Assessing the Legitimacy of American Imperialism in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries

Assessing the Legitimacy of American Imperialism in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries

Question

Instructions for midterm essay questions

Instructions: The midterm essay questions are based on textbook supporting material (1-7) and related information. When analyzing documents, it is advisable to consider both the source of each document and the author’s point of view. Textbooks (describes the Industrial Age, America in the Progressive Age, how it got involved in World War I, and what happened during and after World War I):

1.Carefully reread the relevant information in your textbook. Play media comments.

2. Read each document carefully (the documents are at the end of the exam instructions) and write down key phrases and words that correspond to the document-based questions.

3.Write a final statement directly answering the midterm essay question based on your own knowledge of the subject matter and the evidence provided in the documentation and online textbooks required for the course.

4. It is mandatory to cite at least 3 of the 7 documents. Don’t create too many. Cite the document in parentheses after the citation or reference. For example, “The position of the United States between two Old Worlds and two oceans makes the same claim” (Document 2).

Citations from openstax text must indicate the section number. For example, “Religious leaders and progressive reformers have joined corporations in growing interest in American expansion in an attempt to strengthen American democracy and the influence of Christianity abroad” (22.1). 5. Once you have completed your essay exam answers on your computer, please save them as standard Word documents or PDF files (Times New Roman, 12 point font, single spaced). Upload your exam answers by clicking Assignments on the left side of the course website. In the task list, click Midterms. You will see a red box that says “Submit Task”, click on it. Next, you will be asked to select a midterm exam file. Click Choose File, select your saved midterm file, and click Submit Assignment to upload it. 6.

Responses for the 1200-1700 word midterm essay exam are due by 11:59 PM PT on Saturday, November 6, 2021. A standard essay format is required (i.e., an introduction with the thesis as the last sentence of the first paragraph, at least three main paragraphs containing a thorough analysis of the supporting evidence, and a fully drafted conclusion paragraph). Please do not exceed the character limit. Only course materials may be used to answer midterm essay questions. Quoting or quoting external sources is prohibited. Aim for clarity, depth, and accuracy when answering the essay. Essays that are too general will be severely deducted. Submission of required documents is mandatory. Midterm exams are submitted to the plagiarism checker at turnitin.com via the “Tasks” canvas. Mid-term exam question: Please rate the extent to which imperialism was a legitimate policy for the United States in the late 19th century and his early 20th century.

Documents 1-7 and how they support or oppose US imperialism

Document 1: More than ten years before his time in the Spanish-American War, Reverend. Josiah Strong, a prominent Protestant minister, wrote the popular and influential book Our Country. This passage from Strong’s book advocates imperialism as US policy. “It seems to me that a God of infinite wisdom and skill is training the Anglo-Saxon race [Americans of strong will of British and German descent] for an hour that will surely visit the world in the future, representatives of this race, with unparalleled energy, with majesty of numbers and the power of wealth behind it… Greatest freedom, purest Christianity, highest civilization. . . This powerful race will spread across the globe and invade Mexico, Central and South America, the islands of the sea, Africa and more. And who could question that the outcome of this race is ‘survival of the fittest’?”

Document 2: Another supporter of US imperialism was Senior US Navy Officer Alfred T. Mahan. Mahan’s views were known and loved by many. This excerpt is from a book he wrote shortly before the Spanish-American War called American Interests in Sea Power (1897). “Americans need to start looking outward, and the expansion of production in this country requires that. Rising public sentiment calls for this. The United States’ location between her two Old Worlds and her two oceans makes the same claim. “Document 3: The initial decision on whether to annex the Philippines was made by President McKinley. The excerpt below explains why he recommended annexation to the U.S. Senate. When he made this statement, he was addressing a group of religious leaders. “I walked around the White House until midnight every night, and gentlemen, I am not ashamed that I knelt down and prayed to Almighty God for light and guidance. . .

