Editing William McKinley
The edit can be undone. Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then publish the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
| Latest revision | Your text | ||
| Line 20: | Line 20: | ||
* When Spain was in control of Cuba, McKinley claimed he wanted it to be independent, and so he provided support to Cuban rebels. While this was arguably morally justifiable, in 1898 McKinley sent a battleship, the ''USS Maine'', to Cuba, where it mysteriously exploded, allowing McKinley to declare war on Spain and invade Cuba. | * When Spain was in control of Cuba, McKinley claimed he wanted it to be independent, and so he provided support to Cuban rebels. While this was arguably morally justifiable, in 1898 McKinley sent a battleship, the ''USS Maine'', to Cuba, where it mysteriously exploded, allowing McKinley to declare war on Spain and invade Cuba. | ||
* To make matters worse, although claiming to want independence for the Cuban people, after McKinley defeated the Spanish in Cuba, he essentially annexed it, leaving it under the control of the army instead of granting the independence he promised. | * To make matters worse, although claiming to want independence for the Cuban people, after McKinley defeated the Spanish in Cuba, he essentially annexed it, leaving it under the control of the army instead of granting the independence he promised. | ||
* After the successful takeover of Cuba, McKinley sent troops to Hawaii in order to assist in the overthrow of the Hawaiian government, allowing him to unlawfully annex Hawaii which, unlike Cuba, | * After the successful takeover of Cuba, McKinley sent troops to Hawaii in order to assist in the overthrow of the Hawaiian government, allowing him to unlawfully annex Hawaii which, unlike Cuba, remains a US territory to this day. | ||
* McKinley's most infamous act is the invasion of the Philippines which, like Cuba, were under Spanish rule. Due to McKinley's obsession with making America a leading player on the world stage, he ordered troops to attack the Philippines and take it away from Spain in order to make it a US territory. In the initial takeover, 200,000 Filipino civilians were killed by US troops under the direction of [[Jacob H. Smith]], and McKinley subsequently ordered the establishment of [[Concentration Camp|Concentration Camps]] and the destruction of crops when the Filipinos resisted. | * McKinley's most infamous act is the invasion of the Philippines which, like Cuba, were under Spanish rule. Due to McKinley's obsession with making America a leading player on the world stage, he ordered troops to attack the Philippines and take it away from Spain in order to make it a US territory. In the initial takeover, 200,000 Filipino civilians were killed by US troops under the direction of [[Jacob H. Smith]], and McKinley subsequently ordered the establishment of [[Concentration Camp|Concentration Camps]] and the destruction of crops when the Filipinos resisted. | ||
* He also displayed cultural bigotry towards the Filipinos, as he imposed the assimilation of the Philippines into US culture, meaning that local culture was repressed in favour of the US. | * He also displayed cultural bigotry towards the Filipinos, as he imposed the assimilation of the Philippines into US culture, meaning that local culture was repressed in favour of the US. | ||