Imperialist Expansion

The United States had a tradition of expansion from the beginning of its history.Prompted by so⁃called“Manifest Destiny”，Americans expanded from the 13 states on the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast by the middle of the 19th century.By the end of the century，Americans again felt the urge to expand.With the rapid growth of economic production，business leaders demanded more markets for the surplus of American goods.Since there was no more space to expand on the continent，Americans turned their eyes overseas.Besides the push for markets，American jingoism also played a role in the expansion.Many Americans felt that the country needed to expand overseas in order to join the ranks of the great European imperialist countries，and they believed that it had the strength to do so.Finally，religious leaders were anxious to spread Christianity to foreign lands and many of them supported expansion whole⁃heartedly.

Cuba’s movement for independence from Spain in the 1890’s provided a conven⁃ient opportunity for American expansionism.American businesses had long invested in Cuba and were dissatisfied with Spanish rule.When the American battleship U.S.S.Maine exploded in the harbor of Havana in February 1898，killing 266 people，many Americans blamed the Spanish although the true reason for the explosion was not known.In April，Congress declared war on Spain.Less than four months after the war started，Spain surrendered.On December 10，1898，a peace treaty was signed in which Spain ceded the Philippines，Guam，and Puerto Rico to the United States.

The peace treaty signed after the war also left Cuba temporarily under the control of the United States.The United States kept its military forces in Cuba until the Platt Amendment passed by the U.S.Congress was finally accepted as part of the Cuban constitution in 1901.The Platt Amendment gave the United States the rights of intervention in Cuban internal affairs and ceded the Cuban territory of Guantanamo Bay to the United States as a naval base.Guantanamo Bay is still under the control of the United States today，and has been used to hold prisoners from anti⁃terrorist operations including the war in Afghanistan.

Also in 1898，the United States annexed Hawaii，which had been a united kingdom since 1810.European and American missionaries were very influential in Hawaii，and in the 1870s，Americans invested heavily in the sugar industry there and came to dominated the economy.In 1893，they rebelled and overthrew the Queen with help from U.S.troops.The next year they declared Hawaii a republic，which was ruled completely by whites.In July 1898，a joint resolution of the U.S.Congress and the Hawaiian legislature annexed Hawaii to the United States.However，Hawaii did not become a state until 1959.

After the annexation of Hawaii，the U.S.turned its attention to Latin America.Americans had regarded Latin America as their sphere of influence ever since the issuance of the Monroe Doctrine.After the Spanish colonies won their independence，the United States often intervened in their domestic affairs and used any means necessary to advance its own interests.The creation of the state of Panama state clearly demonstrated U.S.imperialist practices.The U.S.Navy and American businesses had always wanted a shorter sea route between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean for military and commercial purposes.This became more urgent during the Spanish⁃American War when it took more than two months for American warships to sail from San Francisco to Cuba.In 1902，the U.S.requested to build a canal across the Isthmus of Panama，a province of Colombia.When the Colombian Senate refused，the U.S.conspired to instigate a revolt by Panama against Colombia.On November 3，1903，Panama declared independence from Columbia with the support of American warships which prevented the Colombian government from suppressing the rebellion.Two weeks later，Panama signed a treaty with the United States allowing it to dig the canal.

Americans had always been very interested in the Far East.After Commodore Perry forced Japan to open to American trade in 1853，Americans had their eyes on China.In 1899 and 1900，the United States reached an agreement with other imperialist powers with spheres of influence in China to grant America equal trading rights in all parts of China.Then in 1900，the United States joined other imperialist powers in a major expedition against China.Thus，about 120 years after the United States gained its independence from Britain，it had become an imperialist power itself.