Discuss The Arguments Against Imperializing The Philippines

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On June 15, 1898 the American Anti Imperialist League was created with the main focus of keeping the US out of the Philippines. Although Imperialist viewed the annexation as helpful to the US, the inability to give the people of the Philippines lawfully equal treatment, racial differences along with opposing moral views, and the cost of expansion would become arguments justifying why the Anti Imperialist were against the colonization of the Philippines.
The first reason the Anti Imperialist wanted to avoid colonizing the Philippines was how it affected the US and the people of the Philippines politically. Americans believe the Constitution should go for any and all territories controlled by the US. However, Constitutional rights would never be able to extend to the people of the
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As shown in “A Coup in Hawaii” many of the people who lived in Hawaii were hard working people who just like the citizens in the Philippines wouldn’t be able to take advantage of the laws that protect the American workers. Many Americans believed the people of the Philippines weren’t ready for Americanization, although the US was developing them for liberation anyway. The Anti Imperialist believed it was wrong for Filipinos to have to wait for Liberty. Which brings me back to the point of the Constitution following the flag, the Anti Imperialist argued there wouldn’t be Liberty for all if the US expanded. By expanding the US would most definitely be forced into more conflict and wars with other countries. As stated in “Debating the Philippines” by Henry F. Graft, it was very risky to colonize the Philippines because of the possible bloodshed that could come from a war. If a war took place as shown in “The war in Philippines” those who had to fight for would prove to be

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