1. How did the desire to expand into new markets help push the United States to extend its influence into the Pacific?
A: The desire for new markets led to trade with Japan and the annexation of Hawaii.
2. How did Americans' opinions on overseas expansion begin to change in the 1800s?
A: A desire for world markets and belief in the superiority of white culture led the United States to assert itself as a world power. This resulted in the change of Americans' opinions on overseas expansion.
To understand how the desire to expand into new markets helped push the United States to extend its influence into the Pacific, you need to look at the historical context of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
1. Desire for new markets:
During this time period, the United States was experiencing rapid industrialization and economic growth. As a result, there was a growing need for new markets to sell American goods and products. The existing markets in Europe and the Americas were becoming saturated, so expanding into new geographical regions became crucial.
2. Trade with Japan:
In the mid-19th century, the United States initiated trade negotiations with Japan, which had previously isolated itself from the Western world. The U.S. government saw Japan as a potential market for American goods, especially since Japan was undergoing its own modernization efforts. The Treaty of Kanagawa in 1854 opened two Japanese ports to American trade, thus establishing a foothold in the Pacific region.
3. Annexation of Hawaii:
Another significant factor in the U.S. expansion into the Pacific was the annexation of Hawaii. In the late 19th century, American plantation owners and businessmen in Hawaii sought to align the islands more closely with the United States for economic reasons. Manipulating politics and overthrowing the Hawaiian monarchy, they succeeded in eventually annexing Hawaii in 1898. This move provided the United States with a strategic base in the Pacific and expanded its influence over a vast region.
Overall, the desire for new markets, combined with opportunities for trade, led the United States to extend its influence into the Pacific through negotiations with Japan and the annexation of Hawaii.