Causes of Imperialism

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Causes of Imperialism

• Objective 6.01

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Background

• After Civil War Americans interested in
• Reconstructing the South
• Settling the West
• Building up industry
• Not wanting to expand

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Change of Course

• Opinion on expansion begins to shift in 1880s
• Desire to make U.S. a world power

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What is imperialism?

• Economic and political domination of a strong
  nation over weaker nations

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Reasons for Imperialism

• Desire for New Markets
• Feelings of Superiority
• Need for More Room
• Assertion of National Power

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1Desire for New Markets

• When U.S. was focusing inward, European nations
  began expanding
• High tariffs in European nations caused them to
  start expanding their trade to other countries

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• U.S. took notice and decided that the nation had
  to follow the trend to keep the economy strong

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2Feelings of Superiority

• Applied Social Darwinismwith nations competing
  with each other, only the strongest and fittest
  would survive
• This was justification for the expansion of power

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• Anglo-Saxon Superiority developed belief that
  English-speaking nations had superior character,
  ideas, and systems of government
• Therefore destined to dominate the planet

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Anglo-Saxon Superiority

• Popular in U.S. and Britain
• Seen as a part of the idea of Manifest Destiny
• Was destiny of U.S. to expand overseas and spread
  its civilization to others

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Josiah Strong

• Popular American minister
• Anglo-Saxonism should be linked to Christian
  Missionary ideas
• Christians were their brothers keeper
• Caused American support of imperialism to grow

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White Mans Burden

• Poem by Rudyard Kipling
• Response to U.S. involvement in Philippines
• Burden, or responsibility, of the white man to
  spread ideas and beliefs
• Can be interpreted as support or a warning

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3Need for More Room

• Frederick Jackson Turner
• Wrote The Significance of the American Frontier
• With frontier closed, America will need a wider
  field of influence
• Caused more acceptance

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4Assertion of National Power

• America wanted to be seen as a world
  powerespecially in Europe
• This would happen through economic gain
• Began to practice mercantilismtheory that a
  country should sell more than it purchases

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Modern Navy

• Capt. Alfred Mahan stated that in order for a
  country to protect its trading and interests
  overseas, a strong navy was needed to protect
  merchant ships
• He also believed that navy bases should be set up
  overseas