Motives for Imperialism 2024

Motives for Imperialism

National Economy

Religion

Jingoism

Frontier Thesis

Militarism

Next Destination

The U.S. economy was growing increasingly dependent on international trade. In the early 1800s, the United States had played a minor role in international trade. Over the course of the century, U.S. trade with other nations grew, especially exports, which grew from only 3% of the world’s exports in 1800 to 15% percent in 1900. By the 1890s, about one-fourth of U.S. exports increased such as farm products and half of its petroleum resources were being sold abroad.U.S. politicians, bankers, manufacturers, and others believed the young nation must expand its markets abroud and its influence. They thought that if the country failed to compete in the international free market, they would lose out to the European powers. This quest for international markets and other raw materials, such as sugar, spices and coffee, led to attempts to establish political and economic control over foreign territories.

Economic Motives

Motives for U.S. expansion went beyond economics. U.S. Expansionism and the Social Gospel Movement both expanded U.S. influence over other nations. Some felt that imperialism was a religious duty. The Social Gospel movement, which called for reforms to uplift the poor in American cities, also provided an argument for U.S. imperialism. The religious sentiments (feelings) behind the Social Gospel movement motivated missionaries to work abroad. U.S. clergy such as Josiah Strong wrote that the U.S. must expand its global influence in order to convert non-Christians around the world. Strong said it was the duty of Americans to promote Christian beliefs everywhere. He believed non-Christians were uncivilized and in need of protection. U.S. missionaries traveled to Africa and Asia. By 1890, some 500 missions had been founded in China alone. Hawaiians, Cubans, Filipinos, and the Chinese received attention from American missionary societies in the latter part of the nineteenth century. American idealism and the missionary tradition helped to usher in the era of empire.

Cultural Superiority

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New Territory to Gain

In his essay “The Significance of the Frontier in American History,” historian Frederick Jackson Turner explored the relationship between westward expansion and the American spirit. After the superintendent of the 1890 U.S. Census declared that the frontier was “closed,” because the western portion of the country was mostly settled, Turner’s “frontier thesis” became immensely popular suggesting Americans explore other territories.Turner believed the open frontier had been the most important force in American history. It had enabled people to start over and prosper or fail on their individual strengths alone. Now, after the settlement of the West, Turner said, expansion was finished. He posed the question: How would the United States continue to flourish and grow without the strength, individualism, and freedom instilled by expansionism? Expansion into foreign territories beyond the U.S. would provide a new frontier and new opportunities to entrepreneurs.

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National Superiority

Another argument for expansion was one of national pride. Many U.S. politicians and businesspeople wanted to prove the nation’s military strength and superiority to the rest of the world. These people came to be called American jingoism. A jingoist is an extreme nationalist, a person who strongly identifies with a country or nation and believes his or her country or nation is superior to all others. The American jingoists favored war and foreign conquest as a means to bring glory to the nation. They called for an aggressive foreign policy to compete for colonies with the United Kingdom, Germany, and other international powers of the time.

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Militarism

To expand its land holdings around the world, the U.S. would need to be both economically and militarily strong. Imperialists such as Alfred T. Mahan, captain of U.S. Navy, argued that the U.S. needs a strong navy to pursue economic interests in the Pacific, such as Asia. In his 1890 book, The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, Mahan called on leaders to build the country’s naval power and establish global U.S. naval bases where U.S. fleets could refuel and rest. In the early 1890s, congressional funding allowed the U.S. Navy to construct more battleships to add to a fleet containing nearly 700 ships. The addition of these battleships gave the U.S. Navy the strength it needed to compete economically with European countries.

Next Destination

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