From the years 1898 to 1900, both the supporters and the opponents of the Spanish-American War believed that their belief on imperialism reflected the presumption of American identity through the political and economic policies of the time as well as the literature written about the social aspects of imperialism.

The advocates for imperialism in the late nineteenth century supported their beliefs in a variety of ways. Most notably, they backed up their views by stating it was their god given right to become a dominating world power. In 1899, Rudyard Kipling wrote a poem titled The White Man's Burden: The United States and the Philippine Islands. The poem was about how god gave white people the task of enlightening those of different culture. Senator Albert Beveridge referenced this idea when he stated, ¨Fellow Americans, we are God´s chosen people¨(Document 4). The American people honestly believed they were better …show more content…
¨We find it in the law supreme-the law high above the law of titles in lands...We find it in our own inspiration, our own destiny¨(Document 6). Not only did Americans reflect imperialism socially, they also reflected it politically and economically. By 1898, Americans were ready to abandon its isolationist doctrine and strive to become a superpower of the world. After the Industrial Revolution and America build itself a successful economy, they wanted to expand globally. Charles Denby said, ¨We are coming to our own. We are stretching out our hands for what nature meant should be ours. We are taking our proper rank among the nations of the world¨(document 5). Since 1854 with the creation of the Ostend Manifesto, America has made known to the world that they had their eyes on Cuba. Once the Cubans declared their intent to become independent, America decided to step in. Congress declared war on the Spanish twice during this era for the annexation of Cuba and the Philippines. With the