Nabiha Iqra

History 202-14
Paper Assignment
Fall 2013
U.S. Foreign Policy
In the name of democracy and freedom, the U.S. as a leading superpower, intervened in
numerous foreign countries all over the world. The U.S. foreign policies are aimed to create a
more secure, democratic, and prosperous world for the benefit of the American people and the
international community (Mission Statement). Although every President and federal
government structures their foreign policies differently, all of their policies have the same
objective, or so they claim; they all support and fight for democracy and liberty. Close analysis
of the U.S. foreign policies during the Spanish-American War, World War I and World War II
helps us understand whether or not democratic ideals or other concerns were the motivations
behind foreign policy and whether or not Americas actual intervention corresponded with
foreign policy goals.
The Spanish-American War, also known as the Splendid Little War was waged for
Cuban independence from Spain. Cuba turned to the U.S. for help when Spanish policies caused
them to suffer. The U.S. did not take any immediate direct action at that moment but did send an
American battleship called Maine to Cuba to show their support. It was not until Maine was
destroyed in an explosion which killed 270 people, that the U.S. started its intervention. The
yellow press blamed Spain and insisted on retribution (GML, p. 659). The U.S. first asked

Spain to cease-fire in Cuba and grant them their independence, but Spain refused for which
President McKinley asked Congress for a declaration of war which was granted. Although
during the time of the war, the U.S. claimed to be fighting for democracy only and promised to
not annex or dominate Cuba through the Teller Amendment, U.S. policies changed after winning
the war. Having shown little interest in imperial expansion before 1898, McKinley now
embraced the idea (GML, p. 659). The Teller Amendment was soon overturned and the Plat
Amendment was established which stated that the U.S. military could intervene in Cuba
whenever the U.S. thought it was necessary. The U.S. did not completely free Cuba. The Spanish
were gone, but it was then the U.S. who had control over Cuba. It wasnt only Cuba that the U.S.
took control over from Spain, the U.S. also acquired other islands that were Spanish colonies
before the war; Guam, Puerto Rico, and Philippines became U.S. territories and the U.S. was
emerging as an empire not a republic.
Even though the U.S. fought Spain for the independence of the colonized people, even
though they fought for democracy and freedom, the U.S. was determined to exercise control over
the people from these acquired territories. One of the main reasons why McKinley thought it was
necessary to control these islands was because he thought that the people from these islands were
not capable of running their nation. McKinley would say we could not leave them to themselves
they were unfit for self-government and they would soon have anarchy and misrule over there
worse than Spanishs was (VF, p. 68). He looked upon them as savages, as illiterate, incapable
and weak people who should be civilized by the U.S. for which U.S. intervention was critical.
The McKinley administration justified its policies on the grounds that its aim was to uplift and
civilize and Christianize the Filipinos (although most residents of the islands were already
Roman Catholics) (GML, p. 664). While these territories were under U.S. control, the U.S.

modernized these islands for trade purposes. The U.S. built roads, railways and harbors claiming
that it was their duty to help the people of the islands, but their main purpose was trade
expansion not just territorial expansion. Control over these islands meant not just control over
their people, but also control over their resources. Emilio Aguinaldo, leader of Filipino
nationalists felt betrayed by the U.S. and said, In the face of the world you emblazon humanity
and Liberty upon your standard, while you cast your political constitution to the winds and
attempt to trample down and exterminate a brave people whose only crime is that they are
fighting for freedom (VF, p. 71).
When World War I broke out in 1914, President Wilson proclaimed American neutrality
(GML, p. 723). Although the naval warfare in Europe affected America, the U.S. maintained its
neutrality. It was not until the Germans sank a British Liner Lusitania in which 124 Americans
died, that Wilson and most Americans got outraged and saw Germans as the natural foe of
liberty(GML, p. 724). Even though the U.S. didnt get into war then, Wilson still prepared for it
and expanded the American army and navy through a crash program. His preparedness prevented
Germans from further attacks on noncombatants and kept the U.S. out of the war. On January
22, 1917, Wilson called for a peace without victory in Europe and outlined his vision for a
world order including freedom of the seas, restrictions on armaments, and self-determination for
nations great and small (GML, p. 724). Germans reaction to Wilson was to resume their
submarine warfare in the British Isles which sank several American merchant vessels. Even this
action of the Germans could not drag the Americans into the war. In March 1917, British spied
intercepted and made public the Zimmerman Telegram, a message by German foreign secretary
Arthur Zimmerman calling on Mexico to join in a coming war against the United States and
promising to help it recover territory lost in the Mexican War of 1846-1848 (GML, p. 724).

