American Anexation of the Philipinnes

William Jennings Bryan

William Jennings Bryan believed that the US should not annex the Spanish colonies and become an imperial power; his belief for the annexation of the Spanish colonies was against the beliefs of William McKinley and for good reason.

In the case of the Philippines, as Jennings Bryan says “…the Philippines are too far away and their people too different from our…” If annexed, the Philippines would not benefit the interests of the United States. With a completely different climate, national language and the islands being six thousand miles away, it would be difficult for the US to subdue the country. The cost, the amount of men necessary to keep in subjection the millions of people in the Philippines, not to mention that there exist over twelve hundred islands, would make it inconvenient for the United States and possibly a poor investment

“How can we expect European nations to respect our supremacy in the western hemisphere if we insist upon entering Asia?” This can possibly be one of the most important arguments brought up by Bryan, if the US was to enter Asia and annex certain countries, it would almost seem as an embarrassment. The US would annex certain Asian nations as the European nations were to watch this happen and lose respect for The united States, how can a country be considered so powerful if they were to take over lesser and