American Expansion in the Late Nineteenth Century: Colonialist or Anticolonialist?

The nature of American expansion during the late nineteenth century is discussed from different points of view in these essays. They focus on the extent to which the nation's expansionist policies were carefully directed by high-level policy makers, were the result of drift and inertia among policy makers, or were the result of a widely shared sense of mission or destiny which was deeply ingrained in the American tradition.