Industrialism had changed the United States. Americans began to view their nation with increasing nationalism. The spirit if expansion and imperialism was fueled by these feelings. For one hundred years America had taken a back seat to the traditional European powers, that many American felt, should change.
In order for America to take its rightful place amongst the worlds power many felt we needed to control a vast imperial empire. This empire would provide a market for our goods, raw materials for our factories and protection for our commercial interests. The expansion was, as previously discussed, justified by the need for our people to expand commercially and the social Darwinist idea of the white man's burden. With this need in mind eyes turned towards Spain. Spain, a once mighty empire, still with vast colonial holdings many of them in our Caribbean backyard, was now a much weaker nation than us. They were ripe for the picking and a their imperial holdings would be the spoils of victory.
