During the time of the turn of the century, the United States began to thirst for more territory. Its foreign policy exemplifies the ways in which it strived for an empire. The US took control in other territories such as Hawaii, Cuba, and Panama to impose its own beliefs of government and culture on the people. Our country's leaders encouraged these territories to become independent from other nations so that they would be more beneficial to us. Although we freed these territories from their restraining governments, it was only in our own interest.

The US began interacting with Hawaii in the 1790's when American traders arrived on the islands. In 1849 Hawaii's sugar crop potential and strategic Pacific location was noticed, and it was declared that the US would never allow the Hawaiian Islands to pass under dominion of any other power. President Harrison encouraged the American settlers to...