The United States had a long tradition of expansion across the continent, but by the late 1800s, people started urging the U.S to start expanding overseas, following European’s model of imperialism. America’s actions in Cuba and the Philippines were the first steps in its quest to build an overseas empire. Many people say that for a complete explanation of U.S. actions in the 1890s, one would have to give equal weight to four motives: racism, nationalism, commercialism, and humanitarianism. However, humanitarianism was not a major cause of U.S’s actions in Cuba and the Philippines. The goal for the U.S was not to help people’s lives in those countries, but rather for commercialist, nationalist and racist reasons.
Racism was a major contributor …show more content…
When talking about the dilemma concerning the subjugation of the Philippines, President McKinley said that giving the Philippines back to Spain was not an option because it was cowardly and dishonorable. Henry Cabot Lodge also displayed nationalism in his article written in 1865. He wrote about how Washington “saw, with prophetic vision...the true course for the American people...stretching from the Blue Ridge to the Pacific Ocean”(Doc B). Lodge also stated that from the Rio Grande to the Arctic Ocean there should only be one country, the United States. This feeling of national pride lead to many people voicing their thoughts that the U.S should take control of what is “rightfully theirs” and pursue the Manifest Destiny. They did not think about how they would affect the natives of the countries at …show more content…
Once again, Henry Cabot Lodge was one of the main leaders in pushing for advantages in commerce. He wrote that, “In the interest of our commerce...we should build the Nicaragua Canal...we should control the Hawaiian Islands and maintain our influence in Samoa”(Doc B). He also wrote about Cuba, saying, “the island of Cuba, still sparsely settled and of almost unbounded fertility will become to us a necessity”(Doc B). This shows how the first thing that jumped to people’s minds when discussing a mostly uninhabited island was commerce and how the U.S could take advantage of it. Many Americans believed that as the U.S dominated more countries, foreign trade would grow, resulting in a better economy for the country. Not many people thought of helping others at that time
Racism was a major contributor …show more content…
When talking about the dilemma concerning the subjugation of the Philippines, President McKinley said that giving the Philippines back to Spain was not an option because it was cowardly and dishonorable. Henry Cabot Lodge also displayed nationalism in his article written in 1865. He wrote about how Washington “saw, with prophetic vision...the true course for the American people...stretching from the Blue Ridge to the Pacific Ocean”(Doc B). Lodge also stated that from the Rio Grande to the Arctic Ocean there should only be one country, the United States. This feeling of national pride lead to many people voicing their thoughts that the U.S should take control of what is “rightfully theirs” and pursue the Manifest Destiny. They did not think about how they would affect the natives of the countries at …show more content…
Once again, Henry Cabot Lodge was one of the main leaders in pushing for advantages in commerce. He wrote that, “In the interest of our commerce...we should build the Nicaragua Canal...we should control the Hawaiian Islands and maintain our influence in Samoa”(Doc B). He also wrote about Cuba, saying, “the island of Cuba, still sparsely settled and of almost unbounded fertility will become to us a necessity”(Doc B). This shows how the first thing that jumped to people’s minds when discussing a mostly uninhabited island was commerce and how the U.S could take advantage of it. Many Americans believed that as the U.S dominated more countries, foreign trade would grow, resulting in a better economy for the country. Not many people thought of helping others at that time