Imperialism's Bitter Fruit

1. a) After the Spanish were forced out of the Philippines, fighting broke out between the American and Filipinos. This had started when an American soldier fired on a Filipino patrol that had refused to halt, 2 days before the Senate vote on the Treaty of Paris. For months, tension had been building up, and within hours of the shooting, fighting had spread to much of the area around Manila. The Filipinos had believed they were fighting for their independence, but they were not.

b) This was a different kind of warfare to American forces. Instead of confronting an organized army, U.S. soldiers had faced a quick-striking guerrilla movement. Both sides tortured and executed prisoners and committed other atrocities. The U.S. forced imprisoned almost the entire population of the island of Samara after guerrillas had wiped out an American garrison. American soldiers had also killed Filipino prisoners at random whenever an American soldier was killed.

2. African-Americans were strong critics of the war against Filipino nationalists as two regiments of black volunteers were among the U.S. troops who fought in the conflict. Black officers were appointed to command the volunteers. At home, African-American leaders were at the forefront of the backlash against the war. Black soldiers were discriminated against during this war just as they had been in Cuba. Roughly 500 African-Americans living in the Philippines were killed during the fighting.

3. a) Scholars of this time warned that imperialism would increase war and conflict around the world.

b) Mark Twainm, America's most famous living writer at the time, used his biting irony and wit to ridicule the stance of the imperialists. He was among the most effective critics of imperialism.

4. Congress had made Puerto Rico a territory in 1917 and had granted its people U.S. citizenship. Under a formula crafted by the US State Department, Cuba was to receive independence only after accepting a number of limitations. Both of these were positive effects of American occupation in Puerto Rico and Cuba.

5. a) The Platt Amendment had given the United States the right to oversee the Cuban economy.

b) The United States was also given the right to exercise veto power over Cuban foreign policy.

c) The United States could intervene whenever necessary "for the protection of life, property, and individual liberty".

d) Last, the United States was also allowed to build a naval base on the southeastern tip of the island at Guantanamo Bay.

I don't think that America was justified in making these demands because the US is saying that they are giving Cuba their independence, but with all these limitations, I wouldn't even consider it independence.

6. Personally, I think that the United States was becoming imperialist, as they were continuing to gain power and extend their boundaries. The US had expanded overseas in the 1890s and beyond, acquiring Cuba, the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico. This provided US leaders with the opportunity they had been looking for to increase that power. The US had claimed to be bringing freedom and civilization to the islands, but they were rarely considering the interests and hopes of the inhabitants.