We need Hawaii just as much and a good deal more than we did California. It is manifest destiny.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- McKinley argues that acquiring Hawaii is as vital, if not more so, than the earlier acquisition of California, framing it as an inevitable national expansion.
- In plain terms
- Hawaii is just as important to the nation as California was, and expanding there is destined to happen.
- What can you take from it?
- Expansionism is often justified as a natural and necessary path for national growth.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What makes a territory essential to a nation?
- How do leaders justify expansion?
Another view
It ignores the moral implications of imperialism and the sovereignty of existing nations.
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