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Terms
The system of state administration that involves the state extending its power by acquiring new territories. Zinn also uses the word “imperialism” to refer, more loosely, to the process by which the U.S. has used the pretext of war to gain access to new markets and cheap labor in foreign countries.
Imperialism Quotes in A People’s History of the United States
The A People’s History of the United States quotes below are all either spoken by Imperialism or refer to Imperialism. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 1 Quotes
These Arawaks of the Bahama Islands were much like Indians on the mainland, who were remarkable (European observers were to say again and again) for their hospitality, their belief in sharing. These traits did not stand out in the Europe of the Renaissance, dominated as it was by the religion of popes, the government of kings, the frenzy for money that marked western civilization and its first messenger to the Americas, Christopher Columbus.
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A People’s History begins with a description of the first encounter between the native people of the New World and the European explorers who arrived in the New World in the late 15th century. As Zinn sees it, the Arawaks of the Bahama Islands were gracious and accommodating to the Europeans, while early European explorers were “frenzied” in their desire for gold and profit. As a result of their greed, Columbus and his successors ravaged Arawak society, enslaving tens of thousands of indigenous people and murdering others who refused to submit to European authority. The passage is important because it Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut.
Chapter 22 Quotes
After the bombing of Iraq began along with the bombardment of public opinion, the polls showed overwhelming support for Bush's action, and this continued through the six weeks of the war. But was it an accurate reflection of the citizenry's long-term feelings about war? The split vote in the polls just before the war reflected a public still thinking its opinion might have an effect. Once the war was on, and clearly irreversible, in an atmosphere charged with patriotic fervor … it was not surprising that a great majority of the country would declare its support.
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In this passage, Zinn discusses the presidential administration of George H. W. Bush. In the early 90s, Bush declared war on the regime of Saddam Hussein, the dictator of Iraq, and deployed American soldiers to the Middle Eastern country of Kuwait. While the Bush administration presented the so-called Gulf War as a triumph of American technology and militarism, with relatively few civilian casualties, the truth, unbeknownst to the American people, is that American troops killed many thousands of innocent civilians. Zinn acknowledges that, during the Gulf War, most Americans were enthusiastic about America’s military actions; however, he argues that, had Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit
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Imperialism Term Timeline in A People’s History of the United States
The timeline below shows where the term Imperialism appears in A People’s History of the United States. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 12: The Empire and the People
...against Spain in Cuba. While it’s true that journalists may have contributed to the aggressive, imperialistic spirit in America in 1898, it’s simply not true that the “public” supported war. Initially,...
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In the late 1890s, there was a strong imperialist sprit in America. However, some prominent Americans, such as the philosopher William James, opposed intervention...
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Chapter 14: War is the Health of the State
...classes.” For the duration of World War One, socialist leaders criticized the war for being “imperialist”—an opinion as uncontroversial now as it was controversial at the time.
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