Why did americans become more interested in foreign affairs in the late 1800s?

americans become more interested in foreign affairs in the late 1800s because: The U.S. economy was growing more tied to other nations,
The government believed that involving themselves in foreign affairs would opened up a lot of opportunities for making trade deals that will be really profitable for the country

To emphasize the persistence of racism.

Explanation: Indeed, his descriptions of slavery were used to demonstrate several things; but the most important was that racism was a byproduct of slavery and that it sought to perpetuate it through other forms of oppression. A recurrent argument of Southern white supremacists was that since slavery was over, African Americans now enjoyed equal rights and that segregation ensured such “freedom”. By reminding his followers and listeners that slavery was still perpetuated by the subjugation, segregation, and imprisonment of African Americans.