Argument against colonization

While the American government pursued this expansionist policy, many citizens expressed concerns and dissent, for many disparate reasons. Ironically, while expansionism was based on ideas of racial superiority, so did the counter-arguments. For example, labor leader Samuel Gompers argued against the acquisition of colonies, for fear of being swarmed by "the Negritos, the Chinese, the Malays" and the other "semi-savage races" from coming to the United States? Similar racist arguments were put forth by William Graham Sumner, a prominent Social Darwinist. While Sumber agrees with the argument that Anglo Saxons are a superior race, he also believed that colonization would interfere with the progress of the lesser race and may even disrupt the development of the Anglo Saxon civilization.

However, many prominent Americans also opposed American expansionism based on more lawful and humanitarian reasons. Republican Senator George F. Hoar, for example, argued that the acquisition of the...
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