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Colonization: A Necessary Evil?
Harold Larrabee in his essay "The Enemies of Empire" poses many difficult, thought provoking questions regarding colonization. After reading the discussion of American colonization presented in the book "The American People: Creating a Nation and Society" the ambiguities of the situation become more apparent.
Diverse rationale for the colonization of a nation have been around since the inception of the concept. Some viewed colonization as a moral duty, while others saw it from an economic vantage point, and still others gazed upon the potential political horizons of effective assimilation. Whatever the reasoning, the issue of colonization is not an easy one.
"To colonize or not to colonize," that was the question facing late 19th century leaders of America. America was at first reluctant to expand her interests abroad. She was content to "pursue her 'manifest destiny' by expanding across the North American continent." (p 677), "but in the 1850's, American's began to look beyond their own continent." (p 677)
The first attempt...
Ideas such as "expansionism violated the principle of self-determination by the governed, the natives were unassimilable, and higher taxes would be necessary to promote growth" (p 678) were given as reasons for the rejection. Attitudes began to change with the overthrow of the Hawaiian government and the Spanish American War.
Hawaii was easy prey for a growing nationalistic spirit. White landowners already controlled most of the island so the overthrowing of the native government for strategic and commercial reasons was not difficult. (p 678) Following this coupe. America entered the struggle for autonomy by the native Cuban people from Spanish oppression
The reasoning for joining the fight supposedly occurred because of the cruelty of the Spaniards, drummed into America's public perception by the beating of the "sensationalist newspapers in the Untied States" (p 684) In reality economic interests in the raw goods produced in Cuba were a bigger factor. Whatever the case America was ready to fight a foreign war to…
Works Cited
Gary Nash & Others, The American People, Vol 2, 2nd ed., Harper Collins, 1990
Colonization Features of colonization The present day global stratification is a result of the colonization and conquest by European nations of the indigenous nations most of which were in Africa. Direct colonization largely ended but the ideology that came with colonization still lingers on in people's identity within their cultural spheres as well as their political, social and economic practices. Colonization began with entry of the colonizers forcefully into the indigenous nations.
Imperialism and African Colonization: Imperialism is empire building and occurs when one state is more powerful than the other state's obstacles (such as peoples, geographic obstacles, physical obstacles and technological obstacles) to expansion. Imperialism became a popular cause for the first time in Western countries in the 1890s due to a significant degree by propaganda that sought to make nationalism and imperialism popular (Pieterse par, 2). Towards the end of the
Of course, while technology and military strategy helped assist the Spaniards in their conquest of Mexico, one cannot overlook how important European diseases were in the conquest of the New World. Diseases such as the bubonic plague, measles, smallpox, chickenpox, typhus, and influenza had been circulating in Europe for approximately 2000 years. These diseases are referred to as virgin soil epidemics, because the populations at risk had no previous contact
While the early colonists' risks were great, however, so were their rewards. An immediate reward for their decision was distance and limited freedom from the Tyrannical George III, a place to worship freely, and an atmosphere ripe for virgin success. Long-term rewards include eventual freedom, democracy, and the founding of one of the world's most powerful nations. Unlike the risks, most of which were rather obvious for travelers during the
While there were some advantages, in British India, Indians were seen as second-class citizens, and they lived in a Third World country with few modern conveniences. In 1947, the country gained their independence from Great Britain, but the agreement also created Pakistan, and created divisions between Indians that have never mended, as a result. India has evolved into a democracy that is becoming more industrialized and modern by the day.
Colonization Movement of the Antebellum Period The Success of Colonization Movement in the Antebellum Period in Attaining its Goals The American "colonization" movement was a socio-political process, which advocated for the release of slaves by their masters, and the slaves' consequent shipment back to their places of origin in Africa. Another important element of the process was to "enlighten" the "uncivilized" African continent by sending missionaries along with the slaves, who