Prompt: evaluate us imperialistic actions at the turn of the century. analyze their motives for getting involved in imperialism, how it affected their global status, and the impact on the globe. also, discuss how it impacted their foreign policy moving into the 20th century. consider these when constructing your response: what were the benefits to us for getting involved in imperialism? what were the drawbacks? how did the world view the us before and after they started imperializing? what other major countries had colonies? how did the world view them because of it? did imperialism fit with the foreign policy goals of the us moving into the 20th century?

US Imperialism in the Caribbean in the late 19th century and its effects on the Americas going forward

Explanation:

Perhaps the most significant imperialistic action in the late 19th century from the United States was the result of the Spanish-American War (1898). The United States backed Cuban independence from Spain. This instinct that the US has to get involved in Latin American and Caribbean affairs is due to the Monroe Doctrine, which began in 1823 (and thus this imperialism very much fits within the US' foreign policy goals moving into the 20th century). The Monroe doctrine is an effective opposition to European colonialism in the Americas by the US government. In this case, the United States supported Cuba's independence from Spain (then a European colonial power).  The result of this Spanish-American War was the acquisition of Spanish Caribbean territories by the United States including Puerto Rico, Guam, the Philippines (until its independence from the US in 1946), and Cuba (until its independence from the US in 1902). You will also notice that a lot of Latin America gained its independence from Europe in the early 19th century. Noticing that the Americas had largely become independent from Europe except for a few probably also partly motivated the United States to get involved in Cuba's independence (aside from the benefits it would attain from acquiring the territories)

The benefits of this were tremendous for the United States. Acquiring Cuba, even temporarily, was a big step to asserting heavy influence over the Caribbean region as a whole. Cuba is one of the largest islands in the Caribbean Sea. The Gulf states tremendously benefited from being able to trade with Cuba. Sugar cane was a valuable resource at the time and Cuba was rich in it. Additionally, being the center and largest island of the Caribbean, many different peoples and cultures brought their goods through Cuba. Having access to Cuba meant access to many different resources, cultures, and people. Cuba's trade with Louisiana (even before this) culturally enriched the state and helped lead to the music genres that Louisiana produced (like blues and jazz).

The drawbacks of this imperialism to the US were mainly how people perceived the United States. Before the US' imperialistic actions, it mostly stayed within its land borders and the world did not much concern itself with the actions of the US (noting that Spain had territory contiguous to the US colonies, so Spain would inevitably be the first country to have tensions with US expansionism). 1898 was a significant year in US imperialism in the late 19th century as this year the US acquired territories outside its land borders including Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Guam, which it still retains (Hawaii as a state and the other two as territories). After the Spanish-American War, the US did not cease its intervention in Latin America. In fact, the results of the Spanish-American war probably encouraged further intervention. In 1946, the US started the Hemispheric Defense Doctrine, which meant that the US would aggressively get involved in Latin America if the US deemed it beneficial. And the US did intervene in Latin America. So much that this could be its own set of essays in and of itself. This attitude of intervention in Latin America has caused tension in US-Latin American relations for years. Additionally, hemispheric interventionism led the US to justify interventionism everywhere.  And this is why people around the globe watch US elections. It can very much affect other countries. To this day, Latin Americans will be very skeptical of American imperialism.  

There are also drawbacks for Puerto Rico. While Puerto Rico may have gained its independence from Spain, as a US territory it does not have representation in the US house or Senate, and limited voting capability. However, were Puerto Rico to become a state, there would likely be pressure for Puerto Rico to assimilate, losing its culture and heritage in the process.

There are recent examples of US imperalistic involvement in Latin America. As recent as the last presidential election, Hillary Clinton's support of the Honduran coup was brought up. She was Secretary of State during the Obama administration when she supported a military coup in Honduras. The US' history of interventionism in Latin America is why there is a great fear of US military intervention in Venezuela (that in and of itself could be its own topic).

I hope this helps. For further information, look up the terms and phrases:

Monroe Doctrine

Hemispheric Defense

US Intervention in Latin America

Spanish-American War

Puerto Rico and Guam's limited voting rights

Cuba's influence in the Caribbean

Hillary Clinton and the Honduran coup

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