AP US History in 1 Minute Daily: Debates over Imperialism (Day 223/309)

Hey APUSHers, let’s chat about Debates over Imperialism as part of my series- APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!

“Columbia’s Easter Bonnet,” Wikimedia Commons

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries intense debates over imperialism in the United States emerged as the nation grappled with the acquisition of new territories, such as the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam, after the Spanish-American War. 

Lesson for Anti-Expansionists, Wikimedia Commons

Imperialists, such as Presidents McKinley and Roosevelt, argued that overseas expansion would enhance economic opportunities, open new markets, and strengthen the nation's global standing. 

“And, After All, the Philippines Are Only the Stepping Stone to China,” Wikimedia Commons

They believed that American values and institutions should be spread to less developed regions, asserting that imperialism was a civilizing mission.

“Hurrah for the Fourth of July,” PBS

Anti-imperialists, including figures like William Jennings Bryan, Jane Addams, and W.E.B. Du Bois, vehemently argued that imperialism contradicted American principles of self-determination and freedom. 

“It’s ‘up to’ them,” Library of Congress

Anti-imperialists were concerned about the potential for militarism, the erosion of constitutional rights in acquired territories, and the moral implications of subjugating foreign populations against their will.

Debates over imperialism demonstrated the tension that grew from the changing interactions between the U.S. and the world as it sought to emerge as a contender on the world stage.

Join me tomorrow as I explain Early 20th Century Foreign Policy in the next APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!