Answer:
Although it's debatable when American imperialism started, with many historians saying it started with the creation of the country itself, "imperialism" is more usually utilized to talk about American imperialism in the late 1800s.
With the end of the Spanish-Cuban-Phillipino-American War (1898) the US guaranteed the construction of a canal in the Isthmus of Panama, the possession of Hawaii, the colonization of the Philippines (1898-1946), and a long history of intervention on Cuba.
Step-by-step explanation:
The war of 1898 was a short conflict that had lasting consequences for many of the parts involved. For American countries, except for the US, it meant different ways of being colonized by the United States' imperialism.
At this point in the history of capitalism many nations that were going through industrial revolutions it was important to get sources of raw materials and to have large consumer markets. While many European powers were colonizing African countries, American imperialism targeted the countries of the Americas in a sequel of the Monroe Doctrine.