An Example Of Social Darwinism In Our World History
Darwinism, the belief in natural selection and evolution as the “survival-of-the-fittest”, is also known as Darwinism. Social Darwinism states that wealth and political power will naturally go to those who are most worthy. Social Darwinism was used as a basis for controlling and expanding America’s empire.
Spain gave the Philippines control at the end the Spanish-American War. The United States instead of granting independence to the Filipinos, they began to control the country. Many Filipinos were opposed to this decision and there was much fighting between them before the U.S. emerged victorious in 1902. The Philippines was not in a favorable spot on the route towards China. It was considered by the U.S. government to be a large market for trade. American forces then attempted to Americanize Filipinos using an English-language education system. Teaching the American way to the Filipinos was considered a duty of upliftment, as they were viewed as inferior to the Imperialists’ culture. Americanization would not only “lift” these people but also serve to control the country and reduce rebellions. The Monroe Doctrine, which was the United States’ policy regarding colonialism, was created in 1823. Originally, the Monroe Doctrine stated European countries could’t colonize Americas. America would not get involved in European affairs unless America had its rights directly affected. If America attempted to colonize US soil, it would be deemed a menace (wikipedia.com, Monroe Doctrine). The Roosevelt Corollary is an amendment to Monroe Doctrine, added by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1904. This was to protect Latin America from European intervention to collect on their debts. The Roosevelt Corollary warned Latin American countries that they had to maintain stability in their finances and politics or risk being “interrogated by a civilized nation”. Many interventions were justified using the Roosevelt Corollary. American troops were sent to the area to suppress unrest and to establish bases and ports in order to expand American influence. These countries were also under the control of the American authorities, who transferred European owed loans to U.S. bank.
Some used the Declaration of Independence as well as the Constitution’s guarantee of sovereignty to oppose imperial control of countries against their will. Other arguments focused on potential negative effects in America, including the possibility of cheap labor being imported to America. It was difficult to form a strong anti-imperialist coalition to protest American Imperialism because of differences in domestic issues. While America’s pursuit of global dominance increased its economic power and political influence, it did so at the cost of other cultures as well as the right of these individuals to manage their own countries.
