Imperialism
The notion that whiteness was a superior state to blackness and all shades between, the notion of cultural superiority was already firmly entrenched by the time of the Chicago Worlds Fair in 1893. Barely cloaked under seemingly benevolent messages of cultural diversity were clear messages related to the American intention to imperialize and colonize. The establishment of a European cultural hegemony was already under way with the rapid expansion of Britain's colonies as well as those of Spain and France. For Americans, imperialism was linked even tighter to national identity. The concept of manifest destiny had been applied to westward expansion. By 1893, the Pacific Ocean was the final frontier. America needed a "new frontier," as Frederick Jackson Turner put it (cited on page 542).
America's brand of imperialism was a curious and powerful mix of economic, political, and social hegemony built on the deep-rooted belief in white cultural superiority. Women, who were excluded from...
Religion became the realm that women could have a political voice and make effective change in the world around them; women would do this type of political maneuvering decades later with the temperance movement. Emboldened by their status as the purveyors of moral truth, women fomented an era of aggressive missionary activity. The targets of missionaries were all cultures deemed inferior, including but not limited to East Asia, Southeast Asia and the South Pacific.
The argument for imperialism was therefore rooted in dysfunction and erroneous thinking. One of the only logical arguments in favor of imperialism was that it would help the United States achieve economic growth and prosperity. Indeed, imperialism helped the United States achieve economic power that it would later wield over the entire globe. Arguments in favor of imperialism have some logic; and they…
