Lesson 1: Defining U.S. Imperialism

What is U.S. imperialism?

U.S. imperialism is defined as: Attempts at expansion based on the belief that the United States needed to spread its notion of liberty and democracy and secure land and other resources to compete with Europe 

"U.S. Imperialism in Latin America" Video

“In every part of the world, even the deserts, the United States had established its hotels and imposed the American Way of Life, the cocktail lounge, the lobby, the bathroom with its seats covers and toilet paper (smooth as a rose petal)” Source: The Mexican Reader by Gilbert and Timothy, p. 559 

The following represent a few examples of key interventions in Latin America by the U.S. with intent to expand to expand their financial and territorial reach, either through acquisition of land or control of its resources. 

Mexican American War (1846-48)

Spanish American War (1898)

The Banana Wars

Guatemalan Government (1854): Pro-democracy students led a revolution against a dictator with fascist leanings. The United Fruit company lobbied the U.S. government to intervene into the student revolution.

Mexico: The United States prohibition tremendously impacted Mexico and serves to demonstrate how influential the United States can be on the international community. The long-term impact is that Mexico has become not only a producer but a transit area for all the drugs that are trying to get into the United States. The war on drugs became racialized by the U.S. through different forms of propaganda. Mexicans were blamed for the use of marihuana within the United States.

Panama: In 1903, the United States supported Panama's independence from Colombia. However, the United States only supported Panama because it had interest in building the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal became the fastest route between the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, but only after the U.S. controlled the presidency to be able to build it the way they wanted.

Bay of Pigs (1961): A failed CIA attack to push dictator Fidel Castro out of power in Cuba in April 1961 was executed by 1,400 American trained Cubans, who were outnumbered by Castro’s troops and surrendered in 24-hours.

Key Terms

American Exceptionalism: Belief that the U.S. has a unique mission among other nations and must spread the belief of democracy 

American interventionism: refers to the U.S. involvement in international conflicts and crises. The U.S initially focused primarily on domestic issues, avoiding foreign interaction, yet during the 20th century, they engaged in global affairs influenced by their own political and economic interests (e.g. Spanish-American War). 

America vs United States: The term America is named after the navigator Americo Vespucio, and it's the name of the whole continent., divided among, North, South and Central America and the Caribbean. The United States is only one of its 35 countries.

Banana Republic: Refers to a country whose economy is solely dependent on the exportation of a product, such as banana.

Eurocentrism: World view centered around Western civilization.

U.S Expansionism: an ideology that the U.S. should grow larger by either expanding its territory or currency

Manifest Destiny: The 19th-century belief held by the United States that they had to expand their country 

Unincorporated Territory: A territory that is possessed by the United States but it is not part of the U.S. and not all Constitutional rights have to apply within the territory.

Political Cartoon: A political cartoon is a drawing that uses humor, satire, and exaggeration to comment on political events, social issues, or public figures. These cartoons often include symbols and caricatures to convey a message or opinion, making complex ideas easier to understand and encouraging people to think critically about important topics.