January 28

Blog #127 – Debate Over Expansion

Before, during, and after the Spanish-American War in 1898, Americans were debating whether or not America should go beyond its borders and become an imperial empire, much like the European countries had done during the 19th Century w/ Asia and Africa.  Below are the arguments for and against imperialism and some of its proponents and opponents.

Image result for cartoons imperialism 1898

For Imperialism

People for it: Assistant Secretary of the Navy Teddy Roosevelt, Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, Alfred T. Mahan, President William McKinley, Judge William Howard Taft, Admiral George Dewey, Reverend Josiah Strong, former Secretary of State William Seward, and Senator Albert Beveridge.

Arguments for imperialism:

  1. To give back the Philippines to Spain would be cowardly and dishonorable.
  2. To let other imperial powers have the Philippines was bad business and discreditable.
  3. Granting the Filipinos their independence was irresponsible because they are unfit to rule themselves.  They need America to civilize, uplift, and Christianize them.
  4. Imperialism is good for America.  It invigorates a nation and keeps it healthy.  A slothful nation will victim to those countries that maintain soldierly virtues.
  5. Annexation of the Philippines would put America into a position to dominate trade with China and the rest of Asia.
  6. We need the markets and raw materials now.  It doesn’t matter that the Philippines are non-contiguous.  We didn’t need the purchases and additional areas in the continental U.S., but look at us now!  We produce more than we can consume.
  7. Annexation would be so easy because we already control the islands.
  8. Filipinos don’t  have to become citizens of the U.S., we will treat them as dependents (like we do with the Native Americans).  The 14th Amendment won’t apply to them.
  9. Republicans favored annexation because it made the party look good after winning the war.

Image result for cartoons imperialism 1898

Against Imperialism

People against it: Author Mark Twain, former president Grover Cleveland, Speaker of the House Thomas “Czar” Reed, journalist Lincoln Steffens, Jane Addams, former Democratic presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan, AFL chief Samuel Gompers, industrialist Andrew Carnegie, Harvard professor William James.

Arguments against imperialism

  1. Imperialism is immoral.  It repudiates our commitment to human freedom and liberty.  We instead think we know what is best for the Filipinos, and that is wrong.
  2. Nativists fear the pollution of the white American population with inferior Asian races, especially when they are allowed to move to the U.S.  Acquisition of the Philippines may require that they become citizens.
  3. Industrial workers feared the flood of additional cheap labor which would further undercut job opportunities.
  4. Imperialism puts us in the international stage of world politics and is a constant menace for war.  War carries off the physically and mentally fit and leaves behind the lesser fit.  It threatens our security, internally and externally.
  5. The “civilizing” mission some claim is really a cover for a desire to loot the colonies and their natural resources.  This misson is self-righteous and pretentious.
  6. We will inherit Spain’s task of suppressing the native peoples when they rebel.  They will NOT want our cultural ways.  We will end up like Spain – a shriveling power.
  7. Can’t we just trade without having to annex other territories?
  8. Imperialism would involve the need for a large standing army which would become a heavy tax burden.

The country chose imperialism, and the Senate voted for the Treaty of Paris, 1898, 57 to 27, one more vote needed for the 2/3 approval.

Your job:

Pretend you are a senator back in 1898 (yes, you have to do this even if you’re female – we’re time traveling, so you can pretend to be a different gender).  Pick a region of the country and a party (both parties were for expansion, especially Southern Democrats).  Which arguments hold more sway with you and why?  Explain.

Here is some info on the 1898 U.S. Senate elections.  Maybe choose your senator from someone who ran and look up his views on the war.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1898_and_1899_United_States_Senate_elections

350 words total for your answer.  Due by Monday, February 3 by the beginning of class.  

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Posted January 28, 2020 by geoffwickersham in category Blogs

65 thoughts on “Blog #127 – Debate Over Expansion

  1. Sara Smith

    David Turpie
    Northern democrat from Ohio
    Good Evening,
    On the burning topic of expansion, I think we need to think about how America started and how we did it. The United States started, a small colony of pioneers and men with big dreams, plans and ideas. Our beloved founding fathers expanded America into what it is now we have well over 40 states and we have populated all areas, and we have civilized some of the savage Native Americans who were living here without class, education, and religion. We taught them the right way to live, even though some have not chosen the path to Americanization. We have gotten territories such as the louisiana territory and Texas and other southwestern territories and turned them into bombing cities that help not only the American economy but also the world’s economy.

