American Imperialism

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the imperialism of the United States in the Westward expansion and the interference in overseas affairs, like that of Hawaii. The paper also discusses the United States' involvement in Latin America and the Middle East as examples of imperialism. The paper reveals that while this involvement often masqueraded as an altruistic attempt to instill democracy, studies have suggested that democracy is not necessarily beneficial for the impoverished people it pretends to help. The paper concludes that while American imperialism has not established itself as a formal conquest for land, the influence that the United States has exercised on other states has resulted in an imperialist legacy.

From the Paper:

"While the United States' primary motivation for revolution and independence was England's invasive interference into the colonists' affairs, soon after becoming a sovereign nation, the current hegemon began practicing an imperialism of their own. While many scholars have cast this imperialism in the same negative light as its contemporaries' brand of imperialism, other studies have suggested that American imperialism rises out of United States' liberal philosophies (Ninkovich 2001, p.2). Although American imperialism is most often associated with Westward expansion, the imperialistic foreign policy decisions of the 1800s simply set the stage for the United States' history of hegemony and interference that masquerades as "empire-lite," but functions similarly to any other empire."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Imperialism. (2008). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.Retrieved August 2, 2008, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imperialism
• Leupp, Gary. (2003). 'The Rosy Dawn of US Imperialism', Global Policy, [Online]Available at: http://www.globalpolicy.org/empire/history/2003/0116hawaii.htm
• Lubragge, Michael T. 2003. 'Manifest Destiny: The Philosophy That Created a Nation', From Revolution to Reconstruction, [Online]Available at : http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/E/manifest/manif1.htm
• Ninkovich, Frank. 2001. The United States and Imperialism Blackwell, New York.
• Ross, Michael. 2006. 'Is Democracy Good for the Poor?' American Journal of Political Science, vol. 50, no. 4, pp. 860-874.

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