Such a change painted the U.S. as something it had not been before: an Empire. The next noticeable change was in the purpose for this new expansion. Formerly U.S. was expansion was primarily to provide new lands for settlement by American citizens. In this new phase of expansion, however, land was added primarily for international trade and defense. The last main departure was in the fact that turn-of-the-century territorial acquisitions usually never became states or lands where the U.S.' constitution applied. Instead the new territories were part of the newly created American empire, an entity that had not existed as a result of previous expansion.

Before the phase of American expansion that occurred around the turn of the century, the United States had only expanded into lands in the North American continent. Turn of the century acquisitions, which included the Philippines, Guam, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and several other island groups in the Pacific, were not connected to the North American continent. This signaled that the U.S. had become just as other European nations had long been: an empire.

These new land acquisitions were overseas and distant, removed from interaction from what was really America and American culture. The U.S. now had what were effectively colonies, lands acquired not to become part of the Nation but to be exploited and abused for the benefit of some people in the home country. There was a reason that the American Anti-Imperialist League had formed. To fight against something the United States had been before, something un-American: an empire.

The purpose behind this new expansion was also different. Instead of expansion for the purpose of settlement by U.S. citizens, the lands were acquired for international trade and defense. The lands added before the turn-of-the-century phase were areas that could be easily reached by U.S. settlers during a time in which the nation was growing and needed to expand. The government served the needs of the people and acquired these lands that were so near to them and which only seemed sensible to acquire. Around the turn of the century, however, the purpose for these new acquisitions was quite different.

U.S. industry needed new places to market their goods. China which lay across the pacific was a perfect un-tapped area for U.S. companies to do business. In order to gain access to this region, however, the U.S. needed territories such as the Philippines and Hawaii. Such territories would allow for U.S. to have vantage points from which to enter China.  Also, the influential naval expert Alfred T. Mahan pointed out the importance of sea power in becoming a world power. This influenced the U.S. to acquire ports in the Pacific and Caribbean and to build the Panama Canal. Mahan particularly advocated U.S. control of the Pacific which influenced the acquisition of the Philippines, Hawaii and the various other islands and island groups acquired in the Pacific.

Another difference in this new phase of expansion was what became of the territory acquired. To this day, none of the territories added during this period have become states except Hawaii. All of the territory added before this period, however, became States, including Alaska. When the U.S. acquired lands before the turn-of-the-century phase American settlers brought with them the constitution and democracy. Lands added during this new phase were under United States Military control. The U.S. government determined what was to happen in these territories, not the inhabitants of these places. (H) This lack of statehood and the fact that the constitution was non-applicable in these news territories pointed again to the notion that the U.S. was now an empire.

It is clear that there were differences in late nineteenth-century and early twentieth century expansionism and previous expansionism to the extent that this new phase of expansion should be considered a departure from the old. This new phase of expansion was something that was so different that the term Imperialism more accurately describes it. The U.S. expanded into lands unlike previous ones and with different motives, and once they acquired these new lands they managed and treated them differently than they had in previous times. These changes, which had never occurred before, indicated a departure from previous expansionism.