Aguinaldo’s Case, What was Imperialism? What were some policies that reflected America’s Imperial ambitions?
It was during the period of the 1890s that the US foreign policy became influenced by imperialism. Imperialism is the attempt to acquire new lands or gain influence in other lands, to help your nation become stronger and wealthier. Ministers were anxious to “save souls” in the areas that became “open” as a result of commercial and naval expeditions. During that decade, the US became the most important industrial power in the world. That meant we had to find markets and areas to obtain raw materials. Business was also looking at other areas in the world as potential customers for our products. The US military, especially the Navy, was growing and expanding in other areas of the world where we had not had the ability to go in force before. The war with Spain and the presidency of T. Roosevelt also made the US a major economic, military, and imperialistic power.
