Manifest Destiny is the idea that it is America's mission to expand past the frontier, claiming it a god-given, national right. Manifest Destiny is not a policy written down but rather a cultural concept about the Anglo-Saxon attitude towards expansion. The 1890 U.S. census announced that the frontier had disappeared and westward expansion ended. In 1893, Frederick Jackson Turner published an essay, "The Significance of the Frontier in American History." In his "frontier thesis" Turner argued that the no longer existing frontier was central to American character. Now, according to Turner, the United States would have find new frontiers in order to maintain a sense of identity.
Imperialists are groups of politicians, intellectuals, and military strategists who viewed overseas expansion as the key in the pursuit of world power. After England, Germany, Russia, Japan and other industrial powers started to expand their economic horizons, Americans believed it was time for their country to join in. President Roosevelt wanted to create an international system in which powerful industrial nations pursued their economic interests, controlled world trade, and kept the world at peace. The opportunity for economic prosperity and military security and the idea of America as an industrial powerhouse pushed forth the global expansion of the United States.
During a speech about the pursuit of overseas expansion, Senator Albert Beveridge said ".....we must find new markets for our produce and new occupation for our capital." After 1880, the number of American exports rose rapidly. By 1914, 7% of the nations gross national product was foreign investment. Big businesses such as Standard Oil and American Tobacco became multinational corporations with overseas branch offices. The 1890 U.S. census announced that the frontier had disappeared and westward expansion ended. American claim to Hawaii and Latin America brought many natural resources useful in agriculture and mining....