DOCUMENT 3
“Civilization Begins at Home” (1898)
Describe – what kind of primary source is it, author details (if known), date, historical context, describe figures you see (for cartoons)
The date this cartoon was released was 1898. In it, President McKinley gazes at a map of the Philippines while Lady Justice, as designated by her sword and scales, holds back a curtain, revealing individuals both crawling towards McKinley and immobile on the steps. Lady Justice is shown without her blindfold, possibly to indicate a refusal to stay blind to the plight on the other side of the curtain. A man whose face is darkened is shown, hanging from a tree. The hand of the person nearest to McKinley partially covers a smear on the steps. While the solid black may be shading to denote uniformity, it is far more likely that it is used to depict African descent. This cartoon was released roughly 10 days after the Wilmington Insurrection, and its proximity with the massacre makes imagery of African Americans in need of aid the most plausible explanation for the heavily shaded figures. Ironically, the cartoon uses depictions of the savage treatment of individuals at home to protest the attention McKinley pays to the Philippines, which were (at this point in time) often discussed from a standpoint of white saviorism, regarding them as savages in need of saving.
Analyze – (main idea) what reason(s) does this source give for opposing imperialism?
The source portrays McKinley as having turned his back on his people, ignoring domestic terrorism and racial violence that Lady Justice is attempting to call his attention to. His gaze is directed solely towards the Philippines in blatant disregard of what are insinuated to be his duties as president. The cartoon insinuates that imperialism is a distraction from the enforcement of justice and equality needed in the United States.
Support – provide a quote (for written sources) or symbols/words (for cartoons) that show anti-imperialist stance
The title of the cartoon, "Civilization Begins at Home," urges the audience to focus on the lack of civilization domestically and reject the idea that civilizing another nation is impossible with the present state of inequality in America. The imagery serves to reinforce this idea overtly, especially with Lady Justice's posture. She holds sword and scales in one hand and the curtain revealing injustice with the other, demonstrating inability to serve justice by wielding her sword and scales and bring awareness to injustice by holding the curtain open.
DOCUMENT 4
“A Game That Loses Much to Win Little” (1899)
Describe – what kind of primary source is it, author details (if known), date, historical context, describe figures you see (for cartoons)
This cartoon displays McKinley and Hanna as toddlers, clapping and cheering as Uncle Sam throws soldiers at a tent titled Aguinaldo, outside of which countless uniformed bodies lie. Aguinaldo is a distance away, peering through to the commotion outside. The year of publication, 1898, marks the threshold before a violent 3 year long war between Filipino nationalist forces and American imperialist forces.
Analyze – (main idea) what reason(s) does this source give for opposing imperialism?
This source is titled "A Game that Loses Much to Win Little." Given the imagery of piles of dead soldiers around Emilio Aguinaldo's tent and the undeterred enthusiasm communicated through Hanna and President McKinley's toothy grins, this source overtly opposes imperialism on the grounds that it is wasteful, unrepresentative of the wider American public, and unmerited. The author criticizes the numbers of soldiers sent into the Philippines, the influence of a powerful millionaire over the President and the armed forces, and the idea that the Philippines is worth the military effort of occupation.
Support – provide a quote (for written sources) or symbols/words (for cartoons) that show anti-imperialist stance
The cartoon displays Aguinaldo in his own tent. His actions are opaque and a distance away from Uncle Sam and the toddlers McKinley and Hanna. Even so, Uncle Sam continues to hurl soldiers towards him, prompting him to look out of his tent. Neither McKinley nor Hanna are anywhere near the tent, which has accumulated soldiers like rodents outside rat poison. The gleeful expressions of the toddlers are directed towards Uncle Sam's actions and their detachedness from the conflict demonstrate a lack of personal involvement. The author portrays them as being benefitted from afar, finding entertainment, and lacking the maturity and development needed to realize the obnoxiousness of throwing soldiers into a private tent. In this imagery, the author takes a strong anti-imperialist stance.
Summarizing/Evaluating:
Using specific evidence from the primary sources above, briefly describe THREE reasons why some Americans opposed the U.S. practicing imperialism.
Many Americans who opposed the U.S. practicing imperialism in the Philippines did so out of a sense of morality, a desire of unnecessary loss, and/or a distaste for the perceived motives of the U.S.'s actions. As seen in the first cartoon, the author depicted imperialism as a distraction from moral obligations to the marginalized and persecuted. As seen in the second, the author communicates the stance that imperialism has led to needless waste in the pursuit of trivial return. Last, but not least, the author of the second cartoon displays Hanna standing behind McKinley, egging him on out of entertainment and childishness. Criticism of Mark Hanna and President McKinley's strong political alliance inspired doubt in some Americans regarding the purity of motive in invading the Philippines.
Do these anti-imperialist reasons seem valid or insignificant? Explain your response.
In hindsight, these anti-imperialist reasons have not diminished; if anything, they have become more valid and attention-worthy as the United States grows in military power. The actions taken in the Philippines, in hindsight, were clearly invasion by a foreign body to protect imperialist interests. The toll of war was light for America but drastic for the much smaller nation. The actions taken during the McKinley era continue to predispose countries to be averse to supporting our interests and have hurt the potential for international peace. McKinley departed from our traditional stance of isolationism, causing rifts between the U.S. and Cuba, China, Panama, Hawaii, and other countries. Violence causes violence, and McKinley's presidency is a lesson in the devastating consequences of using it to control others.
