ABSTRACT
Progressive accounts of American imperialism tell of the many zealous efforts of “outreach,” attempts by “the United States” to acquire new territories. Those accounts, as indicated at the outset, are based on three general assumptions, an established governing hierarchy with the nation’s business leaders “in command,” profit-making as the leaders’ “driving” concern, and, the technocratic assumption, that the business leaders (and their political subordinates) were intelligent, well-informed, rational decision-makers. They knew what was needed, what policies were necessary to achieve their aims.