    Now that I have stated credible reasoning and history behind Americans expanding, we should definitely consider annexing Hawaii and other territories into the U.S. I personally think that it is our duty as an American people to try and civilize these savages with American morals and religion. A common problem that I have heard while discussing the topic at hand was the idea of making these savages American citizens with the rights of a U.S citizen. There is a solution, in the territories full of these foreigners we can propose that they do not have full rights as Americans. With that being said the annexing of these different places such as Hawaii, Cuba, Porto Rico, and the Philippines should happen.

    Think about the economic opportunities these places will bring to the United States. They can provide labor, and new materials. This will also help our trade deals with other countries. By taking the Philippines under the American flag this will help us trade with larger countries such as China.

    These additions will also help to Expand Americans’ political influence on the world. If we gain these islands this will show other civilized countries that we hae here to stay. We can put military bases around the world to help defend America and our allies

  2. Nick Lurz

    I’m a senator from Michigan and I am a republican. My dreams as a republican senator are to push for imperialism. I would also like to push for taking over the Philippines to help the United States in the Asian Markets. With an impact on the trade market, other countries won’t view us as weak but as a powerful nation. With the Philippines, we can further expand our economy and also help the lives of many natives. I think it would be more difficult to control trade in the Asian Markets if we didn’t annex these territories. I feel that if we have control or power closer to them our presence will be better felt and we won’t be a country to ignore. I also think that when they join our great nation, the Filipinos can become citizens just like the other people in nearby U.S territories. I think our annexation will give the Filipinos the best chance at a prosperous life. I like that being an Imperialist country puts us on the stage of being a global power. This would have us compared to great countries like Great Britain and Spain, 2 world superpowers. I think being and large imperial power does take our countries security away and may create negative relations with other counties. In order to be an Imperialistic power, we must build up relationships with other superpowers and sustain a military great enough to protect our people. With this new territory under our control, we can build up our naval presence in the South China Sea and create better trade relations in the Asian Market. I think we must retain Spain’s role as power over the Philipines. The Filipinos may rebel against us, but our presence in their country is very important. I think we let them have their cultural freedom but they are rather unfit for self-government. For over 120 years the United States has faced many foreign powers try to control the weak country that we were. As the years progressed we were able to secure independence and become a greater nation, attracting many new immigrants and create a sustainable economy. Colonization is a way to help our country prosper and we must take every chance we get to become a world superpower.

  3. Nolan Lamphere

    I am senator Sam Elcnu, representing the great state of Georgia. I believe this great nation has every right to continue to expand beyond its borders, and bring Christianity and civilization to new parts of the world. As the current most debated topic is the Philippines, I shall start there. We are emerging as a great global power as we continue to grow as a nation, and everyone knows how easily we defeated Spain, so who’s to say we shouldn’t continue to expand, we have the military power to do so, it is merely a question of what to conquer first. Never again shall we be put on the defensive with our new acquisitions of the sandwich islands. This key military port will protect us from any Asian or European powers in the pacific who dare threaten our shores. In addition, how can we expect these savages to govern themselves if we freed them? They are not like us, cannot comprehend the level of government we would be bestowing upon them; that is, without our help. We are in the midst of recovering from a decline in the economy, and the resources provided by these islands come at a time when they are vitally needed. How can any true American live with the belief that we should simply give these territories in the Pacific and Caribbean back to Spain? We are not cowards, we won that land in a justified war, and to give the spoils back to the loser would be un-american and cowardly. For those who are worried about the natives being integrated as citizens of the United States, fear not! We can simply treat them as dependents, such as what we do now with the Native Americans. The 14th amendment will not apply after we annex these lands, and let us be honest as a nation, Imperialism does nothing but benefit the American people. Our nation will grow in size, industrial might, and manpower. As Americans, it is our duty to expand and spread our influence throughout the world, we must manifest our destiny as our fathers before us did, and build America into the greatest nation the world has ever seen. So I raise you one final question; we already control these lands, who is stopping us from annexing them at this very moment? No one.

