The U.S. Empire: Its Origins

The U.S. emerged from an empire during the age of empires, so it was natural that the new nation would quickly join in the competition. The U.S., though, faced a dilemma. The founders had based the nationÆs independence on the natural right of self-determination and based the nationÆs government on republican principles. How could American leaders square those standards with a push to conquer land and people? Did not the people in the targeted lands also have the right of self-determination? (Williams 21-22).

For Britain, this had never been a problem because its leaders never attempted to bring any colonies into the fold. ôSelf-governing Englishman never had to cope with the problem of integrating their conquests into their domestic social and political economyö (Williams 22). For America, incorporating their conquests was not only an optio

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to despot-ridden masses in nearby countries! This was not imperialism, but enforced salvationö (Billington 489). One of OÆSullivanÆs business ventures was the Democratic Review, a lively journal that mixed politics with culture. OÆSullivan believed that the ôcause of humanity was identical with that of the United States.ö The Review pushed the expansionist view but rejected war, criticizing the British for their ôconstant aggression, without any shadow of excuse or apology.ö OÆSullivan preferred the American system, which did not offer any ôpretext or excuse for such wholesale oppression, robbery, and murderö (Stephanson, 39-42). Every U.S. president from Andrew Jackson to Martin Van Buren to John Tyler had tried to acquire MexicoÆs northern provinces, through every means short of war. James Polk, elected in 1844, tried all of those means, too, then chose war. In 1845, Polk pushed through the annexation of Texas, which meant that the U.S. assumed TexasÆ border dispute with Mexico. Soon that dispute flared into war (Billington 493). The American people were divided at first. Those in the Northeast opposed the war, viewing it as Southern aggression designed to create more slave states or fearing agricultural comp
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