Essay On Why Did The Us Go To War With Spain

In 1898 Spain and the United States got into a war. The war would essentially end Spain’s empire and propel the United States onto the world stage. The United States got into a war with Spain because the United States, driven by imperialism and social darwinism, desired to have foreign territories. Imperialism is the policy of extending a nation’s authority by territorial acquisition and/or by the establishment of economic and political control over other nations. The United States wanted to spread democracy and American ideals, that mentality is imperialism and led to the US challenging Spain for colonies which led to war. Imperialistic governments pass laws on how resources are used and sold, the imperialistic government does this to establish

Social Darwinism is the application of Darwinism to the study of human society, specifically a theory in sociology that individual or groups achieve advantage over others as the result of genetic/biological superiority. Social Darwinism was introduced by Herbert Spencer, a british philosopher. He wrote about how certain traits certain groups of humans had made them better than other groups. He used that as a reason why the French, Spanish, and British had the right to go into “savage” countries and “take care” of the “biologically inferior”. This mentality was one of the main reason the United States went to war with

Beveridge used the ideals of social darwinism as reasons to why the United States should retain the philippines, a colony Spain original controlled. In his address to congress in favor of retaining the philippines he said “It is elemental. It is racial. God has not been preparing the English-speaking and Teutonic people for a thousand years… He has made us the master organizers of the world to establish system where chaos reigns.”(Beveridge 45). He straight up says that it is a racial thing and that the English-Speaking (white) people are superior to others. He goes on to say “He [god] has made us [The American people] adept in government that we may administer government among savage and senile peoples.” “They are not a self-governing race. They are Orientals, Malays, instructed by Spaniards in the latter’s worst estate.”(Beveridge 44-45). He says that Americans are biologically superior to the “Orientals” he talks about how it is our duty to go and “help” the “savage primitive, biologically inferior”