By the turn of the twentieth century, improvements in transportation made the world seem a smaller place. The growth of European, and later, American, industry from the mid-1700s through the 1800s created a worldwide system of markets. This led, at the end of the 1800s, to a rise in European imperialism as many nations, including Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, and Spain, colonized most of Africa, Southeast Asia, and the South Pacific islands. Of these areas, only Japan and Siam (now Thailand) remained independent. China was under the influence of European nations. While other countries around the world underwent colonization, the Latin American countries, through a series of wars of liberation, gained freedom from European domination.
Imperialism and Anti-imperialism
Despite the desire of many in the United States to remain neutral, the country could no longer remain isolated in the new world arena. Arguments brewed within the nation as imperialists supported the idea of colonizing lands to protect the new capitalism. Advocates of imperialism included Secretary of State John Hay, Theodore Roosevelt, and Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, who saw acquisition of foreign lands as an opportunity to extend commerce into the Orient. They reflected the general opinion of merchants and business owners, who believed that the increase in manufacturing capacity created by new technologies made foreign outlets absolutely necessary to United States’ commerce. They insisted that foreign acquisition was necessary to expand markets, protect seaways, and supply raw materials needed by American industry. Church and missionary groups proved to be strong allies in the imperialists’ camp because they believed that the United States had no choice but to meet the moral responsibilities of creating a better existence for the poor and less fortunate nations thrust upon it in its victories.
Anti-imperialists who spoke out against acquiring the colonies after the Spanish-American War included former President Grover Cleveland, political leader William Jennings Bryan, and Thomas Reed, the Republican Speaker of the House until 1899, who argued that there was no place in a republican form of government for colonial possessions. The United States, they claimed, had no moral right to impose its rule upon people by force.
The issue of protection and economic control of foreign lands in America’s backyard became increasingly important. As early as 1823, the United States, acting in the spirit of its Monroe Doctrine, moved to "protect" Latin American countries from any attempts to re-establish or expand European colonial rule there. Military and economic intervention safeguarded the many American interests in the region.
After victory in the Mexican War, fought between 1846 and 1848, the United States gained additional territory that included California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of four other states — an odd sort of protection. To further expand its markets, and uncover possible raw materials, the government bought Alaska from Russia in 1867.
