One historical circumstance that supports American expansion in the 1890s was the concept of "Manifest Destiny," which was a widely held belief among Americans that it was their divine mission to expand westward across the North American continent. This idea had been around since the early 1800s and had been a driving force behind American westward expansion, but by the 1890s, the frontier had been effectively closed.
As a result, many Americans looked beyond their own borders for new territories to conquer and settle. They believed that it was their duty to spread American values and civilization to other parts of the world. This belief in Manifest Destiny, combined with a growing sense of economic and military power, fueled American expansionism in the 1890s and led to the acquisition of new territories such as Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.