American imperialism

American imperialism is the economic, military, and cultural influence of the United States on other countries.

At one time this influence included expansion into the foreign territories. Expansionism was a primary objective of most empires, an example being the British Empire.

American imperialism began in the 1890s. In 1896 the US annexed the Hawaiian Islands.

After the Spanish-American War the US annexed Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. In 1914 the US completed the Panama Canal. The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine increased US influence in Latin America. It was the basis for Roosevelt's Big Stick policy. The US evolved from expansionism towards being an influence on world affairs.

American Imperialism Media

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  Map of the United States and directly controlled territories at its greatest extent from 1898 to 1902, after the Spanish–American War

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  U.S. westward expansion–portions of each territory were granted statehood since the 18th century.

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  A New Map of Texas, Oregon, and California, Samuel Augustus Mitchell, 1846

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  Indian land as defined by the Treaty of Fort Laramie

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  Map showing the Great Sioux Reservation and current reservations

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  Big Foot's camp three weeks after Wounded Knee Massacre; with bodies of four Lakota Sioux wrapped in blankets in the foreground

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  This cartoon reflects the view of Judge magazine regarding America's imperial ambitions following McKinley's quick victory in the Spanish–American War of 1898. The American flag flies from the Philippines and Hawaii in the Pacific to Cuba and Puerto Rico in the Caribbean.