The History of the United States

Surname 1 The History of the United States The United States should have practiced imperialism in the late 19th century to expand its influence overseas. At the time, imperialism was a common phenomenon in the international system, which countries explored to control strategic territories and trade routes (Mountjoy 12).

Major powers competed for influence abroad. This development implied that, without the U.S. expanding its influence abroad, it could not become a major power. At the same time, imperialism was necessary to protect the U.S. interests abroad, including securing sea routes.

The U.S. drive to expand its influence overseas was powered by the need to enhance its power and domination, expand the market for locally produced goods, and to spread ideas of capitalism and democracy to other countries.

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Surname 2 European imperialism created challenges to U.S. expansion because they sometimes clashed in their pursuit of national interests. The U.S. was also opposed to ideas that were perpetuated by European powers, such as colonialism. European expansion also meant that the U.S. does not have room to impose its domination on Europe because the two become competitors for power in the international system. The U.S. and European powers competed for space in Asia and the Pacific, South America, and Africa. In this respect, the U.S. had to be strategic in its imperialism to avoid creating many enemies, hence its close ties with the United Kingdom and other European powers at the time.

The concept of Manifest Destiny also powered U.S. imperialism. This is an idea that was invented in 1845 to assert that the U.S. is a country that is destined by God to expand and its domination of the world, spread ideas about capitalism and democracy all over North America (Mountjoy 25). The concept inspired American leaders to expand the territory of the country by acquiring new territories and expanding its sphere of influence in the region and beyond.

Surname 3 Work cited Mountjoy, Shane. Manifest Destiny: Westward Expansion. Infobase Publishing. 2009.