Imperialism Annexation

Between the years 1881 and 1914, African territory was being invaded by Europeans during the New Imperialism period. Before Europe’s invasion, Africa consisted of various tribes and had no central government due to this during the mid nineteenth century. Europe attempted to colonize Africa using harsh military force and resulted in the European Scramble for Africa. The European Scramble for Africa caused African leaders to have different reactions such as some wanting to have no conflicts, but peace, surrendering to the Europeans due to fear, and also attempting to fight back against the Europeans.

In 1823, the Monroe Doctrine was published by president James Monroe that stated that any effort of European nations to try to colonialize any parts of North America or South America would be seen as unfriendly by the United States. The expansion of the Monroe Doctrine to include Olney Corollary which said that it gave the U.S authority to mediate conflicts in its own hemisphere This corollary foreshadowed the the events of the Spanish-American War because which ended in 1898 with the Spanish ceding the Philippines and Cuba. The need for the United States to gain territory and intervene led to the war with the Philippines because after the Philippines was ceded to the United States, the Philippines didn’t want another colonial ruler so they sought independence by a war with the United States (Engel, Lawrence and Preston, 47). Imperialism caused the U.S to intervene with the Spanish which then angered the Filipino because they didn’t want a new colonial ruler. The Philippines created an opportunity to project American power into the pacific. With the Filipino leader, Aguinaldo, as president demanded independence but Washington refused so Aguinaldo declared war. The U.S didn’t want to give land away that they just received as well as the Philippines was considered a hotspot because it would allow the U.S to refuel on their long journeys back from Asia

According to Beveridge’s speech, he believed that Filipino’s were seen as very inadequate people (considered as a not self- governing race). But the Philippines and the United States seemed to be all about profit with the trading. The islands were the base for trade with the East and provided power over the Pacific in case of future wars. They consisted of a

were advocates against the annexation, many believed it was the right decision. Many individuals believed that taking the Philippines would help and better the country. For example, in Document C, William McKinley states that allowing the country to be independent would be wrong because the Philippines is unfit to self-govern and it could lead them anarchy like Spain. McKinley also states that there is no where else for the Philippines to go, he says that America cannot give them back to Spain because it would be shameful and that the country cannot be given to France or Germany because it would disgraceful. Therefore, America has no other choice but annex the Philippine Islands and save it from ruin. The individuals who fought for the annexation depended their arguments on what they perceived as the right thing to

Upon McKinley’s assassination, a (relatively) young Theodore Roosevelt found himself in the position of President of the United States. A man of action – perhaps unnecessary action- Roosevelt was unafraid of the political consequences of his bold and often unilateral decision making, both domestically and abroad. U.S. governance in the Philippines had already

For example, in Document 4, during the conclusion of the war, Jane Addams, a social reformer who established the Hull House in Chicago, criticized the Spanish-American War to an audience who supported social reform. She discusses how this war does not bring peace but only more violence back home to the American people, and Adams believed that such hatred against the Spaniards was inhumane and against the US’s morals. Other people like William Jennings Bryan were against imperialism because by annexing the Philippines, it will lead to further problems for Americans and hurt America’s status. In his presidential speech, while campaigning to become president, which occurred after the Spanish-American War, he was against annexing the Philippines. He believed that American’s cannot force their ideals on Filipinos, for they follow a Republic, not a Democratic government. Jennings further believes we cannot represent both the US and the Philippines equally since race became a big issue for the US. During the Philippine-American War, the US did not view Filipinos as equals; the US forced them into concentration camps and invaded the Philippines, which only lead to additional problems overseas. Similar to Jennings’ views, William Graham Sumner, a Yale University who opposed imperialism and the Spanish-American War, told affluent students at Yale University the US should care more about the

In Document A, the American fear that the Philippines governor wants to get rid of “the spirit of 1776” in the island, which means to get rid of their independence. But when America won the war the Filipinos didn’t have Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of happiness. In document D, William Jennings Bryan says “ we dare not educate” the Filipinos which he is making a joke. He is saying if they teach the Filipinos how to read they will realize they aren’t getting life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness from the Declaration of Independence. Bryan’s says that it isn’t necessary to take colonies in order to get rich, like other Americans believe. He said it’s not righteous because you're owning someone. He said they could have still gotten rich trading with the Philippines without having to own

Instead, the new territories were used as economic gain. The Open Door Policy allowed for the United States to economically benefit from countries in the Pacific and have the key to foreign trade. The US could take financial advantage in China which shows their transition from a country that expressed interest in their citizens and internal trade into a more foreign economy. The Insular Cases support this idea by not granting citizenship to the Filipinos and suggesting that the Constitution does not follow the flag proves that the American government had no intention of adding new equal states, but using the Philippines as an economic interest (Doc 7). This is like when the British in 1600 took over India for financial gain.

