Imperialism In America Between 1815 And 1910
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Although economic interests were very important to the United States as they enacted tariffs and taxes on, for example, Hawaii and any incoming good from other countries, in fact, political and strategic advantages prevailed in the creation of foreign policies as the US went to wars with Mexico and even Spain in the Mexican War and the Spanish American War to gain land and new allies and annexed new lands such as Alaska and Hawaii, along with the people on those lands to increase the American influence. Being an imperialist country at the time, the United States reached out to these other nations, whether friend or foe and placed themselves firmly in the world as a country that was willing to fight for what it wanted and speak little threats.
The United States had a growing economy and wanted, like any power hungry country, to feed it. The informal imperialism, taking place in Hawaii gave the United States the ability to control their economy and the incoming and outgoing of goods shipped between the lands. Before the Hawaiian Annexation, the Hawaiians were subjected to unfair tariffs and taxes. The final annexation of this island chain gave the United States the economic gains of the shipping of the new native crops, the income from those crops, and the tourist and rest stop for many on the seas profit, providing the US with an economic advantage. The Mexican War too provided economically for the United States when they were awarded money for their war casualties and then the land of Texas, which provided new lands for cultivating and livestock. The later Spanish American War had economic issues in it, such as America blocking the Spanish income from Cuba (aside from blocking Cuba entirely). The US later acquired Cuba and its income filtered into the American economy. Economy was a large factor in American foreign policy.
But strategic planning, strategic laws and amendments, and political achievements won out against the economic gains. Strategically, when Hawaii was finally annexed it become a smart, secure naval base for America, not to mention the accompanying fact that it was a common stopping ground for all ships passing through the Pacific. In the Mexican War, their victory landed them a large plot of land officially, which also played a large role in helping to secure the United States idea of Manifest Destiny. The later Spanish American War led to the acquiring of Cuba, a major island in the Caribbean helping to be sure that no nation would be so close to home