  4. Christopher Rivera

    If I was a senator from 1898 I would be from the north, and a republican. I would argue for imperialism. Imperialism is the way to go. Some say The “civilizing” mission some claim is really a cover for a desire to loot the colonies and their natural resources. This mission is self-righteous and pretentious. They are wrong. It is for the benefit of both us and them.That is why we must not be cowards and give back the Philippines to Spain. The Philippines is a valuable asset we can now dominate trade with China and other Asian countries.If you think about it, Annexation would be so easy because we already control the islands. However Filipinos don’t have to become citizens of the U.S. we will treat them as dependents. The 14th Amendment won’t even apply to the The United states must insure trade with China, just as the other European countries have. If we do trade with China like the Europeans, We will be respected if we trade and not seen as weak by any respect.The annexation of the Philippines would also give us a superior military advantage, a naval base near China, would allow us to more freely trade with them. Another reason why we should follow imperialism is because we just won a war with a superpower which is Spain. They have dominated America for quite some time and freeing Cuba from their rule shows we are a powerful nation. Imperialism also for the gain of natural resources as well which we clearly need since the population will be growing so drastically as well as to keep exporting goods. In addition Granting the Filipinos their independence was irresponsible because they are unfit to rule themselves. We need America to civilize, uplift, and Christianize them. These people will not steal American jobs because new ones will be created. By taking these territories we can use their natural resources for economic gain. This would boost our economy, and even potentially, theirs. If we can control Asia, we will be able to make massive amounts of profit of money. m. It’s a matter of national pride, prestige and security. After all this is said and done, the annexation of the Philippines will have greatly benefited America and will continue to do so. Making us stronger.

  5. Kate VanderWeele

    I am Senator Joseph Roswell Hawley from Connecticut, and served from March 4, 1881 through March 3, 1905 . I was previously a U.S. Representative from December 2, 1872 through March 3, 1875 and March 4, 1879 through March 3, 1881. Prior to that I served as the Governor of Connecticut from May 2, 1866 through May 1, 1867. I fought during the Civil War as a Captain in the Union Army, and eventually was promoted to Brigadier General in 1864.

    I am in full support of the Spanish-American War and a full supporter of America’s Military. I believe it is necessary to have a large, well-supplied standing army. I was the chairman of the committee on civil service and also chaired the special committee that investigated the production of military ordinance and warships. My work on this special naval committee significantly contributed to the U.S. naval preparations before the Spanish-American War.

    Imperialism will be good because giving the Philippines back to Spain would be cowardly and dishonorable, and betraying the soldiers who died in the war. We already have control of the islands, so annexing them is the only logical option. As one of the leading Republicans, I favor annexation. We don’t have to give Filipinos rights or make them citizens because they are unable to ever assimilate into American Society, the 14th amendment doesn’t apply to them.
    America produces more than we can consume, so annexing the Philippines will allow us access to the markets and raw materials.

    Imperialism is not immoral because we freed the islands from Spain who abused their freedoms and liberty. America has the right and duty to intervene and we did, now we have the responsibility to govern the Philippines because they are irresponsible and need us to civilize and christianize them. We are not required to make them citizens because they are similar to Native Americans and not civilized, the 14th amendment will not apply to them. If we give the Philippines back to Spain, it will look cowardly and be an insult to our Military and their sacrifices. If we grant them independence, we are disregarding our duty to uplift the Filipinos. The only viable option is to assimilate them because America wants imperialism.

  6. Charlie Pesek

    I am a northern republican. Given the current state of our countries involvement outside our borders, it would be a sign of weakness if we removed ourselves from the Philippines. We have always tried to expand our borders, and with our borders freedom. By taking the Philippines, and freeing them from Spain’s rule, they are becoming more free people. And if we left them now, Spain would surely reclaim the islands and its people. If we were to leave them alone, we would look like cowards, not only in the eyes of Spain but in the eyes of the rest of the world. The people of the Philippines also need us, they cannot function civilly without the help of Americans.
    Setting up trading posts out in the Philippines also gives us many advantages. We are much closer to Asia and other trading countries if we have stations in the Philippines. Not only can we keep an eye on the neighboring countries, but we can control trading and ports. We have very few trading posts and ports near Asia. We can include China, but many countries have set up ports and trading posts around its borders. This makes China a little less special because almost everyone has a little piece of it. However, after Spain lost the Philippines, we are the only country that can control the Philippines. This will allow for expansion of trade, and will give us power in the esatern hemisphere.
    However some people may say this could cost too much money. I disagree for two reasons. First we can always put tariffs on goods imported and exported through the Philippines. Due to the fact they are less civilized than us Americans, we can always pay them less, and because of their uncivilized nature won’t know any better. Plus, if we already have complete control over the country, and the previous ideas don’t work and we lose money, we can always annex them. It is much easier to remove a country from our territories than it is to gain. This is too good of an opportunity to pass up.

