How did rapid industrialization encourage the U.S. to create an empire?

Rapid industrialization encouraged the acquisition of an empire in a number of ways. First, it created a demand for new markets for manufactured goods. The United States suffered a series of serious economic depressions in the post-Civil War era, and many contemporary observers feared that overproduction, caused by more efficient manufacturing techniques and machinery, would cause another one. Industries needed outlets for their products, and foreign markets, especially China, were very inviting. So American business...

Rapid industrialization encouraged the acquisition of an empire in a number of ways. First, it created a demand for new markets for manufactured goods. The United States suffered a series of serious economic depressions in the post-Civil War era, and many contemporary observers feared that overproduction, caused by more efficient manufacturing techniques and machinery, would cause another one. Industries needed outlets for their products, and foreign markets, especially China, were very inviting. So American business leaders lobbied for the help of the US government in securing trade privileges in China. They did exactly this with the "Open Door Notes" at the turn of the twentieth century. In fact, the acquisition of islands in the Pacific, including the Philippines, was done in part to secure access to Asian markets. Markets were by far the main motive, but industrialization also created a demand for cheap raw materials such as rubber which could be acquired through imperialism. Also, industrialization was part of a larger process through which corporations grew and sought to expand their influence. As American businessmen acquired and set up factories, farms, and other assets overseas, or more often in Latin America, they demanded the protection of the US government. Revolutions and other social upheavals in Latin American countries often occasioned American military intervention, a form of imperialism that was driven by the urge to protect American business and industry.