But the real question was, What should we do with these newly acquired lands? At this time, it was unclear if we had gone there to rescue or to occupy the Filipino people. The United States should not annex the Philippines because it violates American principals, it could start a war with the native population and Filipino cheap labor would compete with the American cheap labor. Firstly, America should not annex the Philippines because annexing violates American principals.

As soon as Spain and the United States signed the Treaty of Paris on December 10, this officially handed over the Philippines to American control. With adding more troops over the years to win battles, to win the confidence, respect, and loyalty of the population, America engaged in a great deal of what is today called “nation building.” Like the European colonizers, the United States poured more into their territories it acquired than it took. Many leaders have come through setting up parties and elections and making their mark of what they’ve done. Many years following the Spanish-American War, the United States would intervene in the affairs of Caribbean islands and Latin American

When Native American tribes refused to assimilate, they were forced to relocate beyond the Mississippi River and eventually forced into reservations. This is seen in John Gast’s painting “American Progress”, in which a fair angelic female figure leads American settlers West, driving out the Native Americans and the darkness that surrounds them. The U.S. used similar justifications to acquire the Philippines. American troops fought to suppress the Filipino independence movement after Spain sold the territory to the U.S., and hundreds of thousands of Filipinos died in the process. Senator Albert Beveridge claimed that the “Malay children of barbarism” were not capable of self-government, and President McKinley issued the Benevolent Assimilation Proclamation, claiming that the U.S. have come “to protect the natives in their homes, in their employment, and in their personal and religious rights.” The U.S. continued to advertise their invasions as a gesture to “civilize” the native peoples in the Philippines, just like it had in the Louisiana Purchase, showing repeating patterns in U.S. expansionism. The Philippines was finally granted independence in 1946 under the Tydings-McDuffy Act, but not until after America had a chance “to educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize and Christianize them”, like President McKinley intended.

There was debate on the behalf of the US about whether or not to actually take the Philippines and ultimately the US did decide to take it. Albert Beveridge who supported imperialism and helped persuade this decision by saying that the Philippines would be the first step in the expansion of the American empire and would untimely lead to trading in the east. Even though the US legally had the Philippines the Filipinos did not want the US taking over their land. A Filipino war leader named Emili Aguinaldo tried to work out some type of independence agreement with the US but to no avail. As a result, Philippine rebels grew and revolted against American rule. The US’s plan was to first secure the Philippines from the rebels before taking over things like trade and culture. The US claimed they wanted to help civilize the Philippines and bring God to them. Then US began taking parts of the Philippines and moving further and further inland destroying any rebels in their path. It soon became very clear to the rebels that the US had far more weapons and superior combat skills. In response the rebels saw no other option then to shift to guerilla warfare. America then too changed to much harsher tactics in order to try and secure the Philippines. Since Guerrilla warfare used a “unity of action” the US responded by almost wiping out entire populations and burning down villages. To the US the Filipino’s were nothing more then people of color; which had no meaning to the America at this time. This war also brought about the Anti-Imperialist league who tried to unveil the horrific facts of what happened in the Philippines to the American public. Meanwhile the US began focusing on key rebel areas almost like key targets in tern massacring thousands of Filipinos. The book used an example of one battle where the US fired 500 pound shells into the rebel’s trenches. By the end of

The significance behind the entire document is that not all americans wanted to annex the philippines. Many Americans did not what the Philippines annexed because the phillipian people did not want america to take over the land but America proceeded to force the filipino’s to accept the American government. American troops were in a foreign country and we were losing american lives over land. The Anti Imperialist voice was not heard enough because the document never stopped the American government who pursued forcing the Filipino people to give America rule over their land.

One was that America supported the Cubans and Filipinos desire to be independent of Spanish rule

            Third, Spain did not protect the people against foreign invaders and pirates.  With no arms to defend themselves, the natives were killed, their houses burned, and their lands destroyed.  As a result of this, the Filipinos were forced to become nomads, lost interest in cultivating their lands or in rebuilding the industries that were shut down, and simply became submissive to the mercy of God.