20th Century American Imperialism

It’s well known that the United States started out as colony of a world power that sought to end its oppression. So with this in mind, some people wonder how the U.S. could impose imperialistic force on other smaller countries. This was especially true during the early 20th century when the country was in Turmoil about what to do with countries such as: the Philippines, Costa Rica and various other trade port islands. Coincidentally, we faced these decisions when the U.S. freed these territories from other imperialist countries. So the question then becomes, was imperialism a proper and legitimate course of action for the United States? No, imperialism was not a proper and legitimate course of action for the United States as it contradicted …show more content…
The U.S. could not go into another country and dictate the actions of that country, no matter the local opposition, without imposing their own beliefs and morals on the country and oppressing Native ideas. In an 1899 speech by U.S. Senator George F. Hoar in opposition to the annexation of the Philippines, stated that “under the Declaration of Independence you cannot govern a foreign territory, a foreign people, another people than your own… you cannot subjugate them and govern them against their will, because you think it is for their good… because you think you are going to give them the blessings of liberty”(Hoar). The country also based its actions on the erroneous foundations that freedom has the same meaning and importance to the territory as it does to Americans. Ironically, the annexation would use a document declaring freedom from a larger power, in order to subject a country to the ideals of a larger …show more content…
prevented people from focusing on the country's own domestic problems. By focusing on an international issue, any divisions in the country are quelled at least for the moment. In this case the divisions were about classism and the giant gap between the wealthy and the poor. Howard Zinn, Historian and author, commented that “would not a foreign adventure deflec some of the rebellious energy that went into strikes and protest movements towards an external enemy? Would it not unite people with government, with the armed forces, instead of against them? This was probably not a conscious plan by the elite- but a natural development”(Zinn). By attacking a foreign force, the country was forced together to fight a common enemy while many other domestic issues were ignored and continued to fester in the country for many years to