system and extend assistance to those nations who are not capable of self-government (Chimes, n. d).
Through this, the United States will be able to fulfill its mission of extending the “ boundaries of freedom” and ensure that every state in the world exercises democracy in order to keep international relations in peace (“ Manifest Destiny,” 2006).
One of the most prominent events during the American imperialism era is the annexation of certain territories that were critical to the United States positioning to world domination. The United States’ decision in seizing the Mexican territory was one of the highlights in the era (“ Manifest Destiny,” 2006). Following this incident, the American imperialism continued to expand, as such, by the end of the U. S – Mexican War the United States was able to expand their territories.
Through the years, the United States government has started to widen their influence and control over foreign territories and nations that are unstable and vulnerable during the period. Indeed, the 19th century has been marked as one of the most successful period of the American imperialism. However, over time, the real motives and intention of the United States in imposing control over foreign territories rather became more evident.
The motive behind the United States development into an imperialistic nation during the 19th century was to better equip themselves into gaining more economic benefits from less developed countries. The economic benefits which was posted in the annexation of foreign lands was the most enticing factor that led to the United States’ strong goal to become an imperialistic power (“ Reasons for U. S. Imperialism in the 19th Century,” n. d).
