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Imperialism
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Imperialism American involvement in foreign affairs is now and always has been a topic of much debate. Imperialism is the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries. The United States, based on this definition, is an imperialistic nation. During the 1800’s and 1900’s the United States pursued an aggressive policy of extending its political and economical influence. Newspapers were the major source of news in America and often times sensationalized events going on around the world. Yellow journalism evolved as a way to increase circulation of news and acted as a way of increasing public concerns about events outside the United States. Although the nation previously had not involved itself with foreign affairs a shift in focus brought American foreign policy into the forefront. The burden to keep our nation safe from foreign conflict and protect or provide aid for others became a concern of our leaders. The United States evolved into an imperialistic nation as a means to maintain influence everywhere. The involvement of America in the challenge Britain was making on Venezuelan boundaries, the assistance with Cuban domestic issues such as education and disease, and the building of the Panama Canal, were foreign policy issues where America played a significant role in growing our country into the strong nation that it is today. America flexed its imperialistic muscle over the attempted acquisition of Venezuelan land by Britain in 1895-1896. The boundary between British Guiana and Venezuela had been in dispute for some time. When gold was discovered in the region, the idea of a peaceful settlement became unlikely. With the charge of the Monroe Doctrine as justification, the American leaders flexed its strength by challenging the British to back off the acquisition of Venezuelan land.
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