The victory of America in the Spanish-American war during 1898 resulted in a variety of outcomes. One of the most prominent of these being that America was granted the decision of whether or not they would annex Spanish colonies, such as Cuba and the Philippines. America decided that they would not annex Cuba, however the fate of the Philippines was still at stake. After a long contemplation, the US Senate decided to ratify a treaty stating that they would indeed annex the Philippines. Although controversial, the decision to annex the Philippines was wise because the Philippines was incapable of self-government, European rivals would claim the Philippines if the US had not, and America would provide Filipinos with an education and a civilized
…show more content…
Following the brutality of the Spanish-American war, America decided that it would be dishonorable to vest their energy and time into such a war but fail to continue their great work. Albert J. Beveridge argued that “all just government derives its authority from the consent of the governed applies only to those who are capable of self-government” (Beveridge). Beveridge acknowledges the fact that it may be rational to obey the wishes of the Philippines government had they maintained a strong government, however this was not the case. In addition, William McKinley stated that the Philippines “...would soon have anarchy and misrule...worse than Spain’s was” (McKinley). McKinley makes a vital argument by claiming that the Philippines was susceptible to anarchy and chaos if the United States did not assume control. Given this, it is clear that under a stable government provided by America, the Philippines would enjoy more benefits opposed to …show more content…
Provided that their was no better choice than to annex, the Americans took pride in the idea of sophisticating the Filipinos who had been exposed to harsh conditions and a volatile government for such a long time. McKinley explained how America was obligated to “...uplift and civilize and Christianize them, and by God’s grace do the very best [they] could by them” (McKinley) McKinley declared that America had the best interest at heart regarding the fate of the Filipinos. He made it clear that the annexation of the Philippines would bring a variety of favorable outcomes, including education and respectable
Following the brutality of the Spanish-American war, America decided that it would be dishonorable to vest their energy and time into such a war but fail to continue their great work. Albert J. Beveridge argued that “all just government derives its authority from the consent of the governed applies only to those who are capable of self-government” (Beveridge). Beveridge acknowledges the fact that it may be rational to obey the wishes of the Philippines government had they maintained a strong government, however this was not the case. In addition, William McKinley stated that the Philippines “...would soon have anarchy and misrule...worse than Spain’s was” (McKinley). McKinley makes a vital argument by claiming that the Philippines was susceptible to anarchy and chaos if the United States did not assume control. Given this, it is clear that under a stable government provided by America, the Philippines would enjoy more benefits opposed to …show more content…
Provided that their was no better choice than to annex, the Americans took pride in the idea of sophisticating the Filipinos who had been exposed to harsh conditions and a volatile government for such a long time. McKinley explained how America was obligated to “...uplift and civilize and Christianize them, and by God’s grace do the very best [they] could by them” (McKinley) McKinley declared that America had the best interest at heart regarding the fate of the Filipinos. He made it clear that the annexation of the Philippines would bring a variety of favorable outcomes, including education and respectable