American Expansion

"The conclusion of the Spanish-American War left the United States with an overseas empire. The nations of Europe watched to see if the United States would exploit her newly acquired possessions for her own economic benefit, without regard for the good of the peoples in the possessed lands. Instead, the American Republic began a program of building, developing, and benefiting her her newly aquired regions of the world. America bestowed upon her possessions new health and sanitation programs, new standards of education, new financial opportunities, and a generally higher level of civilization. In a series of steps, each new possession came to enjoy new levels of self-government. Most important of all, wherever the American flag went, it was followed by Christian missionaries who took the gospel to the native people. "

-United States History: Heritage of Freedom p.436