America Has Been A World Power Essay -- essays research papers

          the States has been a land power for as long as anyone can remember. But how did it find what it is today? Through decades of racial discrimination and greed Our country is one of the near racist countrys there has ever been But without it America would be nothing like it is today. Slavery made America and racism made it grow. America has proven itself to be a selfish, greedy, and racist country.     The 1840s were days of extraordinary territorial reserve growth for the united States. During a four yr period, our American territory was increased by 1.2 million square miles, a gain of more than sixty percent. The expansion of our country was so rapid, that it came to be seen as an inexorable process, prompting many Americans to insist that their nation had a "manifest destiny" to dominate the continent.     The expansionist plans was never a clear defined movement, or one that e njoyed broad support. Some party leaders greatly opposed territorial growth, and even expansionist Democrats argued about how often in the altogether land should be acquired, and by what means. Some supporters of endorse deal favored rapid expansion and bold pursuit of American territorial claims, even at the risk of war with other nations. Others believed that the land would voluntarily submit to the benefits of the republic. In an often-used metaphor of the day, these regions would ripen like fruit and decay into the lap of the United States. The champions of Manifest Destiny were at best a motley collection of interest groups, motivated by greed and the continues essential for more.     There are several reasons why the united states decided to expand. In the early decades of the nineteenth century, many Americans believed that the rapid growth would cause an sparing downfall . But such vast distances were quickly being conquered by technological innova tions.     Although the United States had no shortage of unoccupied lands, expansionists argued that the republic must continue to grow in order to survive. Using the political ism of Thomas Jefferson, they viewed a great region of land as the key of a growing republic, and warned against the concentration of political and economic power. Troubled by creeping urbanization a... ...Mexico, whose government, Polk incorrectly believed, was acting in concert with slap-up Britain to thwart U.S. territorial ambitions. Although Polk insisted that the United States was not waging a war of conquest, critics accuse the president of manufacturing a war to seize California and New Mexico. In the months following the war, Polk also considered extending U.S. sovereignty over the Yucatan peninsula and Cuba, two regions which he believed were defenseless to encroachments from the British. These initiatives received little support in Congress, however, and were abandoned shor tly before Polk stepped down from office.     In the 1850s, having established itself as a transcontinental empire, the United States ceased to regard British activities in the western hemisphere with alarm. Preoccupied with the more and more bitter sectional conflict over slavery, many Americans rejected Manifest Destiny. Although southern extremists would sponsor filibuster expeditions into Latin America with the objective of gaining new lands to extend the slave empire, the expansionist movement faded from the national schedule in the years prior to the outbreak of the Civil War.