The "coming into the world" of the United States

The imperial conquest of the US began in the 19th century as it continued to push its boundaries further and further to create an empire in the image of Rome. America countered the effects of the pirates and native American Indians in their quest for expansion.

They took control of Florida from Spanish conquistadors. It was Andrew Jackson’s march of the troops – the future president of the United States from March 1829 – March 1837) that established its footsteps on the soil in the year 1818. Very next year, an agreement was reached to compensate Spain for the loss of the territory. This indulged them in conflict not only with the imperial power – Spain but also against the Indian tribes and slaves. The next state to fall in line was Texas which added up as the 28th State of the United States of America- annexed following the preventive action of 1845. This bewildering territorial expansion culminated in the Mexican- American war.

There are several points where the United States coincides with that of the Roman empire expansion of the past. According to Peter Bender, Washington DC and Rome both, at the epitome of their militaristic abilities, expanded their territories to be immune from being conquered by their enemies. Therefore, the wars were instigated not as a result of the political legitimacy or continuation but to reign superior and held the status themselves as an undisputed power over large swathes of land. The similarities between these powers were that their political action was based on the fact that they considered themselves to be vulnerable to foreign rebellion and insurrection. Thus, their logic in expansion was the result of their primary logic of fear. The diplomacy carried out by president James Monroe recommended the avoidance of any interference of the European powers in the form of the Monroe Doctrine of 1823 to be the sole face of authoritative influence over the whole of the American continent. This period of the 19th and the start of the 20th century symbolises the perfect period of neoconservative policies of strengthening America as the superpower over the entire American continent.

This exceptionalism brought with it the feeling of American utmost superiority alongside undermining non-Western cultures and fuelling discrimination on the basis of race. This was purely evident in the case of Wilson’s refusal of the Japanese request to recognise racial equality in the treaty of Versailles. Though, Wilson formulated his fourteen points to give nations their rights to exist and carry out their affairs on their own. It was enacted in 1919 to break up the Austro- Hungarian Empire. However, the discrepancies existed in the law as Palestine was not to gain its territory and its right to self determination as the Zionist project at that time was carried out with the full support of the American president. Same as today “democratic crusaders” runs on the same tradition that was enacted before the period of neo-conservatism with non-existent democracy. 

(image credit: google images)

President Bush shares a lot of common points with his illustrious predecessor. President Bush’s tenure was also built on extremely minimal and conservative foreign policy. It was reflected in the June 1989, a vividly remembered Chinese military suppression of pro-democracy movement demonstrations in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square – A Chinese “tank man” grabbed the highlights in the media for temporarily blocking the way of the Tank on June 5, 1989. Bush though abhorred the Chinese military brutal crackdown on the killing of hundreds of protestors but held himself from lamenting hardcore sanctions on the Chinese government. This attitude brings them in the line of neoconservative temperament based on making nationalism trend on the auspices of internationalism.