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Difficulty: HardImperialism and the Spanish-American War

Source: Platform of the American Anti-Imperialist League, October 1899.

"We hold that the policy known as imperialism is hostile to liberty and tends toward militarism, an evil from which it has been our glory to be free. 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' and open disloyalty to the distinctive principles of our Government."

The sentiments expressed in the excerpt were most directly a reaction to which of the following historical developments?

  1. A
    The establishment of formal military alliances with Latin American nations under the Monroe Doctrine
  2. B
    The decision to declare war on Spain following the sinking of the Lusitania
  3. The acquisition of the Philippines and other territories from Spain in the Treaty of ParisAnswer
  4. D
    The transition to a policy of complete economic and political isolationism in the Western Hemisphere

Answer

The acquisition of the Philippines and other territories from Spain in the Treaty of Paris
The correct answer is the acquisition of the Philippines and other territories from Spain in the Treaty of Paris. The American Anti-Imperialist League was founded in 1898 specifically to oppose the annexation of the Philippines, arguing that governing a foreign population without their consent violated the fundamental democratic principles of the United States.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the date and origin of the stimulus.
The document is the platform of the American Anti-Imperialist League from October 1899.
Identifying the timeframe and organization narrows down the historical debate to the aftermath of the Spanish-American War.
2
Interpret the argument of the text.
The authors argue that 'imperialism' and the 'subjugation of any people' violate fundamental American principles of liberty, self-government, and the consent of the governed.
This establishes that the League is protesting U.S. overseas territorial expansion and governance of foreign populations.
3
Connect the protest to the specific historical event that triggered it.
Following the 1898 Treaty of Paris, the United States acquired Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines from Spain, sparking an intense domestic debate over annexation.
This links the intellectual opposition to the concrete policy choice of annexing the Philippines, which led directly to the Philippine-American War.

Key Concept

Debates over American expansionism and imperialism post-1898
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Topics

Imperialism and the Spanish-American War

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