America’s Emergence as a Global Power

Jeremi Suri, a historian at the University of Texas at Austin, argues that Americans have never been isolated from international politics and military conflicts, but rather have projected power on the world stage since before the Revolutionary War. Yet during the late 19th century, Suri notes, American involvement abroad grew profoundly deeper, broader, and more militaristic. American cultural influence worldwide also expanded dramatically during this period, which Suri describes as "not the end of isolation, but a redefinition of American power."