Essay - American History the Forces Shaping American Domestic and Foreign Policy:...

American history

The Forces Shaping American Domestic and Foreign Policy: 1890-1928

***** latter half of the 19th century was rife with social and economic changes that would shape ***** development of ***** domestic and foreign policy between 1890 ***** 1928. The policies that would be created were drafted at the confluence of a variety of events. These included the lasting effects of the Civil War and Reconstruction, industrialization, demographic growth, imperialism, and statism. Combined, these factors contributed to the creation ***** U.S. foreign and domestic ***** that was much more proactive ***** intrusive by 1928 than it had been in *****.

The social changes that occurred in the wake of ***** ***** War during the Reconstruction Era are well-documented. Newly emancipated slaves changed social and economic conditions in the South, their freedom crippling a pl*****ntation-based agricultural economy. At the same time, however, industrialization ***** taking powerful hold in the North--particularly the Northeast. By 1894, the United States had been transformed from a former British holding into the l*****rgest manufacturing nation in the world (Johnson 531).

Fueling this industrial growth was an influx ***** new workers. After ***** Civil War, the U.S. population stood at about 39 million, with ***** of those people still living in rural communities. However, by World War I, natural population growth had swollen the nation's population to 100 million, ***** than 70% ***** whom now lived in urban *****as. Added to that ***** an incredible influx of immigr*****ts ***** this period. Between 1890 and 1914 alone, 15 million immigrants arrived on U.S. shores looking for work ***** to put down roots (Johnson 513-514).

*****, ***** ***** States was in a tr*****nsition period during the late 19th ***** as ***** ideals of Populism flourished and then gave way ***** Progressivism. The former lasted roughly from 1880 until 1900 ***** represented the last hurrah of the U.S.' ***** economy, stressing farmers' *****. Dissimilarly, Progressivism was driven by educated urban intellectuals who brought new *****ist values to American policy during ***** era (***** 607). ***** ***** ***** time, the U.S.--like so many o*****r nations--became gripped by imperialist sensibilities. ***** people and their politicians came to believe that American control should be extended ***** territorial holdings *****yond the lower contiguous states and territories (Johnson 609). As with the already mentioned *****, ***** facilitated significant changes in domestic and foreign policy.

Overall ***** tendency in foreign and domestic ***** changes was toward extension of the role ***** authority of the U.S. government at home and abroad. Domestically, policies shifted toward increased st*****ism. Under Woodrow Wilson in particular the U.S. government acquired ***** new powers ***** allowed it to act with greater influence on American soil. The passage ***** a C*****stitutional Amendment authorizing an income tax on all Americ*****s cemented more fiduciary power in the federal government and ***** it the ability to act with ***** impunity. The rise of Progressivism during this era also influenced domestic policy. ***** threat of Big Business loomed large ***** ***** Government was perceived to be