  7. Jack Handzel

    As a prominent Western Democrat Senator, the expansion into eastern markets and claiming of foreign tax revenue arguments of pro imperialism and the heavy tax burden for maintaining a large standing army argument of anti imperialism hold the most sway with me, as I am extremely concerned about the financial health of my mostly lower middle class constituency, and so economic arguments are all that matter. Contrastingly, all arguments based on the spread of ‘American ideals’ seem entirely purposeless with regards to economic gain for anyone except the corrupt Eastern seaboard, and so I find those arguments to be useless in their hopeless idealism.

    First, I will examine the benefits of foreign expansion through imperialistic policies. The Philippines provide a gateway into the Chinese spheres of influence which have granted an almost monopolistic control of the Chinese markets to the old nations of Europe. Now, we can enter into negotiations with Europe to ship American goods into Chinese ports through the subjugated Philippines. However, the disregard and lack of respect which the Europeans hold for America has been demonstrated most recently in the Spanish-American War, and we should be wary of the unlikeliness of successful European negotiations. Additionally, should we attempt to collect taxes or tariffs from the Philippines, Cuba, or Puerto Rico, we would have to give significant initial investments to the primary industries of those territories before we would have any significant net economic prosperity from those policies.

    However, the argument for anti imperialism is hardly any better. A large standing army would only be necessary should we maintain our control over those territories with force. Should we persuade the natives to accept a territory status in exchange for a promise of future statehood, then we could easily delay the possibility of statehood while maintaining a nonviolent hold over our imperialistically gained territories. Eventually, however, if we wanted to maintain this holding pattern past a certain point, it is likely that the Philippines and Cuba (territories that have shown their propensity to revolt) would revolt against the inevitable profiteering schemes which American politicians would create, therefore making this an unlikely long-term prospect.

    Ultimately, the economic argument which holds the most sway with me as a Western Democrat is the pro-imperialism argument of taxes and tariffs upon US territory specialty goods. I find that the possibly expanded sugarcane plantations of Puerto Rico and the Philippines are the best options for this, and will do my best to increase US economic power through leveraging the speciality cash crops of imperialistically gained US territories.

  8. Nin Le

    I am a northern republican senator around the time period of the 1890s, and my ideas sway towards the expansion of the united states through the means of imperialism. To imperialise would be the only way fit to expand the U.S territory, doing so would increase our nation’s power economically and politically. The mindset of “manifest destiny” as we call it is prominent in many other senators ideas, manifest destiny would justify America’s expansion into the west. The first times we have expanded resulted in major benefits to the nation’s power once again, both politically and economically, such as the Louisiana purchase. Even if we look back on our older days there wasn’t much danger in expanding and taking control of our surrounding lands. Our situation with the Philippines would best be handled by controlling them, as they are too unfit to rule themselves. Doing so would provide many benefits for both sides since we could show them the ways of proper civilization and also make money off of them. If we leave them the way they are they could pose a threat to our growing society by starting unnecessary wars. If we are to successfully gain control of the Philippines, and their residents do not wish to be a part of our country then we could rule out the 14trh amendment and allow them to choose whether or not to be called citizens of the U.S. Another reason why expansion through imperialism would be our need for natural resources. A country cannot continue to grow without acquiring new lands to call their own. To build on these lands we need natural resources, of course, the use of these natural resources would be limited and controlled, but as we are now america is vulnerable to other nations and we need to expand our power as much as possible to ensure safety. Some may recall the olden days when America was just the 13 colonies that were under the iron fist of great britain, and use this example to prove that imperialism was immoral and would result in the downfall of the nation. However, is it so wrong to simply want expansion of power for the sake of others?

  9. josh moore

    I, Julius C. Burrows, A republican senator for the state of michigan. I served as a senator from 1895 to 1911. I also served in the house of representatives on march 4th 1873. I am also an imperialist. I am a part of Henry Lodges imperialist group which supported the spanish american war. I believe more in the pro-imperialism argument. As a republican I believe that if we were to annex the philippines It would give the republican party a political benefit because it would make the republican party look good after winning the war. And if we were to give the Philippines to Spain it would hurt our image. It would make us look cowardly and dishonorable. I also believe that the Philippines is just inferior to us. I do not think the philippines should be allowed to govern themselves, and i think it is our duty as the superior white male to civilize, and christianize them. If we were to not influence our ways upon the people of the philippines and let them govern themselves I truly believe it will become a country of chaos. And for the people who don’t want the Philippines to become part of the USA we can let them be a group of people who just rely on the us like the native americans so the 14th amendment doesn’t apply to them. I also think that there would be some great benefits to annexation. The Philippines have a large amount of raw materials that we could use such as canes timber and palms. Also the location would be very beneficial for our economy. Due to the location of the philippines, we would be able to dominate in trading with china and the rest of asia. So if we were to not act on this would not just be a missed opportunity but also a bad business idea because it would allow for another nation to dominate trade with china and all of asia. And because of the power we have with our military and the fact we already control the islands, it would make annexing the philippines very easy.

