Sother Case
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Imperialism was not a proper way and legitimate policy for the United States to follow at the turn of the 19th century. Americans ultimately imperialized for their own profit and benefit had no true justification for imperializing and this was overall un-American.
Although the Americans did not actually make it known that they wanted to maintain rule of other territories for American profit but without a doubt it was a factor. The Pacific Ocean was the key to thriving trade in the future by holding claim to that ocean and ruling the Philippines they would hold “the power to rule the world”. (Doc5) The Americans also needed the country to meet their growing production. (Doc2) For the United States to give the land they hold over to France or Germany who were rivals to the US who hurt their own trade. (Doc 3)
The Declaration of Independence shows that the reason the United States had for imperializing goes against the written rules. Henry Cabot Lodge, a Republican senator from Massachusetts, also supported imperialism. In his speech made in 1900 he says, “The taking of the Philippines does not violate the principles of the Declaration of Independence, but will spread them among people who have never known liberty, and who in a few years will be unwilling to leave the shelter of the American flag as those of any other territory we ever brought beneath its folds(Doc6). Henry Cabot Lodge is wrong, the Declaration says 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 own good, when they do not because you think you are going to give them the blessing of liberty(Doc4). United States becoming an imperialistic nation made a strong opposition, and many opponents rallied around the newly created American Anti-Imperialist League. We regret that it has become necessary in the land of Washington and Lincoln to reaffirm that all men, of whatever race or color, are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We maintain that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed. We insist that the subjugation of any people is “criminal aggression.” We hold, with Abraham Lincoln that no man is good enough to govern another man without that others consent(Doc7) Instead of listening to this the Americans claimed that as a superior more civilized nation, they held the duty to lead in regeneration of the world to spread their beliefs of Christianity and more customs (Doc1). This did not follow the whole idea of “All Men are equal” and all men outside the US should be treated as equals to the Americans.
The United States started to imperialize to fulfill its thirst for power. As a country that preached democracy, will of the people, and self-government, they should not have by any means imperialized during the turn of the 19th century.