‘…[God] made us master organizers of the world…’ said Senator Albert Beveridge. American imperialism is derived from the ever-studied exceptionalism that was carried with the American culture during the 19th century. The term refers to the physical and social influence that the United States has internationally including money, militia, and culture. America applied its imperialistic force to countries such as Cuba, Korea, the Philippines, and even Germany.
January 17, 1893, a faction of people mostly consisting of U.S. citizens performed a coup d’état on the last Monarch of Hawaii. 6 years later, in 1898, Hawaii was completely annexed by the U.S. government. This would put all of Hawaii’s equipment and property, which made the island rich in trade, in the hands of the U.S. The same year the U.S. annexed its neighboring island would also mark the year that it stepped into international affairs.
The Spanish-American war lasted 10 weeks and was an intervention enticed by the American public due to the travesties that resulted from the Cuban war. The victory was huge as it put an end to the Spanish Empire and led to the Treaty of Paris. The Treaty would give the U.S. authority to take control of Cuba, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. Cuba finally gained its independence from Spain, although the Philippines were in the middle of a revolution of their own.
With the Spanish Empire now out of the way, the Philippine Republic foresaw independence from the alien government. The U.S. would soon exert its newly attained authority with annexation and colonization. This intervention was greeted with force, causing the Battle of Manila and in turn the American-Philipine War of 1899. The U.S. claimed victory in 1902, forever changing the Philippines politically and culturally.
The U.S. was making a name for itself internationally by gaining territory and ending the Spanish Empire, it was clear that the country needed to protect its Newfoundland. In response to the Venezuela crisis of 1903 and preventative action to the European countries, President Theodore Roosevelt made an addition to the Monroe Doctrine that made it go from passive, to reactionary. It was called the Roosevelt Corollary. This allowed the U.S. to act as international police when sought viable. This would serve well in the imperial rule of the U.S. because for the next 20 years, U.S. military would be going in and out of South America.