Imperialism is the extension of authority of a nation or an empire over foreign countries. William Jennings Bryan, the Democratic candidate, ran against President William McKinley in the 1900 election. If elected, William Jennings Bryan promised to admit direct independence for the Philippines. In Bryan's speech, delivered in Chicago 1899, Bryan states, "We are told that the Filipinos are not capable of self-government; that has a familiar ring…The Filipinos are not far enough advanced to share in government of the people of the United States, but they competent to govern themselves." Bryan believes that even though the people of the Philippines are not highly educated, like the Americans, that they have the necessary ability to run their country.
However, Theodore Roosevelt had other ideas. Roosevelt delivered a speech in Chicago during the year of 1899. In his speech he refers to the Filipinos as " utterly unfit for self-government and show no signs of becoming fit." Roosevelt also mentions that some of the Filipinos May become eligible in self-government as time progresses, " but at present can only take part in self-government under a wise supervision at once firm and beneficent." In other words Roosevelt strongly recommends the idea of imperialism over the Philippines.
Proceeding after the Spanish-American War, President McKinley and other fellow Americans had their doubts about Cuba and the ability to self-government, but the United States still admitted independence to Cuba. In order to keep their independence Cuba had to follow the list of conditions that Senator Orville H. Platt of Connecticut designed in 1901. Listed in the conditions the United States president was given official permission of approval to "leave the government and control of the island of Cuba to it's people." In the first listing in the Platt Amendment it states that the Cuban government " shall never enter into any treaty or other compact with any foreign power or powers which will impair or tend to impair the independence of Cuba…"In other rules of the Platt Amendment they all refer to the independence and self-government of Cuba.
During the 1900's, my thoughts of the United States becoming and imperialist country are both for it and against it. The United States should only have become an imperialist country in order to help and protect weaker foreign countries. If the United States became an imperialist country only to rule foreign land and conquer the people, than I would be against that action.
Source: The American Vision 2006. Page 318-319 Chapter 4 (Becoming a World Power) Primary Sources, Eyewitness to History.
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