Scramblin' thru... American Imperialism
All Growed Up...
Sooner or later the U.S. was going to have to put away the Sesame Street potty... and hop on the porcelain pony. Leave the kiddie table and nestle in with the adults. Trade in the big wheel and take to the open road. (You get the picture or do I need to throw in a few more "growing up" clichés?) With the American Revolution a thing of the past (I mean, that thing was, like, sooooo 1775...), a new generation of Americans were ready to leave behind their own footprints... even if it meant stepping on the footprints already left by Native Americans or going over seas to step on footprints left by the indigenous people there. Big feet = big socks. And we have duck feet.
The U.S. has had a long tradition of expansion. With the land from the Louisiana Purchase (1803) and the area taken from Mexico (1848), the U.S. soon stretched from "sea to shining sea". The defeat and removal of Indians opened up the West. As a former colony, the U.S. initially resisted becoming an imperial power.
But, by the 1890s, many motives combined to build pressure for expansion overseas. First, businesses wanted more markets. Second, national prestige required the U.S. to join the European nations and Japan as imperial powers (nations with overseas colonies). This meant the U.S. had to build up its navy. Third, religious leaders wanted to spread Christianity.
Not all Americans were in favor of expansion. Some went so far as to argue that gaining overseas territories would bring undesired non-white citizens into the country. Still, an economic crisis in the 1890s made overseas expansion vital. The U.S. annexed Hawaii in 1898, took the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam from Spain in 1899, made Cuba a protectorate in 1901, and kept China and Japan opened to American trade and missionaries.
The "little nation that could" finally did.
The U.S. has had a long tradition of expansion. With the land from the Louisiana Purchase (1803) and the area taken from Mexico (1848), the U.S. soon stretched from "sea to shining sea". The defeat and removal of Indians opened up the West. As a former colony, the U.S. initially resisted becoming an imperial power.
But, by the 1890s, many motives combined to build pressure for expansion overseas. First, businesses wanted more markets. Second, national prestige required the U.S. to join the European nations and Japan as imperial powers (nations with overseas colonies). This meant the U.S. had to build up its navy. Third, religious leaders wanted to spread Christianity.
Not all Americans were in favor of expansion. Some went so far as to argue that gaining overseas territories would bring undesired non-white citizens into the country. Still, an economic crisis in the 1890s made overseas expansion vital. The U.S. annexed Hawaii in 1898, took the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam from Spain in 1899, made Cuba a protectorate in 1901, and kept China and Japan opened to American trade and missionaries.
The "little nation that could" finally did.
Awwwww, we were A-DOR-A-BLE in 1803... [Click picture for a larger version.]
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"Manifest Destiny" was a popular belief in the U.S. throughout the 19th Century. It stated that expansion was ordained by God - as in "America has the God-given right to expand from 'sea to shining sea'". And, hey, if the Big Man Upstairs is giving you the green light... who are you to say no?! The term was coined by John O'Sullivan in an article he wrote arguing for the annexation of Texas. It was later used to justify taking California, Oregon, and Alaska. But I wouldn't try using it to justify that Kit-Kat bar you lifted from Giant Eagle...
Oh the memories of killing off family members one-by-one along the pixelated Oregon Trail...
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Sorta right to the point. [Click picture for a larger version.]
Do they still make these commercials?
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In 1893, American sugar planters in Hawaii deposed Hawaii's Queen Liliuokalani. (Damn diabetes-pushin' planters got rid of a queen that had sat on the throne for less than two years!) A provisional government, composed of American businessmen (ah, I see what they did there!), was then instituted. Proclaiming that Hawaii was now independent, they requested immediate annexation by the U.S. However, President Grover Cleveland hesitated since native Hawaiians objected. (It's nice he objected to the annexation but let the whole "overthrow a queen so we can keep all the sugar profits" coup d'état slide.)
In 1898, under President William McKinley, Congress voted to annex Hawaii. Hawaii became a U.S. territory in 1900 and the 50th state in 1959. (Just imagine how happy Donald Trump would've been if Hawaii had never become a state!) 
Hand to God, Queen Liliuokalani's birth name was: Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Wewehi Kamakaʻeha. [Click picture for a larger version.]
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Uncle Sam clearly lacks fundamental playground etiquette. [Click picture for a larger version.]
In this political cartoon, Uncle Sam asserts his authority in his classroom. See how many racist overtones/themes/images you can find! (Hint: Check out the window washer and the kids by the door...) [Click picture for a larger version.]
Polly wanna cracker? [Click picture for a larger version.]
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Section summary in 140 characters or less:Manifest Destiny drove American Imperialism during the 1800s, turning a 1,000-mile-wide upstart country into a 10,000-mile-wide empire.
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