Isolationism is known as the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies. By the late 19th century, the United States began a journey to become a world power. At that time, there was not any new land to conquer in North America. Which then; caused the United States to look past American borders. The United States looked beyond the borders to take away native land that cause mass immigration to gain imperial power.
With more than 1.3 million immigrants passing through Ellis Island congress have become concerned to continue and accept immigrants because of the effect it will have on the U.S. economy. During WW1, Woodrow Wilson passed the Immigration Act to restrict immigration. The act-imposed literacy test, taxes on immigrants, and banned those who were “undesirable”. In other words, they would ban the immigrants that they didn’t believe would have any contribution to the country. The main people that are considered “undesirable” were specific races and ethnicities or immigrants from countries that they felt like were a threat to protect national security of the United States. After WW1, the economy slowly declined into recession while anti-immigration continues to peak. The cost of living was unmanageable, and unemployment rates were high. Many believed that the immigrants were taking the jobs away from American citizens. Congress then passed the Emergency Quota Act in 1921 that made a quota of the immigrants coming into the United States. Not long after congress enacted the Johnson-Reed Act to replace the Emergency Quota Act. The main difference was that the Johnson-Reed Act further reduced the quota of immigrants for admission to the United States. The act also started to protect U.S. borders to fight immigrants trying to cross. At the time, border patrols were then starting to require citizens to have a border vista to come into the country.
The United States became an imperial power through gaining foreign land and fighting wars. Which could also be known as “manifest Destiny” that is the belief that the expansion of the US throughout the American continents was both justified and inevitable. The United States then started to expand westward and in Latin America. The major war that was fought to make them an imperial power was the Spanish-American War, that only lasted for four months. After winning the war, the U.S. attained the possession of the Philippines, Guam, and Hawaii. Theodore Roosevelt then became president in 1901 which assisted the United States to become more of an imperial power by getting involved in the Latin American affairs, the construction of the Panama Canal, and the Great White Fleet of naval ships that are docked around the world. Even before WW1, the United States had already been on the rise with imperial power. Then after WW2, the U.S. was officially known as a super power.
Mass immigration and imperialism were both contributing factors that caused the United States to search for new land. The U.S. was looking to become the imperial power so the only way to do that is to conquer other lands where the natives were. Wars were fought in order to confiscate land. Since the United States was gaining more imperial power the people native to their land had nowhere else so immigration was skyrocketing within a short time. With more people living in the country we needed more land for American and to get more businesses so that unemployment rates would lower.
In conclusion without the two contributing factors the United States would not have the imperial power that we have today. Although we do have more immigrants living in the U.S. we also still have limits on the amount that we are able to accept every year. However, as a country should not abuse having the imperial power instead use it to benefit us and other countries. Though we should always know that there is a possibility that one day we will no longer be the imperial power
