People who try to cover the cloven hoof of empire with the petticoats of "Expansion are as careless of the dictionary
as of the constitution. The Philippines do not mean
expansion. It does not expand the fire of freedom to pour
water on it. ... Expansion is enlargement in kind. If the ex-
Spanish colonies applied for admission to this republic
and we accepted them, that would be expansion.
- Charles F. Lummis, editorial in the Land of Sunshine
What does the opinion in this excerpt suggest about the United States at the
turn of the century?
A. The nation had used global trade to extend political and military
control over neighboring countries.
B. The nation had won several significant naval victories that enabled
it to establish colonies outside its borders.
C. The nation had developed a focused propaganda campaign to
extend democratic principles throughout the hemisphere.
D. The nation had amassed sufficient military and economic power
to extend its influence overseas.