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Pros Of Imperialism In America

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Imperialism occurs when a stronger nation holds social, political, and economic dominance and influence over a smaller or weaker country. Imperialism, while it can be beneficial, it is also largely inconsistent with many of the principles that America has been built upon. For example, one of the main concepts that the Constitution is based on is that of popular sovereignty, or the idea that the people should have the right to make decisions on the nature of the government. This concept is shown in the Constitution with such lines as “We the People” in the Preamble, as well as “The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States” in Section 2, Article I of the Constitution. However, in Imperialism, this principle is discarded, since the main …show more content…
Imperialism focuses on social Darwinism and forceful domination, and therefore pays no attention to the wishes of the people in the territories that the mother country takes control of. Similarly, Imperialist practices also take away individual rights, which are guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. As stated in Amendment I, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press”. However, Imperialism gave the people of weaker nations no voice, effectively taking away their Constitutional rights.
Many European countries chose to imperialize because it held many benefits for them. Countries that promote imperialism argue that it is a simple case of survival of the fittest, in which weaker nations are taken over by stronger ones. By expanding their territories, countries can gain more military power, find more natural resources, boost trade, and spread their science, culture, and religion to other countries. By

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