Nationalism: A Catalyst For Expansion
The late nineteenth century was marked by the aggrandization of the United States as it expanded externally and involved itself in international affairs. During this time period, the Monroe Doctrine of 1823, which previously fostered neutrality and isolation, was quietly abandoned and eventually replaced with a foreign policy of involvement. The United States adopted imperialism, or the process in which a group of people extends its influence over another territory. Following this policy, the previously neutral country began to actively intervene in the affairs of others. This approach to foreign affairs was prompted by a myriad of influences. However, the major motives for this imperialistic behavior can be pinpointed to a select few. The belief in cultural superiority, the prospect of economic improvement, and intense nationalism were significant incentives for American imperialism. The fierce nationalism that swept across the country was ultimately the most influential, driving public opinion towards war and expansion.
One of the major motives for the United States’s imperialism was the belief that American civilization and culture were superior than those of other territories. Many Americans felt that it was the duty of the United States to extend its culture to the rest of the uncivilized world. Much of this thinking stemmed from racial differences. The “Anglo-Saxon is the representative of two great ideas” (Our Country, Josiah Strong): civil liberty and Christianity. The Anglo-Saxon race was associated with the English, British colonists, and people of the United States, all of which support “civil liberty ”(ibid) or democracy. In addition, it was believed that the United States’s success was a sign from God that he had specifically chosen this group to rise and uplift others. John Lukacs’s The Meaning of ‘98 states that “The Lord has not raised up this mighty people to dwell in selfish contentment,...