Spanish American Imperialism

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Pages: 4

Two what extent was the Spanish-American War actually two wars? Explain. The Spanish-American War took place in two locations: The Caribbean and the Philippines. The commander of the US Asiatic fleet was notified to attack the Spanish fleet in the Philippines if a war were to happen. He did so and coordinated with the leader of the Filipino independence movement and captured Manila, the capitol of the Philippines, six hours after the war had happened.
2. Was the U.S. Army during the Spanish-American war an army of professionals? Explain. The U.S. Army was not made entirely of professionals. At the time, the U.S. Army increased its amount of regular soldiers through irregular militias. These forces consisted of volunteer fighters rather than
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Naval base in the Caribbean
• Puerto Rico- the U.S. had little interest in his area, but invaded as it was envisioned by the US Naval College
5. In your own words provide three of the most powerful reasons that supported imperialism and annexation of the Philippines. One reason supporting the annexation of the Philippines was the imperialistic competition between other nations. Some saw that if the U.S. did not take it than other nations like Germany, Britain, or Japan would take it. Another reason was against the self-government of the Filipinos, seeing that they were incapable of such an act. Also, many saw the need to ‘Americanize’ the Philippines and impose their ideas of Christianity.
6. In your own words provide three of the most powerful reasons against imperialism and the annexation of the Philippines. Some were against the annexation of the Philippines because they saw no benefits from the act. Others did not support it because they envisioned it would cause interbreeding between races, which was looked down upon at the time. Also, the annexation would ruin the U.S. economy, like it did to Spain, as it would require higher taxes and more government
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Also, supporters of labor unions were against imperialism, fearing that immigrants would take their jobs. Lastly, industrialists were concerned about the effect of imperialism on the economy causing them to not support the idea.
8. With which group do you most agree, imperialists or anti-imperialists? Why? I agree mostly with anti-imperialists, but not for most of the reasons listed in the document. I agree that a nation should govern itself, rather than be under the control a greater nation. Despite my opposition, I can understand some reason for imperialism, such as the competitive nature between the U.S. and other nations. However, I disagree with the idea and do not support the ideas of imposing Western ideas, such as Christianity, on other nations.
9. Was the annexation of the Philippines an easy decision for President McKinley to make? Explain. While making the decision of whether or not to annex the Philippines, President McKinley faced difficulty with many factors. The idea at the time was popular in the U.S. and most likely had influence on his decision. Also, had he not want to annex the nation, he was faced with the difficulty of what to do with the Philippines. The area could not be given back to Spain, but also if it was not annexed by the U.S., another nation would take