Expansionism in the 19th and early 20th century U.S. was not a continuation of past American Expansionism. Throughout American history, prime motives for geographical and political expansion have been in support of U.S. economy. As the country grew, many other issues became important in the shaping of American expansionism. Slavery and investment of capital were major forces behind these issues. All these events involved economic, societal, and political expansion.
Colonial expansion was meant to facilitate growth in population and build economic base to support that population. This can be seen in the purpose of the seven years war and war of 1812. Britain and the colonials intended to remove the French from the Americas in order to open up the vast area of land under their control in the west. …
