Examples Of American Imperialism

843 Words4 Pages
The President of the United States is always faced with the challenging obstacle of interacting with outside countries and their leaders. Conflicts with non-contiguous nations under specific political leaders have resulted in various wars and trade restrictions. Presidents such as William McKinley and Teddy Roosevelt focused more on the imperialistic policy with his Big Stick Diplomacy. Events such as the Spanish-American War under McKinley and the control of various nations such as the Philippines and Puerto Rico under Roosevelt highlight their motives. On the other hand, Woodrow Wilson disregarded preceding imperialism and focused on protecting democracy with the Moral Diplomacy. Eventually following Wilson, President Harry Truman helped…show more content…
During the end of the nineteenth century, McKinley was faced with dealing with the Spanish-American War. Following the 1898 Treaty of Paris, Spain agreed to surrender the control of Cuba and ceding Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States. Not only did the treaty end the war, it gave the United States access and control to their first oversea nations. Regarding the politics of the newly acquired control, it was a turning point in foreign affairs under McKinley as this supports the idea of imperialist democracy. Immediately following McKinley’s assassination, Teddy Roosevelt led the country at the beginning of the twentieth century. Teddy Roosevelt was largely responsible for the annexation of Hawaii, action in Panama, and the “Open Door Policy” in China despite being signed while McKinley was still in office. The annexation of Hawaii was completed in order to protect America’s colonies and economic interests. Hawaii also allowed for closer control on the Philippines and various South Asian countries. Additionally, with the use of Roosevelt’s Big Stick Diplomacy, he believed the United States’s forces should be ready upon any conflict that comes our way. He believed that America should show its dominance and superiority on other countries in a military standpoint. Overpowering non-contiguous…show more content…
Coming first, President Woodrow Wilson showcased his aggressive moral diplomacy on primarily Mexico while also keeping America out of the first World War for a short period of time. With moral diplomacy, Wilson believed support should only be given to countries whose moral beliefs are parallel to that of the nation. In Mexico, Wilson sent troops over to in theory capture Pancho Villa which mistakenly failed, resulting in a confrontation between America and Carranza's forces. Furthermore, Wilson tried keeping American foreign affairs limited by preventing the United States from getting involved in the World War. Likewise, trying to keep the good hope of America alive, President Harry Truman worked diligently with his troops to keep communism out of powerful countries backed up by the domino theory. Truman’s records exemplify his works of guiding troops throughout the end of World War II, the Cold War and the Soviet Union, and the beginnings of the atomic era. Under Truman’s rulings, troops were sent into North Korea and South Korea in hopes of knocking down the slow birth of communism. Conclusively, presidents Woodrow Wilson and Harry Truman worked for the better and containment of America compared to Roosevelt and McKinley’s

More about Examples Of American Imperialism

Open Document