How did politicians feel about foreign policy in the late 1800s and the early 1900s?

Politicians had differing views on American foreign policy at this time. Imperialists thought that the actions of the United States abroad were largely positive. They thought the United States needed to join the great colonial powers of Europe and establish trade networks throughout the Pacific. The ultimate goal of these land acquisitions would be to reach the lucrative markets of China with vast amounts of steamships laden with American trade goods. The United States would also bring stability to the Caribbean and bring about a positive business environment in Cuba and Puerto Rico. This business environment was nonexistent during the Spanish war against Cuban nationalists. Missionaries also sought to travel to American territories in order to spread the gospel. The imperialists viewed the United States as having the "right answers" for the developing world and the United States would also benefit from having new raw materials from abroad as well. Teddy Roosevelt was a strident imperialist.
The anti-imperialists saw things differently. They believed that a war would take away from the United States's growing domestic Progressive agenda. They also thought that a republic which had once been a colony should not strive to have colonies of its own as that would be hypocritical. Some racists asked if the new territories would ever become states, because they did not want to share Congressional chambers with minorities. The anti-imperialists pointed to the Filipino Insurrection and Belgian atrocities in the Congo and declared that imperialism makes a country lose its humanity. William Jennings Bryan was one of the leaders of the anti-imperialists.

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