Question

The Spanish-American War marks a large shift in U.S. foreign policy. After this war, the U.S. became an imperial power. In at least 250 words, make a claim as to whether or not becoming an imperial power was good for the country, by following these directions: Research on your own and find a primary source on U.S. imperialism. Consider looking for information on one of the countries that became U.S. protectorates. A primary source is an original document or artifact that comes from the period of time being studied Someone from that time period actually wrote, created, or used the object the historian is studying Using the information from your primary source, and the information from the lesson, develop a claim as to whether or not imperialism was good for the U.S. Fulfill the following concerning your claim: Your claim should clearly state why imperialism was, or was not, beneficial for the U.S. Your claim must have supporting statements that are original ideas, as well as facts and evidence from your source, and information from the lesson, that supports it. You must have a counterclaim that refutes your claim. Your writing will identify the stance and prove that it is false. Write an informative essay that meets the following expectations: Establishes and maintains formal an objective tone Uses words, phrases, and clauses to link each section of writing together and creates cohesion between claims and evidence Follows expectations of conventions Provide a concluding paragraph that: Synthesizes your original claim Summarizes your key points Adds concluding thoughts Cite your primary source and this lesson as a secondary source at the bottom of your essay.

Answer 1

Answer:

The United States has always been active in helping other nations gain independence, although historians argue about the United States’ motives for doing so. Whether in South Vietnam, South Korea, or Cuba, US foreign policy has long been one of providing economic and military assistance to others. But when is the United States defending its democratic ideals and when, despite its status as a former colony, is it extending its control and influence through military force as an imperial power? One of the earliest examples is US intervention in Cuba’s struggle for independence from Spain, which led to the Spanish-American War in 1898. Encouraged by sensationalist American journalism about the Cuban conflict and the mysterious sinking of the US Navy battleship Maine in Havana harbor, the United States declared war against Spain in late April. After only months of fighting the under-resourced Spanish military in Cuba and Philippines, the US emerged victorious as a new world power with a stake in international politics. In the December 1898 Treaty of Paris, Spain renounced all claim to Cuba, ceded Guam and Puerto Rico to the United States, and transferred sovereignty over the Philippines to the United States for $20 million. What motivated America to take on a superpower like Spain? Review the sources in this set to gain insight into the motivations for US engagement in the Spanish-American War.

Answer 2

American Imperialism officially started after the Spanish-American War in the 1790s. The United States has traditionally had influence on other nations but one of the things that motivated the New American Imperialism was economic. Imperialism allowed for global modernization because America had always been a leader in many industries. For one, they created the transistor, which allowed people to listen to live broadcasts of current news and events. It was also in the US that robotics was initially introduced, as well as the exploration of space. All of which have been exported to other countries through imperialism. As a result, other nations were able to develop quicker than what they would have been able to do without the US’ intervention.

Article II from an excerpt from the 1899 treaty between the US and Spain that ended the Spanish-American War reads:

"Spain cedes to the United States the island of Puerto Rico and other islands now under Spanish sovereignty in the West Indies, and the island of Guam in the Marianas or Ladrones. "

The US has had significant effect on its protectorate states in terms of culture, technology, business practices, etc. Another motivation for imperialism was military power. The US needed bases where their naval ships could be stationed and refueled. Imperialism helped them secure these bases in the world’s oceans, giving our country more leverage to show the rest of the world they were influential in the world’s oceans. The last of the motives was cultural influence. This was a time when America needed to spread culture, religion and government to those who didn’t have any. Nevertheless, American Imperialism was also able to promote nationalism. It became a point of national pride to influence territories around the world.

Some would however argue that it required a considerable amount of money to defend more than one nation. Many opponents of this concept believed that the US government should have spent their own money on developing resources to eliminate dependence on imports from other nations. However, America spent this money on imported goods. With technology improvements, the US could have gotten by most imports by producing on their own.

Should America have continued to expand to other nations to provide support or should it have retracted its naval and military bases and give the colonies a chance to stand on their own? By weighing the advantages and disadvantages, we can agree that by supporting New American Imperialism we gained respect and actually peace was achieved by defeating Spain.  

In conclusion, this expansion policy helped bring about stability for industrialization, the advancement of infrastructure and machinery was achieved and as a result helped the colonies’ progress. There was also improvement in the standard of living and the literacy rate increased drastically as western educational institutes were established. I doubt this would have taken place had the US opted for protectionism and instead resources were efficiently used for trade and manufacturing, modernizing economies around the world. There was an increase in competition between local and international markets and these are the reasons I believe Imperialism was the better alternative.

My primary source

Article II from an excerpt from the 1899 treaty between the US and Spain that ended the Spanish-American War.