This telegram is what pushed America into the war. Wilson proclaimed that the world must be
made safe for democracy (VF, p. 109). Its peace must be planted upon the tested foundation of
political liberty and went before the congress to ask for a declaration of war against Germany;
the resolution was passed (GML, p. 725). Even though Wilson promised a just peace, secret
treaties revealed that the allies including the U.S. agreed to divide the conquered territories after
the war; so Wilson was not really fighting for the sake of democracy only, there was more to it.
Wilson soon issued fourteen points to illustrate his vision of a new international order. Among
the key principles were self-determination for all nations, freedom of the seas, free trade, open
diplomacy, the readjustment of colonial claims with colonized people given equal weight in
deciding their futures, and a creation of a general association of nations to preserve the peace
(GML, p. 726). Although Wilson claimed to be fighting for democracy abroad, many Americans
did not have liberty or freedom while living in American. African Americans were the largest
group in America who were deprived of freedom at home while their President was fighting for
freedom abroad.
During the 1930s, the U.S. was preoccupied by its own economic crisis, so international
relations played only a minor role in public affairs. Yet, FDR created a number of foreign
policies. Expanding and securing American business abroad were the main objectives behind
FDRs policies. He exchanged ambassadors with the Soviet Union, created policies for military
interventions in Latin American countries, withdrew American troops from Haiti and Nicaragua,
freed Cuba from the Platt amendment and supported dictators like Anastasio Samoza in
Nicaragua, Rafael Trujillo Molina in Dominican Republic and Fulgencio Batista in Cuba. He
may be a son of a bitch, but hes our son of a bitch, FDR said of Samoza (GML, p. 838). Even
though America claims to keep democracy and freedom above all, in this case business and

profit seemed more important, for which America did not hesitate to shake hands with nondemocratic countries. However, as the international crisis deepened in the 1930s, the Roosevelt
administration took steps to counter German influence in Latin America by expanding
hemispheric trade and promoting respect for American culture (GML, p. 838).
When World War II broke out in 1939 the U.S. adopted a policy of isolation. The U.S.
refused to sell or ship supplies to any nation which was involved in the war. But by early 1940s,
the U.S. started to change its tune and started to stop its isolation policies. Roosevelt viewed
Hitler as a mad gangster whose victories posed a direct threat to the United States (GML, p.
841). The U.S. came up with the Cash and Carry policy which allowed Britain to purchase
weapons from the U.S. if they paid in cash and carried the weapons in their own ships. During
1941, the United States became more and more closely allied with those fighting Germany and
Japan. America, FDR declared would be the great Arsenal of democracy (GML, p. 842). The
U.S. then came up with the Lend-Lease Act which allowed the countries fighting in the war to
borrow weapons from the U.S. if they lent their colonies to the U.S. during the duration of the
war. Japan was closing in on Philippines, which was a U.S. territory for which the U.S. cut
Japans oil supply to slow down their movement across Asia. The U.S. still did not enter the war
between dictatorship and the free world and did not really fight for freedom until Japan
attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 in which more than 2000 American servicemen
were killed, and 187 aircraft and 18 naval vessels, including 8 battleships, had been destroyed or
damaged, but none of the aircraft carriers sank since none were docked at the harbor that day
(GML, p. 843). Conspiracy theory suggests that FDR knew about the attack already. The U.S.
then declared war on Japan and the next day Germany declared war on the U.S. and thus the
United States was dragged into the war. The United States was then fighting for democracy and

freedom. FDR would say in the future days, we seek to make secure, we look forward to a
world founded upon four essential human freedoms (VF, p. 192). According to FDR, the four
essential freedoms which everyone all around the world deserved, were freedom of speech and
expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear. While the U.S. was
fighting for liberty abroad, segregation and discrimination was still active in the U.S. Under
President Trumans administration, the U.S. used atomic bombs in Japan killing thousands of
civilians in the name of liberty and democracy.
The U.S. foreign policies during the Spanish-American war, World War I and World War
II had certain patterns. The U.S. seemed to be neutral at the beginning of every war and seemed
to try not to get involved. But they soon got dragged into the wars by getting attacked at first.
American battleship Maine got exploded and Spain got blamed; Zimmerman telegram got leaked
and German seemed to conspire against the U.S. and then Pearl Harbor got bombed while none
of the airplane carriers were docked at the harbor. All these situations raise questions and
conspiracy theories suggest that the U.S. might intentionally get involved in the wars. While the
U.S. claimed to fight for freedom and democracy in other countries, thousands of Americans
struggled for democracy and freedom at home. While U.S. claimed to free certain colonies from
other empires, they refused to grant freedom to the same people whom they promised liberty.
The United Stated asserted that their foreign policies were motivated by democratic ideals and
other concerns but most of the time it seemed that the U.S. rather worked for their best interest
instead of the countries that they promise to help. Personally, I dont really think any of the U.S.
interventions actually corresponded to their foreign policy goals. They claimed to fight for
democracy and liberty yet they actually fought for their best interests, their profits and their
power. The United States as the leading world power claimed to have the responsibility to ensure

freedom to every people in the world, but they rather wanted to control every free people while
claiming to civilize them and free them from other rulers. If the U.S. did care about democracy
and freedom so much, African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic
Americans and many other minority groups in America would not have suffered and fought for
freedom in America- the land of the free. Personally, I think the U.S. foreign policies are aimed
to maximize business profit abroad, to help expand American territories and most importantly to
help America gain even more power. It should be the United States responsibility as the strongest
nation to help other nations when their democracy would be under threat, without trying to gain
control over those nations once democracy is established. The U.S. should also try to keep their
promises every time they lend a helping hand to a country. Most importantly, the U.S. should
establish democracy at home before intervening other countries to help them fight for democracy
and freedom. The U.S. foreign policies need to be motivated by democracy alone, not by profit
motives.

Works Cited

Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty. third ed. Vol. two. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. Print.
Foner, Eric. Voices of Freedom. third ed. Vol. two. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2011. Print.
United States. U.S. Department of State. Mission Statement. N.p. : Dept. of State, 2004. Web.