American Economic Imperialism and the Spanish-American War Era

Abstract

American history and education always viewed the Spanish-American War era of 1898 as a time when imperialism unexpectedly became foreign policy. However, American imperialism would differ from the form it took in European countries. America would promote a “noble imperialism” that would elevate the culture of these new territories to the greatness that America represented. This notion appeared daily in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle during 1898. As time passed, the historiography of this era changed to provide more evidence of economic and military imperialism underlying American actions. Also, evidence about American brutality during the pacification of the Philippines came to light. Modern education can no longer focus on small pinpoints of history now that we have the technology to find ever increasing amounts of information. Many educators and historians agree that the use of modern technological devises and a focus on the whole story can engage the 21st century student.