THE EVOLUTION OF AMERICAN FOREGIN POLICY SINCE THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION Essay

THE EVOLUTION OF AMERICAN FOREGIN POLICY SINCE THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION - Essay Example After a brief but important war with Spain in 1898, the United States became, almost at once, a world power with distant colonial possessions. While some Americans believed that their national identity suited them for such overseas expansion, others questioned it. In addition, reformers began to demand greater involvement on the part of government in solving the problems of the poor and the helpless and of protecting the nation’s natural resources. Several factors contributed to the new idea of overseas expansion. New railroad lines and government land policies brought a flood of settlers to the American West. The desirable land there was quickly settled. When the Bureau of Census officially announced the end of the frontier in 1890, some Americans began to fear that the nation’s opportunities for growth would end. Another factor in the growing interest in expansion was American nation’s rapidly increasing production of goods. By the late 1800s American farms and factories turned out increasing amounts of crops and manufactured goods. American began to seek out new markets for those goods that could not be sold at home. Foreign markets for these surplus goods were considered essential for the nation’s continued economic growth. (Hall, 1999) In the late 1800s a new spirit of imperialism, the policy of extending one country’s rule over other nations and colonies, developed in Europe. Great Britain, France and Germany colonized Africa and turned eagerly toward Asia. Some Americans shared this spirit. Some believed that American empire would help less fortunate people all around the world. These Americans believed that the cultures of Asia, Africa, and Latin America were inferior to American and European cultures. They believed Americans had a duty to civilize these people by showing them American ways of governing and working. American missionaries also