Monday, October 31, 2011

Modern Day Comparison of Imperialism



During Theodore Roosevelt's presidency, the US imperialized the Panama Canal. This means that the US took control of the land by force of means which would eventually be turned into the Panama Canal. The people of Panama didn't have a say in the land but it happened anyway. The US got Panama to sign a treaty to accept the offer they had made proclaiming the land. After this, President Roosevelt started immediately on building the Panama Canal and this would eventually boom the US's economy because the trade market opens up.
The only problem with this is the fact that the US annexed Hawaii. So basically we are doing the exact same thing we did a couple decades ago. When the US annexed Hawaii, the country was taken over by 10 American businessman and an entrie fleet of Marines. Hawaii didn't have a say either just like how Panama didn't have a say in their land when the US was taking it over. Even though the annexation of Hawaii promoted the economy for the US too, we still didn't let Hawaii have a say in their territory and eventually this could lead to more enemies if we keep trying to take over other countries.

It is a Duty and a Pleasure to Vote




During the Gilded Age, voting was a major concern for people concerned in politics. The majority of the voting was corrupt and most of the elections were rigged. This cartoon is a good example of how elections were run by corrupt people and how they loved to vote. Most of the elections had ballet votes of people who were deceased or didn't even exist. The title "It is a Duty and a Pleasure to Vote", fits this cartoon because the men in the cartoon look to be doing something suspicious. In the background, the teller at the desk seems to be yelling at the men because they are doing something wrong and in this case they might be adding more votes than their own.