US foreign policy between 1865-1914. Isolationist or Expansionist?
...far cry from what was about to happen. Expansionism is the nations practice or policy of territorial or economic expansion. The United States began dealing with territories that were overseas. They proceeded to expand into foreign markets not only for territorial advantages but also for the economic benefit. At the turn of the century, Isolationism took a back seat to expansionism, which had now arrived in full force. Throughout 1865 to 1914, the United States foreign policy was primarily expansionism. Through the strong foundation of Isolationism and the policies enacted such as The Monroe Doctrine, the United States played a largely neutral role in foreign affairs. The Monroe Doctrine passed in 1823 was to forbid European nations from colonizing any territory in the Western Hemisphere. Although the United States didn’t have the authority or firepower to back this up, it resulted in almost four decades of compulsory US involvement in any foreign affair. After the Civil War, Isolationistic practices grew stronger as the government had to find a way to re-unite the torn nation. President Grover Cleveland promised to avoid committing the nation to form any alliances with other countries while also opposed to the acquisition of new land. The climate of post Civil War US prevented us from deep involvement in foreign affairs. Our navy was also weakened by the war. Our natural resources were scarce and our diplomatic relations with other countries had been neglected. With the attention of our government focused solely on our nation, we proceeded to develop our interior. One of the biggest reasons for growth in US land mass was the public idea of Manifest Destiny. Americans believed that it was the destiny of the United States to populate a huge, vast continent. In the 1890’s, the Isolationist movement took a back seat and American foreign policy followed heavy Expansionism. After the total expansion into the west, Americans perceived notion of Manifest Destiny changed. They believed that since they were superior to other nations, their policy needed to change from just territorial acquisition within its borders, to outside. The United States had to think about the development of the national economy and protection of its interests and ideals’ considering the American market was overproducing its goods therefore saturating the market. The United States had to pursue new avenues for economic growth, and also had to protect these interests. The first major conflict was The Spanish-American War. This war was caused by the millions of dollars the United States had invested in Cuba, and its Sugar crop. After the Spanish-American war the United States continued to expand territorially and economically by acquiring new territorie...