  10. Elliot Viaud-Murat

    My name is George Gray and I am a democratic United States senator for Delaware. I became an american senator in 1855 when I was elected for senator to replace a democratic vacant seat left open by the retirement of the United States senator Thomas F. Bayard. In 1898, I went to france to sign the treaty of paris of 1898 with other American and spanish government officials to end the spanish american war that started a few months prior. I believe that america has to be an imperialist country for many reasons. In the treaty of paris, there was no way that we could give back the philippine islands to the spanish, because it would mean that the war was fought for nothing. We cannot either let the Filipinos or other islands have independence and self government, for they are unfit and not civilized enough to govern themselves, so it is our duty to govern them, educate them and christianize them for their own good. It is americas duty to spread democracy, freedom and civilization to countries all over the world. Also, if we take over the islands left over from the spanish war, especially the philippines, it will put America in a position to dominate the chinese markets and trade with all of Asia, which are being taken over by other countries in europe. Annexation of these islands will be easy to do because of the fact that we already are in control of these islands. The people from these islands will not necessarily need to become United States citizens, we can treat them like we treat the Indians, and the 14th amendment will not have to apply to them. As a country, we also need to expand our territory. Conquering these islands will give us the possibility to expand our military and build more naval bases. It will also make possible the construction of a Central american canal to help our naval army. Having these islands will also provide lots or raw materials, which will benefit the american economy and help it recover from the panic of 1893.

  11. Nabeel Zaheer

    Hello, I’m George Frisbie Hoar but you can just call me Mr.Hoar for short. I’m from Massacheustess and I myself am a republican, but I also support some of the ideas that are in the free soil party. As a senator for many years, I’ve had to argue and debate with others about what is right for America. I believe imperialism is not right for America nor the Philippines, and we should instead free the Philippines instead of forcibly take over them. The race that we aim to support, is also the race that we’ve killed thousands of in this most recent war. We’ve built concentration camps and seen the people here suffer, and we follow a false message. We don’t do what’s best for the Philippines, instead we abuse them and do what’s best for us. We’re a victim and a target for war if we continue these acts and we must stop before we initiate even more problems that are a result from our ruling. Just look at the past, look at the civil war, look at the American revolution, the war of 1812, look at all the wars we’ve had for land. We didn’t treat the people with conditions as harsh as these, we didn’t commit genocide and torture them. We didn’t randomly attack them, we had actual reasoning, and there’s not enough reasoning for this cruel behavior. The founding fathers would be utterly disgusted if they see how we act now. They didn’t envision an America like this, no, they envisioned the opposite. They envisioned an America where we’d do what’s best for everyone, not an America where we’d kill thousands of a race and abuse them. The U.S is all about freedom and “the American dream”, yet we’re stripping the dreams out of these people. We’re taking over their land, stripping their rights, and making them our puppets, our new version of slaves. They had rights before us, they had dreams before us, and instead of implementing our system the founding fathers created, we implemented a new and corrupt one. Instead of stripping the philippines from the rights that the citizens are owed, we should not interfere with the country and leave it as is.

    (did it in google docs forgot to post on this website yesterday)

  12. Erin Parker

    I think arbitrariness is the most problematic topic of the death penalty. Some of the most vulnerable people on death row are the mentally ill. Typically they don’t have the mental capacity to be tried for a crime under the fullest extension of the law. At the time of the offense, their cognitive function is impaired dissolving them of full culpability. They should not be equally tried for capital punishment as a person who has full acountability of their offense. During the legal process, those with mental illnesses are more vulnerable to police pressure, insufficient trials, and poor counsel which leads to injustices and in their trial. They suffer from delusional behavior that could be detrimental to the outcome of their cases, being heavily medicated can sometimes lead to a lack of emotion, and they often present as poor witnesses which can tant a jury opinion. Statistics show that over 75% of those who waive their appeals are mentally disabled. Children are also vulnerable under capital punishment seen as their lack of control and environmental influence declassify them as the worst offenders. But they are juveniles!

