Dbq American Imperialism

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The concept of American Imperialism has been in the country’s mind ever since the colonial times and Manifest Destiny. Over time, many wars have been fought, lives lost, and countries annexed and released; still, the debate of the ethics of imperialism still continues. France, Britain, and Spain have all had their attempts at worldwide colonization, but our founding fathers founded this country upon anti-imperialist principles because they knew how the failures of other countries, like Britain, showed that imperialism was a bad ideal - in fact, that realization was one of the main reasons the U.S. was created. It would be a truly sanctimonious America to be so hypocritical as to begin an imperialistic campaign again, taking the moral high ground, …show more content…
taking over and it helped them in the long-term, but really imperialistic endeavors were just a waste of effort and money for the U.S. because most of the countries formerly annexed have now gained independence; the investments the U.S. previously made are now useless. In a speech in 1899, President William McKinley stated on the issue of the Philippines, “there was nothing left for us to do but take them all, and to educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize them, and by God’s grace do the very best we could by them…” (DBQ Packet Document #2). McKinley also said that “proving to [the Filipinos] that the mission of the United States is one of the benevolent assimilation, substituting the mild sway of justice and right for arbitrary rule” (The Benevolent Assimilation Proclamation Primary Source). He thought that the Filipinos would welcome the aid from the U.S. and there would be mutual benefits for both societies. In reality, the Filipinos were terribly unhappy, and tried to rebel several times. This was started by the capture of Manila, the Philippines’s capital, as Harry B Hawes wrote, “Then [after the capture of Manila] began the friction that begot first unfriendliness and ultimately open hostility.” (History Lessons book Spanish American War Excerpt). The American Journey stated that over 204,000 American and Filipinos died in that struggle for independence which was led by Emilio Aguinaldo, and stated that “The United States quickly learned that controlling its new empire would not be easy.” The issue over imperialism and independence was an unpleasant affair for both countries, and ended in the entire effort being wasted by the U.S. because “[President] Taft set out to prepare the islands for eventual, or later, self-rule,” and the Philippines subsequently gained independence in 1946. All the lives sacrificed and money used to try and subdue the Filipinos and help maintain the USA’s imperialistic