Question one
what is imperialism? what might be good things about being an imperialist nation? what might be some bad things about it? what are two or three ways that these imperialist ideals might have led to the first world war?

question two
develop a logical argument for imperialism in the united states during the 20th century: why might it have been something the united states wanted to try? what arguments were our leaders making to let us claim outside territory?

question three
several us leaders wanted no part in imperialistic practices. why did these officials think imperialistic policies were such a bad idea? what were a few big problems they saw with conquering foreign lands?

question four
does the united states practice imperialism today? what can you see that you determine that? should the united states have imperialistic policies today? why do you think that?

question 1:

imperialism and imperial rivalry were significant sources of tension between european powers, particularly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. these tensions fuelled nationalism and were an important factor in the outbreak of world war i.

question 2:

“american imperialism” is a term that refers to the economic, military, and cultural influence of the united states on other countries. first popularized during the presidency of james k. polk, the concept of an “american empire” was made a reality throughout the latter half of the 1800s. during this time, industrialization caused american businessmen to seek new international markets in which to sell their goods. in addition, the increasing influence of social darwinism led to the belief that the united states was inherently responsible for bringing concepts such as industry, democracy, and christianity to less developed “savage” societies. the combination of these attitudes and other factors led the united states toward imperialism.

question 3:

this article focuses on the extent to which imperialism contributed to the outbreak of the first world war. the first part describes the emergence of specific imperialist cultures and attitudes in europe. the second part deals with economic rivalries, showing that financial imperialism was not identical with formal political expansion. the third part concentrates on the classical field of diplomatic history and the question how much the so-called “concert of europe” was influenced by imperialist tensions on the periphery. even if imperialism was one of the crucial factors that led to the great war, by 1914 nearly all colonial disputes between germany and britain had been solved.

question 4:

elements attempted to expand pro-u.s. republics or u.s. states in mexico and central america, the most notable being filibuster william walker's republic of baja california in 1853 and his intervention in nicaragua in 1855. senator sam houston of texas even proposed a resolution in the senate for the "united states to declare and maintain an efficient protectorate over the states of mexico, nicaragua, costa rica, guatemala, honduras, and san salvador." the idea of u.s. expansion into mexico and the caribbean was popular among politicians of the slave states, and also among some business tycoons in the nicarauguan transit (the semi-overland and main trade route connecting the atlantic and pacific oceans before the panama canal). president ulysses s. grant attempted to annex the dominican republic in 1870, but failed to get the support of the senate.

in 1862, president lincoln's emancipation proclamation opened the door for african americans to enlist in the union army. although many had wanted to join the war effort earlier, they were prohibited from enlisting by a federal law dating back to 1792.

explanation: