Imperialism's Bitter Fruit

1. What made the Filipino insurrection "far different than any conflict in which Americans had previously fought"?
In the Philippines, the American soldiers were facing a completely different challenge than any other war. There were generally rules followed by both sides on a battle field to keep things remotely civilized during war. During the insurrection, these rules were completely ignored, as we were not facing on unified organized army. It was many different guerilla attack forces that would move quickly in and out, killing as many as possible. This was really American troops’ first encounter with these kinds of tactics, so they had to adjust their tactics as well. Both sides became brutal to the enemy, using torture and execution methods that were unheard of before.

2. Why were African-Americans among the strongest critics of the war against the Filipino nationalists?
Many African-Americans were critics against the war due to the racial attitudes behind America’s occupation. We thought of Filipino as lesser people, as we did blacks, hence they needed our help. This was made evident by most of the whites in the army referring to Filipinos as “niggers”. The war also reminded the black troops of the discrimination they experienced in America, the very discrimination that were trying to curb by joining the military, as there were restaurants and public services only for whites all over the Philippines. The Filipinos reminded them of this racism as well, distributing posters addressed to the “Colored American Soldier”, which encouraged the backlash against the war even further, in some cases even encouraging desertion.

3. Why did the United States lose its appetite for imperialism in the early 1900s?
Even after the insurrection was quashed in the Philippines, the Filipinos continued fighting for their independence in different ways. After it was ruled that they were not granted protection under U.S. law as a colony of America, many Filipinos were especially unhappy. The tensions were far too high for America to maintain full rule over the nation, so high that even champions of imperialism like Theodore Roosevelt admitted that the cost of an empire was too high. The realization of the true cost of an empire as well as increasing apathy towards the situation led America to a rather quick decline in its appetite for imperialism.

4. How did the United States contribute to the development of Cuba and Puerto Rico?
The United States made Puerto Rico a U.S. territory, hence granting all Puerto Ricans citizenship. Being a territory, however, they were still able to establish their own government, ultimately being controlled by America. Cuba remained under military occupation until they were granted independence under certain restrictions in 1901. While America had control of these territories, we helped to improve infrastructure and bring new technology into the region. If it was only to help American businesses in the region, it ended up also helping to improve the region’s overall way of life.

5. Why did many Cubans come to resent the U.S. presence on their island?
In order for the U.S. to give Cuba its independence, McKinley gave a set of rules that the Cubans must follow. These were outlined in the Platt Amendment to the independence treaty proposed, and chief among them were U.S. control over the Cuban economy and U.S. veto power for Cuban foreign policy. When Cuba reluctantly agreed to these provisions, American businessman took control over the Cuban sugar industry and began making huge profits. They set up deals with Cuban plantation owners that were simply terrible for the owner. Cubans were having trouble finding work in the economy controlled by America as well as Spanish immigrants, which led to a slow buildup of tension against the United States that would last for years until a revolt broke out.

 

6. Do you believe the United States was imperialist? Why or why not?
Yes and no. I believe the United States began on its journey for more territory overseas with imperialist intentions, but ended up being sort of an economic imperialist. Rather than capturing nations and taking complete control, which they would have done if it didn’t cost so many lives and cause so much tension, the U.S. took control over the central economy of many nations around the world. A purely imperialist country would take nations for the sake of being a powerful nation with territory. The U.S.A., on the other hand, created an economic empire for itself, an empire that maximized profit, not power.

The Spanish-American War

1. How was the United States connected to Cuba in the 1890s?
          The main reason the United States was interested in Cuba was economics. Cuba had large sugar plantations, and the U.S. was the largest purchaser of this sugar in the world. American investors spent millions of dollars in the Sugar industry. This helped to boost the Cuban economy as they had a great place to export their product, as well as making lots of money for the American investors involved. America and Cuba traded over $100,000,000 annually, meaning they relied on each other quite a bit, Cuba for the boosted economy, America for the sugar.

2. What were the main reasons the United States intervened in Cuba? (i.e. went to war) Which reason do you believe was most important? Explain your answer.
           There were many reasons Americans supported intervention in Cuba, some for humanitarian reasons of protecting the innocents dying, some saying American property in Cuba was at risk. American merchants and African-Americans particularly supported war with Spain as an intervention. Businessmen generally supported peaceful negotiations as they were scared of their investments being at risk. This changed when the Maine was blown up. Many businessmen decided that America would actually be at a better economic position overall if they defeated Spain in war, as they would be able to gain other strategic ports around the world. I think gaining economic advantages in trade routes around the world was the most important reason for going to war.

3. Why were many African-Americans eager to serve in the Spanish-American War?
             During this time, America was still rife with prejudice and racism against blacks. Many people believed them to be lesser people still, and them not having as much money or social status contributed to this. One of the only possible ways a black American could raise their social status was through joining the military. The blacks who volunteered for the Spanish-American War were hoping to raise the overall position of blacks in America, and they ended up being elite squads of troops.

4. How did racial attitudes at the turn of the century shape American perceptions of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines?
         Many Americans at this time subscribed to the belief that African-Americans were lesser people. The United States said they would let the Cubans negotiate with the Spaniards, but as they perceived most of them to be black, they decided they needed America’s help in their affairs. A similar situation occurred in the Philippines, as most Americans were not even aware of the place or that it was in rebellion. Mainly only African-American communities sympathized with the Filipino, but as they were not powerful in America, the white men who had only scene the African depictions of Filipino were doing all the negotiating, and took advantage of that. Basically, if someone was darker than an Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Saxons believed they “needed help” in their affairs, which they used as an excuse to make a deal that worked out best for America.

5. Why did Emilio Aguinaldo feel that the United States supported his campaign for Filipino independence?
              Emilio Aguinaldo, the nationalist leader of the Philippines, was convinced that the chief reason the Americans joined his fight was because they wanted Filipino independence. He believed that the Americans felt empathy for the Filipino rebels, as only a hundred or so years ago, they too were fighting for independence from a strong European power. He thought that Dewey’s intervention against Spanish ships was a sign of a world power fighting for the cause of freedom throughout the globe. He didn’t realize that most Americans didn’t even know where the Philippines were, and the ones who did just wanted it as a strategic port.

6. Why do you think the Spanish-American War was called "a splendid little war" by an American diplomat at the time? Do you think we could have a "splendid little war" today? Explain your answer.
            The Spanish-American War was called a “splendid little war” because it was very swift and a definitive victory that worked out well for the United States. I do not believe that we could have such a “splendid little war” today. The underlying goal of the Spanish-American war, although it was not exactly stated outright, was quite obviously to keep the industry of sugar trade with Cuba alive and well in the United States. Nowadays America can’t seem to find a real goal for going to war, as instead of fighting for a nation, or at least supposedly for one as we did for Cuba, we fight against a concept; this fight continues to lower the image of America even further, and gains us nothing like the Spanish-American war gained us ports to control trade around the world. Not to mention, we are terrible at deciding when to leave, which makes our wars longer and longer.