Since the founding of the colonies, the American economy has been an expansionist one. For many years, the frontier provided an outlet for expansion. However, in 1890, the U.S. Bureau of the Census declared that the internal frontier was closed, meaning that there were no longer vast stretches of undeveloped landscape (page 290, A People’s History of the United States). Not long after that, the United States began to look for foreign markets in which to sell its excess manufactured and agricultural products. Some politicians began looking toward Cuba with an eye toward intervention in the Cuban revolt against Spain. In February, 1898, the U.S. Battleship Maine exploded in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, of mysterious but undetermined causes. Suspecting that Spain was responsible, the United States began moving toward war.
The Outline of U.S. History, Chapter 8, suggests that many Americans in the 1890 believe that to “safeguard its own interests” the United States needed to “stake out” spears of influence as the major European nations were doing. After the four-month long Spanish-American War, the United States became a colonial power, with Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and several other territories.
After reading A People’s History of the United States, Chapter 12, and Outline of the U.S. History, Chapter 8, comment about this period of American History. Choose a particular aspect of this period as described in one or both books and place that aspect in the context of American History.
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A Picture Turned Over
Growth and transformation draw the frame of the United States’ picture in the late nineteenth century as a result of territorial expansion, agricultural, industrial and technological augmentation. Regulatory measures become a must in such a fast growing country, leading to more organized development related to economy.
Successfully, the Americans reach to the point where their production wheel will roll down much faster, that there is not enough consumers to put away the items for consumption. Here is the turning top in the American picture where it becomes viewed as a country of an economic profit system rather than a country that grew from a rural republic into an urban nation. Urbanization becomes a fact that lives in America and continues to feed its terrain, whereas ‘Profit’ becomes the backstage hero of America’s actions beyond its borders. The only way to keep the wheel of production and growth going non-stop and to save the country from the under-consumption devastating results, is to find markets for American goods over-seas.
The American internal ideology of expansion, and after the American frontier has been closed, is replaced with an external ideology magnified with American justifications for expansion. One of which is the right and duty they receive from the “manifest destiny” (Outline, p 183) to extend America’s influence and civilization around the world. Up to that period of time during late 19th century, the Real Expansion is in service for their economy and do “not need colonies and wars of conquest . . . only needs a free access to markets,” (Zinn, p294). That’s why there is a tendency of opposition to “traditional colonialism and instead advocated the policy of the open door” (Zinn, p294). “It was a sophisticated approach to imperialism than the traditional empire building of Europe.
“The United states’ first venture beyond its continental borders is the purchase of Alaska” (Outline, p182). However, an important venture is in Cuba, sending Spaniards out under the motivation of Cuban Independence, when merchants and businessmen in America knew better earlier that Cuba forms a great deal of interest to them, nonetheless, these people do not believe in military intervention. The four month war in Cuba that comes as a result of the Maine incident makes the United States’ solid steps into the world, reaching to Philippines, South America, and china and recently almost the whole world including the outer space.
Not only has the United States turned over its picture into a profit based country but also brings into the world new pictures of modern imperialism and dominance under different kinds of validations and excuses drawing a history of a nation fond of power and supremacy.
After the civil war,America was going throw a major economic growth.and it was based on the exploitation of iron, steam and electrical power.there were telephones now, and electricity, railroads were getting bigger and the popultion was increasing. Villages now were growing into towns and town were growing into cities. On the other hand agriculture developedin so many aspects and it remained Americas first occupation. The number of farms incresed , while the technological revolution farm mashine were developing. However, someone had to pay the price of this expansion and it was as usual the inferiors , the indians. Their life was destroyed by this expansion, that after they build a life somewhere in the west, they came and destroy it , so the indians will have to move again.
Ever since the establishment of the U.S., white settlers had certain interests, expansion was the most essential goal for them as colonists. at the beginning, English settlers wanted to expand their colonies by the aquisition of more lands regardless the means to achieve that even if that means the violation of others' lands and rights, so they expanded, and took more lands from the native Americans even by force. furthermore, they had other interests and the expansion of economy was also one of the most fundemental goals U.S. sought for.
as we mentioned, the U.S. had many interests regarding its relations whether internal or external and it could do anything in oreder to safeguard these interests or obtain them.
