Anti-Imperialist+League

=__**Anti-Imperialist League**__=

New Imperialism caused most Americans to want to expand their boundaries around the world and aquire more territory to increase the power of the United States. However, there was a big controvery over the annexation of the Philippines which was gained after the The Spanish American War in The Treaty of Paris. (U.S. payed $20 million in the end for the Philippines). President McKinley decided to take over the Philippines and try to teach the Filipinos American ways, but with much resistance.

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Anti-Imperialist League: An anti-imperialist feeling rose while the Treaty of Paris was being ratified throughout the United States. People that opposed the acquisition of the Philippines included Andrew Carnegie, Mark Twain, and Senator John Sherman. The Anti-Imperialist League itself was established in Boston in 1898 in order to fight annexation of the Philippines.

Motives: There were a few different motives for not annexing the Philippines. --> imperialism was immoral --> some didn't want "inferior Asian races" blended into American society --> workers feared being replaced by laborers that would work for cheaper wages --> conservatives didn't want to entangle foreign alliances

William Jennings Bryan was a strong anti-imperialist. However, he encouraged people to approve annexation in order to have a referendum on the topic. He thought this way there could be some compromise. In the end, the United States swayed towards the imperialist side and chose to annex the Philippines in 1899.

Aquisition of the Philippines Information on Anti-Imperialism