The Main Forces of the United States - Essay Example

The Main Forces of the United States Assignment 3UT Question One Why did the United States decide to interfere in the affairs of other nations in 1898-1905, thereby becoming an imperial power? What were the main forces promoting overseas expansion? The United States initially had a policy of non-interference which was motivated by Washington and Jefferson’s warning on entangling alliances as well as the Monroe Doctrine’s assertion of hemispheric self-determination. This view however changed in the year 1898 to 1905. What initially started as a humanitarian affair to support the Cuban people who were fighting the Spaniards, expanded to full scale territorial acquisition, following President McKinley war message to congress in 1898 It has been claimed that United States wanted to show off their naval superiority as well as to benefit commercially from the conquered nations. This motive had been echoed earlier on by Beveridge when he stated that ‘it may be that we will not annex the Philippines, Hawaii and Cuba: but events will annex them…’ (Ayers, 2009). The forces that were instrumental in this movement were the politicians and other state leaders who wanted to see the United States become an imperial power. How did events in Cuba result in a war with Spain? How did an empire arise from that conflict? Initially, Americas’ involvement in the war was purely humanitarian. They wanted to offer their support to the Cubans who were fighting for their independence against the Spanish Navy. However, their changed after a presidential decree by McKinley who wanted to assist the Cubans gain their freedom from the Spaniards (Ayers, 2009, p 489). This interference brought them to war with the Spanish Navy, a war which they worn due to their superior Navy skills and equipment. It was after this conflict with the Spanish that the Americans sought to acquire more territory in areas such as Philippines and Hawaii. They wanted to rid of European rule in these nations and spread their own beliefs and practices. Which voices or opinions dominated the discussion about imperialism? Regarding the desire for empire, was Albert J. Beveridge's consideration of it representative of the age? Among the notable voices of imperialism was that of Albert Beveridge. Even at a young age, his superior oratory skills made him the focus of attention. He had been quoted championing for imperialism on a number of occasion, the most memorable being his argument that America needed to spread its liberty, civilization and the kingdom of God here on earth. It is such remarks that have been echoed by the American foreign policy, even to this day. His desire for an empire has been representative of its age since foreign policy had been put in place based on the desire to spread liberty, civilization and the kingdom of God. Why did the United States not acquire more territory than it did? At first, the United States was separated geographically from the rest of the European countries, thus could not participate in the acquisition. Additionally, it was guided by the Monroe Declaration that prohibited it from interfering with the affairs of other nations. The only exception was when they stepped in to offer humanitarian aid to the affected nations. Question 2 Compare and contrast the proposals that Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois made in the 1890s for blacks to deal with racial segregation and their subordinate place in society. Both Washington and W.E.B were champions of the black community due to their contributions to enhance their freedom and segregation among the populous white community at the time. Their approach to this common goal, however, differed greatly. For instance, Washington made compromises with the white leadership in exchange for liberality of the black community, while W.E.B never made such deals. Instead, he championed for the freedom of the black community with no conditions bound to it (Ayers, 2009, p 496). Washington believed that the illiterate and non-propertied blacks should not be allowed to vote, yet he himself exercised the right to vote. This was contrary to W.E.B.’s belief for the right for every black person to vote so as to redeem their freedom, honour and give them a chance to rise above everything else. Booker also insinuated that the black people should abandon their freedom of free speech and that they should not pursue higher education so as to avoid conflicting with the white southerners. This too was in contrast to W.E.B’s proposal where he proclaimed the freedom of black community to walk, talk and be with anyone that wishes to be with them. He also called for the provision of better quality of education to the black children to whatever level they chose to pursue. What were the major areas of disagreement between the two men? Were there any issues on which their opinions were similar? W.E.B. differed greatly in opinion to Washington in a number of ways. First, Washington was a major sympathizer of the white southerners unlike W.E.B. Du Bois believed in organizing public protests and legal actions against the white oppressors (Ayers, 2009). Du Bois also openly criticized Washington’s proposals to championing for the rights of the black which he believed compromised of the rights and freedom of the black community. They never had anything issue in common since most of their approaches and policies contradicted each other. In your judgment, which man offered the best chance for blacks to improve their condition and to deal with the barriers that white society posed? Which program had the greater probability for success in 1901? W.E.B proposal stood a better chance to liberate the black community from the white oppression. His self-assertion method through the use of law suits and public demonstration would put more pressure on the white southerners to remove the barriers between them and the black community. Washington’s compromising approach, on the other hand, would only cement the superiority of the white southerners over the blacks (Ayers, 2009). In view of this, Du Bois approach would most likely succeed since Washington’s approach had resulted to numerous prosecution and deaths of the African- American community, despite its lenient approach to the white southerners. Identifications a) Jacob S. Coxey Born in 1854, General Coxey (as he is popularly known), was a renowned politician who ran for elective post in the state of Ohio. He is most remembered for marching a group for unemployed men to Washington D.C. to demand funds for job creation. The ‘Coxey army’, as it was referred to then, failed to meet its demands though the efforts gave rise to the formation of a state unemployment insurance program that is functional to date. b) “ Cross of Gold” Speech Delivered by William Jennings Bryan, the cross of gold speech was delivered to address the nations’ monetary situation. At the time, gold was the preferred currency for trade and this limited its supply throughout the state. Bryan suggested the use of bimetallism, that is, use of both gold and silver, to ease trade and improve the economic situation of the country. c) U.S.S. Maine Named after the state of Maine, the U.S.S. Maine was the second commissioned battleship that was built using the latest European naval technology. It was constructed with the main purpose of subduing the Brazilian battleships and the ever increasing naval forces in Latin America. The Maine, however, was out of date in its technological development by the time it was put to service. Its catastrophic explosion that nearly killed three quarters of its crew was largely blamed on Spain thereby increasing animosity between these two states. d) Treaty of Paris The end of the American revolutionary war between Great Britain and the United States of America and its allies was made possible by the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783. The treaty favored the United States since its boundaries was largely expanded with respect to the agreements in the treaty. e) Smoked Yankees. They were a group of African American solders that were formed in 1866 to fight the Indians and protect the settlers as well as the railway constructors. The smoked Yankees (as they were referred to by the Spanish), were popularly known as the ‘buffalo soldiers’ because of the image of a buffalo that was placed in their regimental crest. Bibliography AYERS, E. L. (2009). American passages: a history of the United States. Boston, MA, Wadsworth/Cengage Learning Read More