In what ways did U.S. policies in the Caribbean and Central America resemble European imperialism? How did U.S. foreign policy depart from European imperialism?

By 1890 the United States had claimed the contiguous territories it acquired through purchase, war, and displacement. Its frontier was closed. The United States redirected its expansionist pressures outward, beginning with the remnants of the Spanish Empire: Cuba and Puerto Rico in the Caribbean, and the Philippine Islands and Guam in the Pacific.

The United States emulated the imperialism of European nations like Britain and France by claiming control of land and people that served its economic interests and justifying its domination by arguing that it was advancing civilization. U.S. imperialism reflected the growing importance of U.S. overseas trade and naval defense of shipping routes: a base on the Philippines would allow the U.S. Navy to protect shipping routes to China, while a strong presence in Cuba and Puerto Rico would help secure the Caribbean Sea, which would be vital to transcontinental and transoceanic shipment once the Panama Canal, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific, was completed.