DAWN OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE: THE EMERGENCE OF AMERICAN IMPERIALISM, 1898-1940

Willie Hiatt via Zoom

The 1898 Spanish-American War represented the United States’ first expansion of imperial power beyond the North American continent. Over the next four decades, the idea of a “benevolent” American imperialism that spread freedom, liberty, and economic uplift around the globe led to intensive intervention in the Caribbean, Central America, and beyond. Focusing on the contradictions within “American exceptionalism,” this lecture explores the historical beginnings of an aggressive violation of sovereignty that established a pattern of U.S. intervention throughout the twentieth century.

[A Zoom link will be sent to you prior to each session, typically on the day before your class and the morning of your class.  If you have any questions or need help getting online, feel free to call us at 516-480-5733 and we’ll get right back to you with assistance.]