Should the US have acquired an empire in the late 19th century?

History Module 3 Discussion Name Institution History Module 3 Discussion Since the Civil War, the US chose to remain an isolated country. Territorial expansion was not among the goals of the policy makers who only wanted the country’s economy to grow which it did greatly that by 1890, the US had surpassed Britain and France as world’s most productive economies. Despite this growth, the US was still uninterested in territorial expansion. Ideas had been put forward during Lincoln’s and Johnson’s presidencies, but the US only acquired Alaska after Russia sold it for $72 million. However, with Europe scrambling to divide the world, a growing discontent among the policy makers ensued, and in 1898, the country made a quick turn around and transformed from a republic to a mighty and powerful imperial power. Should the Unite States have acquired an empire in the late 19th century? No. The US should not have acquired an empire in the late 19th century. The country was led by certain republican principles which posited that the country would at any one time seek to safeguard the rights and freedom of every person. The Declaration of Independence clearly states that “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” By turning into an imperial power, the US simply went against their doctrine which they had formulated and had stood for since their independence a century ago. How did European expansion affect U.S. imperialism? The European expansion affected the US in a big way. First, with their quest to rule...