    Before watching “Just Mercy”, I knew too little to shape an adequate opinion of people on death row, but I was aware of the racial and arbitrary injustice in the system. I have always been keen on the fact that racial prejudice can influence the outcome of a trial and it bothers me so much that racism continues to subject minority races to poor counsel, false evidence, and institutionalizes so many under false and/or manipulated pretenses. I also felt that mentally ill executions were extremely cruel because they are victims of an illness that should be treated rather than executed.
    If anything, my opinions of people on death row have only been strengthened. Seeing Johnnie D MicMillan being falsely accused under the direction of the racist town sheriff only emphasized the cruel and misguided institutional racism that exists to this day. It also magnifies the pure evilness of death row in cases involving the innocent. I do believe as time has progressed, so has some of the racial injustices, but I know there is still so much to be done. Witnessing the execution process of Herbert, who was diagnosed mentally ill after the effects of the war, was another eye opener. I feel so strongly that people like Herbert need to be institutionalized rather than sentenced to death for a crime they committed under impaired cognitive judgement.

  13. Kieran Kamish

    I am a northern republican senator from Michigan. Since the founding of our great country over 100 years ago, America has been built on the religious idea that it is our moral duty as Americans to expand into vast territory whether that be land or sea, desert or plains. The grace of God has given us these lands that we have so greatly earned and desired. Imperialism is just a result of what has been acquired by us as a nation. By acquiring Puerto Rico and the Philippines, we are able to strengthen our economy and strengthen the spread of the values of capitalism and civilization. The strategic location of the Philippine Islands give us control of many ports, which we can use to ship our goods to Asia and have a large stake in the trade market in the Pacific. If our strategic operations in the Philippines were to have large, negative financial consequences, America can always resort to the idea of annexation. This will not impact us negatively due to the fact that they are uncivilized and we can always pay less. As far as trading ports go, many countries have set up shop in China. With the acquisition of the Philippine Islands, America is to have their own isolated trading port in Asia without the struggles of invading China to do so. Unlike other trading ports in China, America is the only country to take possession of the Philippines, which allows for more economic power in the far east. The pacific islands also have a strategic location for our military operations as well. Hawaii and the Philippines have a large number of harbors and bays, which are crucial if we are to maintain a large naval fleet in the pacific. Room for building airstrips are also needed, as we will need a large number of fighters and bombers to provide our air defenses in the region, as well as to bring in servicemen who will be stationed at said bases. Pearl Harbor and Midway are optimal locations for this. The military will also be able to monitor commerce coming in and out of these ports in case any nation will try to bring some sort of foul play. These are the reasons that I think that pacific expansion by the United States is a good idea and a great benefit.

  14. Jacob Pasco

    It is our duty as Americans to spread democracy to uncivilized peoples. They are not fit to govern themselves, there are merely mindless savages. We would be doing them a great service if we civilized them. It is our job to exert the strong hand of democracy and civilization over these savages. Some of you might be worried that well these people are uneducated and not of are kind so why should they be apart of politics. Not to worry they will not be naturalized citizens. They will be like the Indians they would not be able to vote or be part of the government. If we annexed the Philippines we could control trade in the south china sea. We could create markets in the Philippines like we did in China where we control the product and the price of the product. It would be a very large market for american industries and a great source of labor and revenue for american businesses. And who knows what kind of natural resources this land holds. We could dominate this land and exploit all it has to offer we could put military bases and shipping ports on their land. We could gain so much money and power why wouldn’t we do it plus we have just won a war we deserve something we didn’t lose those men for nothing did we. We must take advantage of the power this will give, our great nation. For if we have a nation on witch the sun never sets we will be able to spread democracy and christanity over the world like its nothing but a walk in the park. I ask you why wondent we help those people who are lost and misconstrued. We have the best political and economic systems in the world. The people who are being governed by monarchs and kings deserve our help. So if you see what I see you will know all the good things we can do for the world and for ourselves by gaining territories and land. So it is our duty to exert the strong hand of democracy Christianity and civilization.

  15. kate mofrad

    i’m a senator from the north and i’m all for imperialism some might argue against me on that but imperialism will help our country better itself immensely. we should not give the Philippines back to Spain because by spreading our american culture there we will help ourselves and them as well economically. The Philippines will advance in all sorts of ways after we bring our learnings and ways to them. by securing the Philippines we show how powerful the U.S is and we will promote nationalism by doing so, our pride only grows as we secure more and more places such as the
    Philippines. we will gain more natural resources by obtaining the Philippines and gaining all they have to offer, the main selling point for why i know imperialism is a positive is it shows how powerful the U.S is, we just won against spain in a war and now we take from them, we are a dominant country and it will show imperialism.

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