U.S. gives great importance to its economical power. thus, the expansion of economy played a great role throughout the American histor. the country started to grow economically from agricultural to industrial and now tecnological. it is also worth mentioning here that in order to keep the growth of economy, markets are needed, and in oreder to have such markets U.S could rely on military means or force. in brief, U.S. is ready to start a war to maintain its economical power.
thanks maha and hala for your comments... we're waiting for the rest of our class to post their ideas... getting ready for the next chapters? yeeeaaah!! hope Dr.clarck is doing well and waiting till we will get together next week INSHALLA...
History Repeats Itself!
“The period was one of imperialist frenzy, as European powers raced to crave up Africa and competed, along with Japan, for the influence and trade in Asia.” (page 181, Outline of U.S. History). Therefore America wanted to compete with Europe and Japan and built the American Empire before they find themselves the last at this race. Expansion is the key for America to gain a powerful international economic status. Meanwhile, Cuba was fighting for their independence from Spain and the United States decided to step in out of sympathy with the Cuban fight.
Although the Spanish-American war “started as one of relief for the starving Cubans” and that America was only looking for a market for its surplus, but the Cubans knew the real need of America which is “equivalent to handing over the keys to our house so that they can enter it at any time, whenever the desire seized them, day or night, whether with good or evil design.” (page 304, A People’s History of the United States). All they needed is conquest, the need that runs in their blood ever since America was discovered, which left a trail of massacre, destruction and murderous butchery where they were treating them “a little better than a dog”. At first the United States didn’t want this war, but “there was nothing left for us to do but to take them all [Philippines] and to educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize and Christianize them, and by God’s grace do the very best we could by them, as our fellow men whom Christ also died.” (page 305-06, A People’s History of the United States).
“Is America any better than Spain?” How she would be any better than Spain when Columbus himself came from Spain? When Columbus first landed in this innocent wilderness searching for the expansion and other economic reasons, Americans - unconsciously maybe – followed the tradition of expansion, therefore decided to enter the Spanish-American war and Philippine-American war as well. But what was the price to create the American Empire? “A poor man’s war – paid for by the poor man. The rich have profited by it, as they always do …” (page 301, A People’s History of the United States).
The united states of America turned from a rural republic to an urban nation which brought a great change in the American economic, there became a lot of factories, steel mills, transcontinental railroads lines.
Inventions , war, iron, electricity were the main things which stimulated economy during the century, some of those inventions were :The telegraph by Morse, The telephone by Graham Bill, The Typewriter, The adding machine, The Cash register, The linotype, The Rotary press, The paper folding machine, The lamp by Edison, The Talking machine, and the motion picture.
The main industry at that time was iron which spread in the westward areas (Esp. Great Mesabi Ore) and Steel which was governed by Andrew Carnegie , he had a lot of factories in several things : steel , iron, bridges, railroads and locomotives , he built the largest steel mill in Pennsylvania.
They had the railroad freight policies , rail lines extended cheaper freight rates to large shippers by rebating a portion of the charge. The price for the freight shipment differ from one shipper to another, they used to give less prices for the large shipments, it didn’t depend on the distance but it depends on the company even if it was a few hundred kilometers.
Also they had a lot of acts to govern the economical system at that time such as the "Interstate commerce Act " by president Cleveland which forbade excessive charges, pools, rebates and rates discrimination. Also opposed the protective tariff on foreign goods, The Homestead Act which granted free farms for 64 hectares to citizens who would occupy and improve the land.
Although all of these industries were known but the main industry was agriculture , it transformed from a hand into machinery and from subsistence to commercial agriculture. Also a lot of changes entered the Agricultural side to participate in its improvements , since a lot of farm machines were invented : The reaper, wire binder, threshing machine, cutters, huskers, mechanical planters, shellers appeared, cream separators, manure separators, potato planters, hay driers, poultry incubators and a lot of other inventors.
To develop the Agricultural market and gain more profits they wanted to control the market and the production so they made the corporation and the Trust.
A lot of combinations were made : oil , lead, sugar, tobacco, rubber and meat
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