Philippines Annexation and US Masculinity - 1258 Words

In 1898, the United States of America was in the midst of a complete remolding of the nations reputation. Just having recently ended the Civil War among the states in the United States and once again forging war with the Spanish-American War, the United States was after a more masculine image and reputation. Due to the nature of the country at that moment in time, the American government wanted to prove their superiority among other emerging nations and in doing so chose to colonize and annex nations such as the Philippines. Primary resources indicated that the annexation of the Philippines was indeed motivated by the lack of masculinity that was felt by the American government at the time (Hollitz, 2010). Gender roles in the United States were at a point where their stereotypical reputations were changing and women were gaining more social power. This was unlike any comparable country at the time, and the United States was taking this transition negatively as their reputation as the most powerful nation in the world was at stake. This allowed for gender to play a dominate role in the debate over the Philippines. After the Spanish-American War, the United States was in a state of transition. They had gone from being torn among themselves, to coming together and forging forward in the colonization of other countries. However, all this was led by the fact that the United States was also undergoing a social transition that was allowing women to have a more powerful andShow MoreRelatedComparison Between Japan and Russia13811 Words   |  56 Pages20 Economical Facts 20 FOREIGN RELATIONS 22 Governmental facts 22 Infrastructural facts 22 Cultural dimensions according to Geert Hofstede 24 Individualism 25 Power Distance 26 Uncertainty Avoidance 27 Masculinity 27 Long-Term Orientation 28 Doing Business 29 Meeting and Greeting 29 Japan 29 Building Relationships, Communication 30 Meetings and Negotiations 30 Entertaining 32 Gift-giving 32 Conclusion 35 Sources