During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the United States pursued an aggressive policy of expansionism, extending its political and economic influence around the globe. The U.S was poking around where it shouldn't have been and pursuing its own welfare without regard to others. It stripped the rights of many individuals and their colonies. Some would argue that American imperialism improved prosperity. However, if you were to take a step back and look at the issue from a logical and more rational point of view, one that encompasses not only the U.S but the entire world, you"d see that even though imperialism did improve American prosperity, it jeopardized the country's moral integrity. To others, Americans were an evil people, a people that were quick to overlook mankind's God given rights and take whatever steps necessary to develop its own culture. .
In my opinion, imperialism was nothing but another way to dominate people and in a way that compelled the submission of people by using brute force. Although Americans did prosper because the economy was expanding and job opportunities were opening up, we prospered at the expense of others. To me, imperialism seems very unethical and very unconstitutional because all it does is govern people without their consent. One of our Core Democratic Values states that individuals are entitled to certain rights, rights which the government cannot strip them of. The government is expected to protect these individual rights, which include the right to life, liberty, economic freedom, and the pursuit of happiness. Unfair or unreasonable restraints may not be placed on their exercise. Many of these rights are enumerated in the Bill of Rights. I believe that imperialism is forcible annexation and directly violates our code of morality. .
When I think about US expansion in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, I don't think America was expanding to help other countries.
