Albert Beveridge Imperialism Analysis

American desire for imperialism was rising in the 1800s especially with the rise of the topic of the Spanish conquers in Cuba. Cubans under Spanish rule were mistreated severely, and those cruelties were heard by the Americans, who were enraged. Imperialistic Americans wanted to take control of the sea, which they believed will lead to global with the establishment of naval bases in the Pacific and East Asia. Imperialists also wanted access to natural resources and markets, as well as spread western culture and Christianity to “civilise” other countries. Anti-imperialists believed that American intervention in Cuba, and American expansion in general, was against American ideals. They believed imperialism violated the Monroe Doctrine and that democracy would be undermined by the foreign races.

Albert Beveridge and Mark Twain were two writers in the late 19th and early 20th century. Although living in similar times, they had contrasting opinions on imperialism. Beveridge believed that the consent of the governed came from those that were capable of self-government. Under Beveridge’s ideas, the Asians and Pacific Islanders were not capable of self-government for
This is due to Beveridge’s comparison of the United States with Europe, which would have been likely to encourage Americans to world domination. The United States also had significant political and military power, which deepened and promoted their hunt for more with competition with Europe. He also appointed the United States to be the supreme economic leader, which would have increased the businessmen’s zeal into invest more into imperialism. Like Beveridge’s argument, many also believed that the Cubans and Filipinos were not capable of self-government, with the common idea of racism in America back then. Therefore, Beveridge’s argument was definitely more prominent and convincing to the