Citations from openstax text must indicate the section number. For example, “Religious leaders and progressive reformers joined corporations in growing interest in American expansion in an attempt to strengthen American democracy and the influence of Christianity abroad” (22.1). 5. Once you have completed your essay exam answers on your computer, please save them as standard Word documents or PDF files (Times New Roman, 12 point font, single spaced). Upload your exam answers by clicking Assignments on the left side of the course website. In the task list, click Midterms. You will see a red box that says “Submit Task”, click on it. Next, you will be asked to select a midterm exam file. Click Choose File, select your saved midterm file, and click Submit Assignment to upload it. 6.

Responses for the 1200-1700 word midterm essay exam are due by 11:59 PM PT on Saturday, November 6, 2021. A standard essay format is required (i.e., an introduction with the thesis as the last sentence of the first paragraph, at least three main paragraphs containing a thorough analysis of the supporting evidence, and a fully drafted conclusion paragraph). Please do not exceed the character limit. Only course materials may be used to answer midterm essay questions. Quoting or quoting external sources is prohibited. Aim for clarity, depth, and accuracy when answering the essay. Essays that are too general will be severely deducted. Submission of required documents is mandatory. Midterm exams are submitted to the plagiarism checker at turnitin.com via the “Tasks” canvas. Mid-term exam question: Please rate the extent to which imperialism was a legitimate policy for the United States in the late 19th century and his early 20th century.

Documents 1-7 and how they support or oppose US imperialism

Document 1: More than ten years before his time in the Spanish-American War, Reverend. Josiah Strong, a prominent Protestant minister, wrote the popular and influential book Our Country. This passage from Strong’s book advocates imperialism as US policy. “It seems to me that a God of infinite wisdom and skill is training the Anglo-Saxon race [Americans of strong will of British and German descent] for an hour that will surely visit the world in the future, representatives of this race, with unparalleled energy, with majesty of numbers and the power of wealth behind it… Greatest freedom, purest Christianity, highest civilization. . . This powerful race will spread across the globe and invade Mexico, Central and South America, the islands of the sea, Africa and more. And who could question that the outcome of this race is ‘survival of the fittest’?”

Document 2: Another supporter of US imperialism was Senior US Navy Officer Alfred T. Mahan. Mahan’s views were known and loved by many. This excerpt is from a book he wrote shortly before the Spanish-American War called American Interests in Sea Power (1897). “Americans need to start looking outward, and the expansion of production in this country requires that. Rising public sentiment calls for this. The location of the United States between her two Old Worlds and her two oceans makes the same claim. “Document 3: The initial decision on whether to annex the Philippines was made by President McKinley. The excerpt below explains why he recommended annexation to the U.S. Senate. When he made this statement, he was addressing a group of religious leaders. “I walked around the White House until midnight every night, and gentlemen, I am not ashamed that I knelt down and prayed to Almighty God for light and guidance. . .

1.It is cowardly and dishonorable not to return them to Spain.

2.It would be bad business and discreditable if it could not deliver them to its eastern trade rivals France and Germany.

3.That we could not leave them alone, that they were not fit for self-government and would soon give rise to anarchy and misrule worse than in Spain. Relevance of Author’s Perspective and Intermediate Essay Questions

4.”We had no choice but to take in all Filipinos, to educate them, to uplift them, to civilize them, to Christianize them, and, by the grace of God, to do what was best for them as our fellowmen for whom Christ died.” Document 4: U.S. Senator George F. The following excerpt is taken from Hoare’s January 1899 speech against the Treaty of Annexation of the Philippines. . . The question we now have to consider is whether Congress can, without their consent and against their will, conquer and rule a foreign, independent and distinct multitude of peoples, the territories that will later be inhabited by the Americans. According to the Declaration of Independence, you cannot govern foreign territories, foreign nationals, or peoples other than your own. . . You cannot conquer or rule them against their will, thinking it is best for them, when they have not done so. Because you think you give them the blessing of freedom.