After the Civil War and the Reconstruction era, Americans began to look elsewhere. With new technologies and equipment such as the telegraph and railroads, the United States had shrunk. The United States was no longer a vast expanse of uncharted territory, but was instead a conquered land with a growing population and growing cities. Imperialism was born out of this desire to look overseas for more land and trading bases for America's expanding population and economy. After the Reconstruction era, the United States discussed imperialist policies based on economic, social, military, and political beliefs that ultimately propelled the country to achieve a dominant international reputation. The movement for US expansion and imperialism was spurred by political and economic factors such as the desire for a navy, the Spanish-American War, and political parties. Countries began to create consolidated navies using new technology and resources from the 19th and 20th centuries. Internationally, England dominated the sea in trade, colonization and warfare (1). The US Navy, however, was still experiencing the growing pains of the Civil War and long periods of peace. There was little motivation to establish a navy as the country was not at war and did not want to provoke one (Palmer). The Spanish-American War was born out of America's desire for Spanish territory. Many of the causes of the Spanish-American War can be attributed to imperialist ideas that circulated when the desire for Cuba and the Philippines arose from the need for new trading bases and to grow as a world power (Crucible of Empire: The Spanish-American War). The effects of the war would shape the foreign policy and geography of... half of the paper... having already gained international credit through the Declaration of Independence, the expansion helped demonstrate America's ability to dare in its foreign policy and, as seen in the First World War, worthy competition with other world powers. Works Cited “Bipartisanship: The Age of Imperialism.” Encyclopedia of the new American nation. Advameg, Inc., 2014. Web. May 28, 2014. Cayton, Andrew. America: Paths to the Present. Boston: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. Print.Crucible of Empire: The Spanish-American War. Dir. Daniel A. Miller. PBS, 1999. Film.LaFeber, Walter. “Reaction: Depression Diplomacy.” The New Empire: An Interpretation of American Expansion, 1860-1898. Ithaca, NY: Published for the American Historical Association Cornell UP, 1963. 201. Print.Palmer, Michael A. “The Navy: The Continental Period, 1775-1890.” Naval history and heritage. Network. May 28 2014.