Continuities

US History – Foreign Policy and the Debates Over Imperialism, 1865-98

In this course, Professor Jay Sexton (University of Missouri) explains the similarities and differences in attitudes about the US’s proper role in the world in the period 1865-98. We start by looking at the key continuities in US foreign policy for this period in comparison to earlier decades. After this, we'll turn to explain the key differences in this period which included: (i) the international and economic context; (ii) pro-imperialism; and (iii) the politics of annexation. After this, we'll then turn to examine the role and arguments of the anti-imperialists.

Continuities

In this module, we start by looking at the key continuities in US foreign policy for this period in comparison to earlier decades. The US maintained many aspects of its earlier Foreign Policy in this period and held onto key beliefs about its role in the world. These continuities included: (i) the idea of American Empire; (ii) the significance of race; (iii) the level of debate.