had acquired the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam. In 1898, the United States annexed the Hawaiian Islands The acquisition of foreign territories substantiated the Beards, conclusion that business played a significant role in directing the country's foreign policy.
Other historians, such as Bemis, disagreed with this interpretation. He viewed the cause for the shift to American Imperialism as a direct result of the Spanish-American War. In his opinion, the acquisition of foreign territories was an aberration brought on by military conquest. Bemis believed that McKinley's demand for the Philippines was Unplanned and adolescent, and made because the president could not resist the political pressures of the moment.
Field, the first essayist in this chapter, is a history professor at Swarthmore College. Field is very critical of most historians writing about American Imperialism, and he writes that most historical discussions about the end of the 19th century are inadequate, at best, and usually the worst chapter in any history text (175-176). He spends most of this essay documenting the errors in the approach, methodology, and attention to historical detail by other writers. Using examples from previous works, he calls attention to the lack of in-depth research and research and understanding of the period by other historians. In Field's opinion, they failed to address
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