As you begin your webquest, keep in mind the following reasons behind Imperialism and Expansion:

For Land:  to get physical control of more land to build an empire.  “He who ends up with the most wins” philosophy.

For God:  to spread their religion to others, especially to spread Christianity. “My god is the only god” mentality.

For Power:  to expand their political control throughout the world. They believed: “Our way is the only way.”

For Destiny: many believed it was their destiny to make their culture dominant in the world.  Their motto: “If I can take you over, then I was supposed to take you over because I am just better.”  

For Darwin:  Charles Darwin’s theory of “survival of the fittest” was taken up by Herbert Spencer as Social Darwinism.  Many used this theory to justify imperialism. It became racist when used to justify one race’s domination of another race. 

For Economics:  to gain resources and new markets to sell products. Hey, it all comes down to money.