Question

AP US History question:

At the turn of the century, several nations were competing for internal empires. After the Spanish-American War, the United States government sought to extend and solidify its influence in the Western hemisphere. Analyze the effects of American foreign policy in Latin America in the period 1899 to 1917.

Answer 1

Following the Spanish-American War, the U.S. pursued a policy of imperialism in Latin America, annexing territories and asserting its power using military, economic, and political means. This era saw the U.S. justify interventions by proposed benefits like democracy, while facing criticism for its colonial practices.

Step-by-step explanation:

After the Spanish-American War, the United States emerged as a significant imperial power, adopting policies of imperialism to extend its reach, especially in Latin America and the Pacific. The victory over Spain and the subsequent Treaty of Paris in 1898 allowed the U.S. to annex former Spanish territories like Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, demonstrating its new stature as a global power and shaping its foreign policy for the early 20th century.

The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine in 1904 solidified U.S. involvement in Latin American affairs, signifying a shift from pure non-interventionism to active intervention to stabilize economic interests and geopolitical presence. The U.S. extended its influence through military interventions, economic coercion, and the establishment of protectorates, exemplified by its actions in Panama, which led to the construction of the Panama Canal, integral to American and global maritime trade.

In this imperial era, the U.S. often justified interventions by claiming to spread democracy and civilization, but also faced criticism at home for its expansionist actions, which contradicted the nation's founding principles of liberty and self-determination. By 1917, as the U.S. moved towards involvement in World War I, its role in Latin America had fostered both regional stability in certain countries as well as nationalist resentment and resistance against U.S. influence.

Answer 2

America's foreign policy in Latin America during this time was based largely on moral issues, in that the US viewed it as a moral responsibility to stop dictators from rising in war-torn and impoverished Latin American countries.