An Argument Against American Imperialism

The decision of America to branch out and expand the country is a decision that has been highly debated over the course of America’s history. It was a difficult time in America, around the 1890’s; and America was faced with a dilemma. The working class was poor and most Americans felt it was because of overproduction. The popular belief was that America was producing, it just wasn’t using it all. The belief of overproduction and another popular belief of Manifest Destiny were the driving forces behind imperialism. I believe these reasons alone were not sufficient enough to justify the building of an American empire.

Imperialism in America at the time was a good thing. America was indeed overproducing. So in order to improve the economy Government believed that if the country expanded this would create a better market and improve the economy all around. It would create more jobs and more people to buy up the surplus America was producing. It would basically level out the economy so that everyone could prosper.

Another good thing about Imperialism came through Manifest Destiny. It was the belief that America was destined to rule and so expansion also came about. One of the things that developed through Manifest Destiny was a new sense of nationalism. It gave people pride in their country unlike anything before. They felt good towards their country so much so that most Americans supported imperialism. They used reasons like white man’s burden, and god given rights to base imperialism on. It brought pride and happiness, which in turn improved people’s spirits in everything. The workplace, life, family everything. America was a great place to be in during these times with all the good feelings being generated by everyone. It was a good morale booster for everyone in America. That is one of the most positive things I think developed out of American Imperialism.

Some bad things came out of the movement for and American Empire as well. One thing that happened widely was the removal and scattering of native Americans from their lands so the white man could move in and take over their lands. Many Indians were forced onto reservations in order to make way for the white man’s greed. Another thing that developed was the desire to make Native Americans civilized .Known as the White Man’s Burden, Americans saw it as their duty to teach the Indians their religion and ways of life in order to improve their way of life.

The Native Americans were not the only group that suffered because of imperialism. The people of the Philippine Islands also were abused. The Spanish, up until the Spanish American War, occupied the Phillipines. America promised to free the Philippines during the war they joined forces. After the war America went against its agreement and kept the Islands as their own.

For these reasons I feel that the building of an American empire was wrong. That is not to say I do not feel pride in my country. If this is what it took to for our country to become an empire, I say no. The cost is too high to justify what America attempted to do. We denied other people what we had fought for in the American Revolution, freedom. And that is wrong no matter how you look at it.

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