Question

Commodities mean in the under-

lined sentence? What clues can
you find in the surrounding
words, phrases, or sentences?
READING SKILL
Identify Main Ideas Locate the
sentence that identifies the main
idea of the summary. Write the
sentence below.
needed a large amount of unsettled land to succeed. Some Am
felt that the nation should expand into foreign lands.
In 1853, Commodore Matthew Perry sailed a large naval
Japan. Perry won the Japanese emperor's favor by showering
with lavish gifts. Within a year, Japan agreed to trade with the
United States. In 1867, Secretary of State William Seward boug
Alaska from Russia. The purchase almost doubled the size of t
United States and provided timber, oil, and other natural resour
In Latin America, U.S. businessmen sought to expand their trac
investments, which expanded the U.S. sphere of influence.
The Hawaiian Islands had been economically linked to the
United States for almost a century. American sugar planters ow
much of the Hawaiian land. They used their influence to exclud
many Hawaiians from the voting process. Queen Liliuokalani,
ruler of Hawaii, tried to limit the political power of the white min
ity. In 1893, the planters overthrew the queen and set up a new g
ernment. The United States annexed Hawaii in 1898. The United
States was abandoning isolationism and emerging as a new pow
on the global stage.
Review Questions
1.
How did Social Darwinism contribute to imperialism?

Answer 1

Commodities in imperialism refer to goods and resources that were bought, sold, and controlled by imperialistic powers. The desire for valuable commodities drove the expansion and economic activities of countries during this period.

Step-by-step explanation:

Commodities in the underlined sentence refers to goods or products that are bought and sold. In the context of the surrounding sentences, the mention of trading with Japan, the purchase of Alaska, and the expansion of U.S. businessmen into Latin America all indicate the economic activities and resources that were involved in imperialism. These activities were driven by the desire to acquire and control valuable commodities such as timber, oil, and other natural resources, as well as to expand trade and investments.

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