United States went into its first Asian war in the Philippines

In 1899 the United States went into its first Asian war in the Philippines. From then on there were others against Japan, North Korea and china. The war was waged against Spain and in it, Spain was forced to give up the colony.The explanation was provided by president McKinley as having been motivated by a desire to provide education to the locals. The mission also involved the civilization and Christianization of the Filipinos as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.This was a lie. The real reason for the acquisition was the rise of imperialist sentiment among the ruling elite. This was inspired by a need to include the United States among the club of world’s great powers.The challenge that arose after the war was that the Philippine independence leaders expected to acquire their independence. America on its part was in a way seeking to replace Spain’s position.This would lead to a war against the Filipinos whom they had supported. America had thus officially entered the league of imperialists.There was at the same time the rise of anti-imperialism advocates in the United States. These got credence from the accounts of soldiers who were fighting abroad through letters written back home.These narrated the horrible activities that the soldiers were involved in for instance massacres. The Americans’ conduct ended up looking worse than the Spaniards had.The American people started changing their minds about the war. By the end of the war in 1901 America could be counted as an imperial power in Asia. It is at this time that the open door policy was declared.As from this point on, the US started getting more involved in world affairs. There was the contribution of troops to china to fight nationalists over there.From this point the us began sending its navy abroad so as to assert its position as a new power. It was also from this point that the government began involving itself in promotion of American investment abroad. Foreign trade also bega n being promoted in ways never seen before. Overseas investment and foreign trade were also promoted.Upon the assassination of President McKinley in 1901, there was the rise of Theodore Roosevelt, a committed imperialist. He favored a big army and navy. He also always dwelt on citizen duties to the state rather than human rights. Roosevelt was a daring and zealous in the pursuit of American interest. There was the belief that the United States had the role of saving the world.In the late 1920’s the government had a challenge. In addition to     The president also had to deal with a number of important foreign policy issues. There were revolutions in South America. The economic situation created serious problems in America's relations with Europe. And Japan launched a campaign of aggression in northeastern China.Hoover failed in his efforts to solve America's economic troubles. But as we will see in our program today, he did succeed with some of his foreign policies. He an d most other Americans, however, would fail to understand the long-term importance of the forces gaining control in Germany and Japan.VOICE TWO:Herbert Hoover's foreign policies were marked by his desire to make friends and avoid war.Like most Americans, the new president had been shocked by World War One. Hoover had seen the results of that terrible war with his own eyes. He led the international effort to feed the many European civilian victims of the fighting. And the new president was a member of the Quaker religious group that traditionally opposes armed conflict.Hoover shared the wish of most Americans that the world would never again fight a major war. He felt the bloody bodies at Verdun, the Marne, and the other battlefields of World War One showed that conflict should be settled by peaceful negotiations.VOICE ONE:Hoover worked toward this goal even before he entered the White House.Following his election, he had several months free before becoming president. Hoover used thi s period to travel to Latin America for ten weeks. He wanted to show Latin American nations that they could trust the United States to honor their rights as independent nations.