Philippines: america's course of empire
Philippines
America could not give the Philippines back to Spain after decades of misrule, but at the same time America could not take the Philippines like an imperialistic nation would. In the end, McKinley decided to keep the Philippines because of popular public opinion and the business advantages it would bring. The U.S paid for $20 million for the Philippine islands, but upon taking the islands uproar broke out from opponents. Until then, the United States had always acquired territory from the American continent, and even Alaska, Hawaii, and other small islands had only a small number of people living there. However, many believed that the Philippines could become another Hong Kong, and likewise, that it was the "White Man's Burden" to keep the Philippine islands and to "civilize them". The Anti-Imperialist League, consisting of Mark Twain, William James, Samuel Gompers, and Andrew Carnegie, firmly opposed the expansion of America this way and argued that denying the Filipinos their freedom was un-American and against the Monroe Doctrine that America would keep to themselves. In the cartoon above, McKinley is holding a Filipino in his palm, which symbolizes the "White Man's Burden". The Anti-Imperialist League members show their disapproval from afar, but above McKinley's head is the American flag, which shows that the decision of keeping the Philippines was in favor of the American public interest.
America could not give the Philippines back to Spain after decades of misrule, but at the same time America could not take the Philippines like an imperialistic nation would. In the end, McKinley decided to keep the Philippines because of popular public opinion and the business advantages it would bring. The U.S paid for $20 million for the Philippine islands, but upon taking the islands uproar broke out from opponents. Until then, the United States had always acquired territory from the American continent, and even Alaska, Hawaii, and other small islands had only a small number of people living there. However, many believed that the Philippines could become another Hong Kong, and likewise, that it was the "White Man's Burden" to keep the Philippine islands and to "civilize them". The Anti-Imperialist League, consisting of Mark Twain, William James, Samuel Gompers, and Andrew Carnegie, firmly opposed the expansion of America this way and argued that denying the Filipinos their freedom was un-American and against the Monroe Doctrine that America would keep to themselves. In the cartoon above, McKinley is holding a Filipino in his palm, which symbolizes the "White Man's Burden". The Anti-Imperialist League members show their disapproval from afar, but above McKinley's head is the American flag, which shows that the decision of keeping the Philippines was in favor of the American public interest.