America's Exceptional ism; with Specific Emphasis on Imperialism, via expansionism and imperial acquisition's

by Tammy Sauve~

The Monroe Doctrine of 1823 basically gave the United States a license to impose itself on any nation in the Western Hemisphere, at it's own discretion with clear intent on colonizing underprivileged nations, under the pretext of protecting them from the European powers that be, thus Imperialism was born. Imperialism can be seen and felt in many different forms, it is not exclusive to imperial acquisitions alone and it is not a thing of the past as some claim but presently very active in the form of "Cultural and social Imperialism." The United States has a long history of imperialism into foreign matters and adopted the role of global police under the pretense of the Under dog on a mission to rescue or protect, like it or not, even though there are strings attached to it's parachute. America plays the under dog to protect it's investments, as well, to expand it's ever growing control and power over foreign territories. "By the end of the century, the nation extended from "sea to shining sea," (Axelrod,216). The long arm of American Imperialism was not exclusively reserved for foreign nations alone but had been implemented within it's own borders, towards the non-white, underprivileged or unfavorable ethnic cultures. "Utley's essay affords rare insight into Lakota culture and what hap peed to it

when it collided with a rapacious, acquisitive invader who's superior military power, forked tongue, and deadly diseases brought doom to Indians everywhere" (Oates/Errico,26). The American Indian wars that lasted from 1622-1924 demonstrates the sheer determination of the European settlers and founders of this country, not just be the only ruling class but to extinguish any opposing or independent cultures that may get in their way. The "Peace Policy" of 1869 is but one example, a policy set out to drive the Indians into reservations where the barbaric animals would be protected while they were being re-trained and taught how to behave properly,"The fact was that white-dominated America tended to regard the Indians as savages who deserved violent treatment" (Utley,25). America treated Indians and African Americans before them as if they were animals that needed to be protected, control ed and tamed. As if that abuse of power was not enough, America's superior exceptionalism started to spread it's long arm into foreign affairs. The United States Government went through an expansionism era to increase it's territory and thus power by way of imperial acquisition. "Alfred T. Mahan, who served as an officer in the U.S. Navy during the late 19th century, supported the notion of American imperialism in his 1890 book titled "The Influence of Sea Power upon History". In chapter one, Mahan argued that modern industrial nations must secure foreign markets for the purpose of exchanging goods and, consequently, they must maintain a maritime force that is capable of protecting these trade routes" (Mahan,22). In 1893 the U.S. oust the queen of the Hawaii Islands, without warning, committing an act of imperial acquisition. Five years later the Spanish-American war broke out and On May 29, 1898 The United States fleet blockaded the Spanish

fleet in Manila Bay and by July 3rd almost all of the Spanish ships were sunk. Not wasting any time the U.S. set up camp in Cuba under the guise of "protecting Cuba from Spain" by establishing U.S. military bases, interfering in the country's political matters and then essentially taking control over Cuba for themselves with the second guise of "to protect Cuba's Independence." "But to put the situation in more positive terms, an "independent" puppet government in Cuba (or better yet, a Cuba annexed to the United States) would be very good for business" (Axelrod, 217). To further secure the new U.S. acquired territories and protect Cuba, President William McKinley ordered the Army to the Philippines to reduce the numbers of the Spanish military, which turned into a long 3 year war that caused inflictions, famine and disease upon the Philippians civilians, before the final acquisition. After WWI, the U.S. for a short time, returned more or less to isolationism and abandoned imperialism, creating a time of peace but after WWII a more modern form of imperialism took flight. Under different guises, modern imperial acquisitions were attempted such as the provocation of war with Vietnam by positioning U.S. ships in the North Vietnamese territory which was viewed by some as a "colonial war" for territorial rights in an attempt to impose imperial acquisition of North Vietnam, not because of a communist conspiracy. "Back in 1964, however, LBJ was looking for a provocation to expand the war in Vietnam to push it to a conclusion, and the "Tonkin Gulf Incident" provided just that provocation (Axelrod,285-286). How about the 1989 invasion of Panama? The Bush administration gave feeble attempts at justifying it's invasion of Panama when it was really all about the "Panama Canal" and it's crucial importance to the U.S. for military operations. "It represented a tightening of the U.S. grip on Panama and all of Latin America. It was one of the first new

global moves (after the collapse of the Soviet Union) to push forward the U.S. as the worlds "only superpower" (revcom.us). When the U.S. started the Gulf War in 1991, looking back on it now, it seems that President Bush Sr. had an ulterior motive and long term agenda surrounding the Gulf War in Iraq, that only now comes to light. Once in office, President Bush Jr. finished the job in Iraq that his father couldn't' finish, the imperial acquisition and take over of Iraq for the sole purpose to acquire it's oil resources under the guise of freeing the world from a monstrous dictator, Saddam Hussein. Modern Expansionism, led by The U.S. government, continues unabated today, hidden behind the mask, of the "War on Terrorism". Not only does the U.S. government, feel as though they have the right to take they're War on Terrorism to any country in the world they see fit but are methodically expanding they're power over U.S. citizens, blurring the once well defined lines between State and Federal powers and taking away our U.S. constitutional rights. A Federal, expansionist take over of both State and citizen alike.

Sources; American Imperialism Alfred T. Mahan 1890 "The Influence of Sea Power upon History" http://en.wikipedia.org /wiki/American_imperialism#American_exceptionalism ------------------------------------------------------------------------No author/No date

The U.S. Invasion of Panama 1989: The Injustice of "Operation Just Cause" http://revcom.us/a/017/us-invasion-panama.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------Complete Idiots guide Alan Axelrod, Ph.D. Selling the News p.216-217 Nam (1946-1975) p.285-286 -------------------------------------------------------------------------Portrait of America Robert M. Utley Sitting Bull and the Sioux Resistance p.25-26 -------------------------------------------------------------------------