America's Role In The 20th Century

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How and why did an American Empire arise at the turn of the 20th century? How did America’s role in the New World (Latin America) and Asia (China) change? Were any of these issues tied to domestic issues discussed earlier?

The rise of the American Empire started during the 1890’s. During this time the United States had begun taking an interest in world affairs. With this new found interest the United States started competing with other European nations for overseas empires. The main reason for this sudden involvement took hold, due to the events of the War of 1898.

The lead up to the War of 1898 began after the American battleship, the Maine, mysteriously exploded and sank in the Havana Harbor. Many American leaders had urged President
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These events changed America’s role, becoming a country that took a greater role in the world affairs of the New World and Asia. According to “An American Empire” by the 1900’s the United States started to involve its selves in the internal affairs of Latin America nations by using military force and through expansion by building the Panama Canal.

Finally, the United States by the early 1900’s, brought forward the Open Door Policy. According to “The Open Door in China (1899-1900)” the goal of the policy was to allow the protection of equal rights between nations when trading with China. This in turn would help in the rise of the American Empire by opening the door for enhanced global trade.

Discuss the controversy over imperialism. Who defended U.S. intervention overseas? Who opposed it? On what grounds did the various writers base their case?

While the events of the late 1800’s through the early 1900’s helped in the rise of the American empire it also brought about the controversy over imperialism. Within the United States this controversy brought forth two groups those who supported United States Imperialism and those who opposed
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These supporters defended U.S. intervention overseas by claiming that by increasing the United States size and military to strengthen and protect trading, while creating a sense of pride among citizens of the United States. One of these supporters Albert Beveridge is known as the writer of “The March of the Flag”. Within this writing Beveridge promotes American imperialism and puts forth that as a higher race the United States bears the privilege and responsibility of exercising rule over foreign lands. One way Beveridge shows this is by stating in his writing “The rule of liberty that all just government derives its authority from the consent of the governed, applies only to those who are capable of