The American Empire
by
Kristel Trolenberg
US History
Mr. Franz – D Block
October 28, 2002
Today the United States is a vast Empire that influences most of the world. The United States extends its authority over a large territorial area that has been acquired during the short life of the young empire. Contrary to the belief of many US citizens, the United States is neither a republic nor a mob ruling democracy, but a powerful empire that thrives economically on its imperialism. The founding fathers, such as George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, built the foundation, with or without knowing it, for the future of a powerful imperialistic empire.
Washington, as first president of the United States, had a great influence on the infant government. He wanted to create an empire by expanding the government’s influence through imperialism. He sent John Jay to make a treaty for the British to evacuate the fur territory near the Great Lakes. Jay’s Treaty succeeded with two other treaties that lobbied for more territory. These were Pinckney’s Treaty, which changed the boundary between Spanish Florida and the United States, and the Treaty of Greenville, where “the Indians surrendered huge sections of their lands, thus ending a struggle that had consumed a major portion of the government’s revenues for years”(Text 161). Washington did not enjoy these burdens of being president but was given the job by a unanimous vote. He once said, “by god he had rather be on his farm than to be made emperor of the world”(Text 151). Washington let the nation fall under the influence of one of his cabinet members, a clever tyrant named Hamilton. Hamilton was in favor of the upper class having control over the new empire. He did everything in his power to insure the upper class acquired the benefits of securities, tariffs and subsidies. “He deliberately intended his plan to give a special advantage to the rich…whereas the general taxpayer, particularly the farmer, would pay the bill in the form of higher taxes and higher prices on manufactured goods”(Text 154-5). Hamilton also created the Bank of the United States. “This Bank of the United States was to be partly owned by the [United States] government…”(Text 154). Washington did not only let a tyrant raise his infant country, but also by appointing Jefferson to his cabinet, he created political parties. Federalists feared that the Jeffersonians sought a dictatorship based on ‘mob rule,’ Republicans [feared] that the Hamiltonians hid ‘under the mask of Federalism hearts devoted to monarchy’”(Text 158). Political parties made future presidents to rule as tyrants, “…but the real danger was that some of Hamilton’s and Jefferson’s excitable followers might become so committed as to forget the true interests of the United States”(Text 159). Knowingly or unknowingly, Washington insured that his infant government would become a mighty empire.
