McKinley might not have been able to make it through his second term before his untimely death but during his time in office he still made decisions that had a long term effect on our nation 's’ economy, foreign policy, and presidency itself. During McKinley’s first campaign the decision to keep the gold standard of backing our nation 's currency was a big deal. However, this only lasted until 1933 when our country switched to a fiat money system where the dollars value isn’t linked to an asset. According to a Mental Floss article “Most economists now agree 90 percent of the reason why the U.S. got out of the Great Depression was the break with gold,”. Therefore, it is arguable that McKinley’s decision to keep the gold standard ended up …show more content…
Foreign policy was also a pretty hot topic during his time in office. The Spanish American war is largely seen as almost unavoidable by most historians (Miller) so McKinley’s choice to enter it would have also been made by anyone else in the presidential seat due to public pressure and a need to protect assets. However, the way McKinley chose to act after the war was not unavoidable. After gaining a large amount of territory from spain, McKinley decided to make America an imperial power. This had many consequences especially for the people of the lands we now controlled. McKinley had promised the people of the Philippines independence but later decided to keep their land anyways. According to the US Department of State, this resulted in the Philippine American war during which 4,200 American and over 20,000 Filipino combatants were killed. There were also about 200,000 Filipino civilians who died from a variety of causes such as their villages being burned by US forces, starvation, and disease. Many in the US opposed McKinley’s choice to colonize the Philippines and he definitely could have pulled out of this war at any time over the 3 years it lasted. Another game changing foreign policy move made by his administration was the Open Door
McKinley said that there was such an abundance of silver that if turned into coins, could make more money and the economy would be stable again since the rich wouldn’t have it
When comparing Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson’s stance on foreign and domestic policies, there are similarities and differences. One iconic phrase we associate with Roosevelt, “speak softly and carry a big stick,” justly depicts his stance on foreign policy. Roosevelt sought after prestige for America, desiring to stand out among the nations in power and strength. At times, Roosevelt’s foreign pursuit was aggressive and resulted in conflict such as the Spanish-American War, and resistance to Roosevelt’s Corollary. But it did lead to advances of the construction of the Panama Canal, and the absorption of power over the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Guam, Cuba and Hawaii.
The United States proved to be too big of a power for Colombia to go against so they easily handed over Panama. Although Theodore Roosevelt’s diplomacy seemed very militaristic and strict, he was a man of peace. His influence went as far as helping end the war between the Russians and Japanese. Another action that was taken was the updates that Theodore Roosevelt had for the Monroe Doctrine. These updates would help prevent military intervention in Latin America from any European nation.
They saw it as the “perfect stepping-stones” trade with China and the rest of Asia. American business men felt it was necessary for the government to show some authority and capitalize on this opportunity. American saw Manila as their
American wanted to control the Philippines government to get closer to China for trading. Another interest is access to trading. According to Document 1, “Process of three hundred years of superstition in religion, dishonesty in dealing, disorder in habits of industry, and cruelty, caprice, and corruption in government. It is barely possible that 1,000 men in all archipelago are capable of self-government.” US President, McKinley believed they couldn’t govern themselves against other nations.
The “Gilded Age”, a.k.a the Post Civil War Progressive Era, was the name given by Mark Twain in the period 1865-1896 which indicated the wealth and the widespread corruption of the era. The “Gilded Age” witnessed new cultural and intellectual movements as well as political debates over ecomonic and social policies from five different forgettable presidents. The president of the “Gilded Age” who serves as the best, in my opinion, was Grover Cleveland. Although this is very opinionated, I say this because Cleveland was the first democratic president since Buchanan whom despite political gain, served two inconsecutive terms which shows that he is trustworthy and he is a leader. He appealed to middle class voters of both parties as someone who would fight corruption and big-money interests.
But the Filipinos could have waited, and eventually become a state, similar to Hawaii, and they would have attained the guaranteed help and protection of the US. After watching the other world powers practice imperialism, the US began its quest for colonies. The US was a great help to the other nations it imperialized, providing peace and defense, among other things, to them. US Imperialism might not have been positive for everyone, but the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. If the US hadn’t imperialised, the world would have different nations, and the US might not have become the power it is
The Monroe Doctrine was a speech given in 1823 by James Monroe, the 5th president of the United States, to the U.S. Congress concerning European presence in the Western Hemisphere. Monroe was becoming continuously concerned about European influence in the region. While the primary audience for this message was Congress, the intended audience was all European powers, including Russia, and Latin America. The events in Latin America before and after the Spanish-American War will be used as an example of the imperial reach by the U.S. The United States, ironically, became an imperial power through its mission outlined in the Monroe Doctrine to end European colonialism and imperialism.
The US should not have annexed the Philippines because it would be hypocritical of Americans, the
William McKinley in his thoughts on American Expansionism has identified the reasons why America had no other choice but to incorporate Philippines as a part of it. This writing has been lifted from the excerpts of an interview with William McKinley soon after Spain had surrendered in the Spanish-American war. McKinley cleverly talks in this interview about how Philippines just came and fell into the laps of America thereby suggesting the helpless stance of America. He talks about how America’s sole intention and purpose had only been to safeguard its own interests as a country. He had to order that the Spanish fleets in Manila be destroyed because if left unattended, they would have crossed the Pacific and wreaked havoc in the American states
President Theodore Roosevelt became president in 1901 after William McKinley. Roosevelt was vice-president but took the presidential position when McKinley was assassinated. He was the youngest president in United States History, but brought new excitement and power to the presidency as he led Congress and the American public towards progressive reforms and a strong foreign policy. Teddy Roosevelt had a prodigious impact on the United States during his presidency from 1901 to 1908, changing the landscape of the U.S. politically, economically, and socially. With all of his accomplishments while he was in office, consisting of the Square Deal, preserving lands, and many more, he improved the U.S overall.
William McKinley once said, “That’s all a man can hope for during his lifetime, to set an example, and when he is dead, to be an inspiration for history.” Any person who has changed the course of history is a man worth remembering, and William McKinley is one of those people. William McKinley, before his assassination, was one honorable stepping stone, set in place, to make our great the country the place it is today. His assassination rocked every state across our big, wide country and it made people uncertain of the future, a future without their beloved President McKinley. At the time, this was the third assassination of a president in a span of thirty-six years, and the loss of William McKinley is one that will go down in history and
In 1901, after the assassination of William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt became the United State’s youngest president and he viewed his presidency as a way to “increase the influence and prestige of the United States on the world stage and make the country a global power” (Milkis 1). His accomplishments were made using American influence rather than force. Previously, presidents had used the American armies to ensure that America was seen as a capable leader. Roosevelt thought ahead and saw that helping other countries emblematically during times of war would benefit the United States. He realized that the US did not have to necessarily place boots on the soil in order to make advances whereas his predecessors did not.
After the war, America was awarded with the philippines, not sure with what to do with them, they looked at the reasons for imperialism, and expanding their own nation. In regard to expanding, The United States, bought Alaska from russia for 7.2 million dollars. And sugar farmers in Hawaii, overthrew the queen, and annexed to the United States. With the philippines, there were 3 main ways to do diplomacy. 3 different presidents each had their own way of dealing with the issues.
The Monroe Doctrine is one of the most influential foreign policies made by an American President in our nation’s history. It strongly defined the principle of American exclusivity and European non-interference in North and South America. In Europe, the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 marked the disintegration of the Spanish empire in the New World. Between 1815 and 1822, Argentina, Venezuela, and Chile declared their independence, and broke away from colonialism. The Monroe administration recognized Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico as independent colonies in 1822.