Miami Dade College American Imperial Expansion Discussion

The Republican victory in 1896 gave heart to proponents of prosperity through foreign trade. McKinley sought neither war nor colonies, but many in his party wanted both. Called “jingos,” they included Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Theodore Roosevelt; John Hay, the ambassador to London, and senators Albert Beveridge and Henry Cabot Lodge. Britain, France, and Germany were seizing territory around the world, and jingos believed the United States needed to do the same for strategic, religious, and economic reasons.

In order to prepare for this discussion forum::

• Review and identify the relevant sections of Chapter 21 that support your discussion.
• Read the linked document, taken from an article by Senator Henry Cabot Lodge (R-MASS), in the 1895 issue of Forum (see attachment) magazine.
• What motives for imperialism are reflected in Lodge’s article?

After you have completed your readings post your response to only ONE of the following questions.

1. Several reasons are proposed explaining why the United States decided to join the “Imperialist Club”. Which argument was the strongest, and which argument was the weakest? Explain your position.
2. Is there any evidence to support Kristin Hoganosn’s argument regarding the role of gender and the Spanish-American War? (Suggestion: students might want to review the previous chapter for a discussion on this topic). Discuss if you agree or disagree with her argument. Make sure to support your position.
3. In your opinion, do Lodge’s arguments support the need for the United States to acquire an imperial empire? Explain your position.
4. Directly and completely answer at least ONE question. Please make sure that you clearly indicate which question you have chosen to discuss. Clearly and accurately explain your answer based on factual information contained in the assigned readings.
5. Part 2: respond in 3-4 sentences to the following discussion: Imperialism was the best approach to expand a nation’s wealth without requiring a proportional investment of resources or money from a comparable economy. Access to the entire world is the main benefit of joining the imperialist club. The colony was forced to sell its goods to a single customer at a price they determined since they were unable to do business in the free market. The US’s industrial strength is the greatest reason for entering the imperialist club. America was never totally cut off from the rest of the world. Imperialism had an impact on American foreign policy in 1890, which led to the US taking an active role in global affairs. The ministers of the nation were quite worried about protecting the soul of the region that became available as a consequence of the commercial and maritime adventure. The United States became one of the main industrial powers in the world, which implied that others would have to trawl the markets and zones in search of raw materials. The US started to buy raw materials from underdevelopment countries (for cheap) and selling them back prime products using that very same raw material, assuring their economical and imperial dominance.