Analyzing Political Cartoons on Imperialism

Group 1

Source 1.1

Source 1.2

• To spread democracy and civilization to other nations

• To preserve cultural traditions in colonized areas

• To ensure neutrality in global conflicts

• To reduce the size of the U.S. military

• Farmers wanted to reduce international trade.

• The U.S. sought to eliminate competition from foreign nations.

• Workers supported imperialism to decrease taxes at home.

• Businesses sought access to new markets and raw materials.

• It suggested the U.S. should only expand within its borders.

• It justified the expansion of U.S. influence overseas as a natural continuation of westward expansion

• It focused solely on the removal of Native American tribes.

• It argued against annexing territories outside North America.

• It encouraged cultural respect for colonized nations.

• It argued that colonizing other nations was a moral duty to civilize them.

• It advocated for isolationism and avoiding foreign entanglements.

• It promoted economic self-sufficiency instead of expansion.

• They believed it violated democratic principles by denying self-rule to other nations.

• They supported imperialism only for economic purposes.

• They argued the U.S. military was too weak to maintain control.

• They believed imperialism strengthened foreign alliances.

• It was used to demonstrate the U.S. could win wars without expanding territory.

• It led to the U.S. acquiring new territories, sparking arguments over the morality of imperialism.

• It ended U.S. ambitions for overseas colonies.

• It showed that imperialism benefited the U.S. without creating domestic controversy.

• Colonies would provide military bases and protect U.S. interests abroad.

• Colonizing other nations would decrease the need for a large military.

• National security would improve by avoiding foreign entanglements.

• Colonies would distract from the U.S.’s ability to defend itself domestically.

• It directly caused Spain to declare war on the U.S.

• It increased public support for war due to sensationalized reporting by newspapers.

• It forced Spain to agree to U.S. demands for Cuban independence.

• It led to diplomatic negotiations that failed.

• It provided balanced coverage of Spain's actions in Cuba.

• It exaggerated events to increase support for U.S. intervention in Cuba.

• It focused on economic benefits of U.S. expansion rather than military action.

• It discouraged U.S. involvement in foreign conflicts.

• The U.S. wanted to stop European investments in Cuban agriculture.

• The U.S. sought to control all Caribbean trade to compete with Britain.

• The U.S. needed new markets for its industrial goods.

• American businesses had financial ties to Cuban sugar plantations, which were threatened by the rebellion against Spain.

• It ended the war and granted Cuba full independence immediately.

• It required Spain to pay reparations to the United States.

• It gave the U.S. control of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.

• It allowed Spain to maintain control of its overseas territories.

• It marked the U.S.’s emergence as a global power with overseas territories.

• It limited U.S. expansion to the Western Hemisphere.

• It caused the U.S. to withdraw from global affairs.

• It solidified U.S. alliances with European powers.

• The debate focused on whether the U.S. military could defend the Philippines.

• There was widespread agreement that annexation would economically benefit the U.S.

• The debate centered on maintaining alliances with Spain.

• Some believed annexation violated American principles of self-determination, while others saw it as an opportunity to expand U.S. influence.

• It marked the beginning of the United States becoming a global power with overseas territories.

• It reinforced the U.S. commitment to isolationism and non-involvement in foreign conflicts.

• It demonstrated U.S. support for European colonial powers.

• It focused on limiting U.S. influence to the Western Hemisphere.

• They showed the U.S. adopting imperialist policies by establishing control over non-contiguous territories.

• They reinforced the U.S. policy of avoiding foreign entanglements.

• They ensured that the U.S. would remain a regional power rather than a global one.

• They were quickly returned to their original governments to avoid conflicts.

• It showed that U.S. foreign policy would focus solely on European alliances.

• It encouraged the U.S. to return to isolationism to avoid further conflicts.

• It emphasized the strategic importance of maintaining military and economic influence in the Pacific and the Caribbean.

• It limited the U.S. to expanding its influence only through diplomacy.

• It demonstrated the U.S. commitment to spreading democracy worldwide.

• It secured strategic military and economic advantages in the Pacific.

• It focused solely on strengthening alliances with European powers.

• It upheld the principle of self-determination for colonized peoples.

• They showed the importance of maintaining military dominance in the Caribbean.

• They focused on the economic benefits of controlling Cuban resources.

• They emphasized the moral responsibility to support freedom and democracy abroad.

• They prioritized U.S. alliances over Cuban sovereignty.

• The U.S. justified intervention as both a moral duty and a means of securing strategic interests.

• The U.S. avoided military action and focused on diplomacy.

• The U.S. prioritized spreading democracy over gaining military advantages.

• The U.S. rejected the acquisition of any new territories to focus solely on humanitarian efforts.