By the 1890's Americans were sick and tired of their 1870 and prior image of being just backwoods farmers staying at home from the world. Americans in the 1890's were conscious of the great power of American industry, wealth, inventions, natural resources and wanted to take their place among the great powers of the world. They were aware of all the great progress America had made in every field.
<span>A new political movement the progressives wanted even more progress and aimed at the future to make America 'great'. This was the motivation for the new foreign policy. Examples: kicking Spain out and taking Cuba,(1898), buying Panama and building the American Panama Canal there (1904). President Theodore Roosevelt building the 1st mighty US Navy (1901-1909).</span>
I would say Liberalism, in my opinion.
Spain did not immediately realize that the New World was in fact a new continent. Columbus himself died without ever knowing that the land he had arrived to was not India.
However, when Spain realized that this land was completely undiscovered, they decided to explore it. This was motivated by several reasons. On the one hand, they were curious to see what the territory was like. On the other hand, they were also motivated by the possibility of owning such a vast territory and the resources located in it. Finally, they were motivated by the idea of turning the Native American people they encountered into Christians, thus achieving their salvation.
Rural people had farms and thus needed more workers so they just had a bunch of kids to help out. if the city they didn't need a bunch of kids.
