Imperialism: Western Justifications
Imperialism: Western Justifications Imperialism can be defined simply as the domination or control of one country over another. This action or attitude of dominating and controlling foreign peoples has, and always will be a hot topic for debate. Two men from different cultural backgrounds, but from around the same time period, give speeches in which they oppose the anti-imperialist views of their time. In July of 1883, Jules Ferry of France, expressed his imperialistic views to the French Chamber of Deputies, and in February of 1899, Theodore Roosevelt expressed his views to the U.S. Senate in his Chicago speech, “The Strenuous Life.” Although Ferry and Roosevelt were on the same side of the argument their justifications for imperialism
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In Ferry’s second attempt to justify imperialism he explains that superior races have a right and duty to civilize inferior races. Roosevelt does, in a sense, have this same view but doesn’t put it so bluntly. In an attempt to help Americans understand where he stands on this issue he explains,
“We cannot avoid the responsibilities that confront us is Hawaii, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines…Puerto Rico is not large enough to stand alone…Until order and stable liberty are secured in Cuba, we must remain on the island…The Philippines population includes half-caste and native Christians, warlike Moslems, and wild pagans. Many of their people are utterly unfit for self-government, and show no signs of becoming fit.”
Roosevelt does not call it the U.S.’s right to control inferior races but instead calls it the U.S.’s responsibility. By saying a superior nation has a responsibility over, and not rights over an inferior nation, he can sound more sympathetic towards their situation. In other words, Roosevelt is trying to make it sound like the U.S. just wants to help these nations, and has made it his responsibility to protect Puerto Rico, bring order and liberty to Cuba, and to govern the uncivilized people of the Philippines. Both Ferry and Roosevelt basically have the same idea of “white man’s burden,” but because of the difference in audience and political agenda Roosevelt is a little more careful with his choice of
In Ferry’s second attempt to justify imperialism he explains that superior races have a right and duty to civilize inferior races. Roosevelt does, in a sense, have this same view but doesn’t put it so bluntly. In an attempt to help Americans understand where he stands on this issue he explains,
“We cannot avoid the responsibilities that confront us is Hawaii, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines…Puerto Rico is not large enough to stand alone…Until order and stable liberty are secured in Cuba, we must remain on the island…The Philippines population includes half-caste and native Christians, warlike Moslems, and wild pagans. Many of their people are utterly unfit for self-government, and show no signs of becoming fit.”
Roosevelt does not call it the U.S.’s right to control inferior races but instead calls it the U.S.’s responsibility. By saying a superior nation has a responsibility over, and not rights over an inferior nation, he can sound more sympathetic towards their situation. In other words, Roosevelt is trying to make it sound like the U.S. just wants to help these nations, and has made it his responsibility to protect Puerto Rico, bring order and liberty to Cuba, and to govern the uncivilized people of the Philippines. Both Ferry and Roosevelt basically have the same idea of “white man’s burden,” but because of the difference in audience and political agenda Roosevelt is a little more careful with his choice of