History of the US in the First Half of the Twentieth Century Assignment

History of the US in the First Half of the Twentieth Century - Assignment Example The rising relevance of foreign trade in the national economy and the desire to compete with the imperialist designs of Europe also added to this thrust. Many important national think tanks and opinion makers clamored for extending the influence of the US. In that context, Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan pressed for the modernization of the American navy and the acquisition of strategic foreign locations to assure US domination. In a theological context, Josiah Strong evinced the superiority of Anglo-Saxon civilization and stressed on the need to spread religion and democratic values by the US in weaker nations in 1885. Under such pressures, America no more afforded to be neutral. In 1898, the Cuban Revolution instigated America to engage in war with Spain, leading to the eventual Spanish deference to the American demands. The Teller Amendment of 1898 proclaimed to the world that America intended to dilute the Spanish influence in the region by overthrowing the Spanish rule in Cuba. The Spanish-American war culminated in the Treaty of Paris in 1898 that led to the gain of some territories by the US and the freedom of Cuba. The support for the US expansion in Asia and Latin America was on the rise. President William McKinley found it really difficult to resist the augmenting pressure originating from military strategists, commercial pressure groups and religious zealots in the favor of annexing the Philippines. In response to the expansionist intentions of the US, the Anti-Imperialist League was constituted in 1898, which supported the freedom of the Philippines.