He argued that the strenuous effort and conquering the problems before America was for the benefit of the U.S. and the World.
The third passage, written by a historian, reveals that McKinley justified going to war with Spain for humanitarian efforts. It was no secret that Spain was oppressing the people of Cuba. McKinley reasoned to the American public that the U.S. needed to liberate the Cuban people from Spain, leaving room for McKinley to negotiate for the Philippines, setting the Filipinos free and giving America rule over this island before another powerful nation could take over. Many pro-expansionists excused this motive for expansionism as a side-effect.
Looking back, the motives for obtaining the Philippines are clear. Territory, economics, and American idealism played a key role in seeking control of the Philippines. While American leaders had reasonable explanations for going to war with Spain, they were not the original