Anti-Imperialists, like Mark Twain, viewed America's efforts in expanding its global influence as contradictory to the United States' founding principles Coolidge, while not being as staunchly pro-imperialist as jingoes like Henry Cabot Lodge, states that the acquisition of colonies is simply an outcome of America's evolution. He even argues that the U.S, throughout its history, has "held lands which were virtually colonies,whose inhabitants did not enjoy the rights of self-government."
Anti-Imperialists, such as Mark Twain, saw America's expansionist endeavors as at odds with the nation's founding ideals. Coolidge, while not as fervent in his support for imperialism as Henry Cabot Lodge, posits that the acquisition of colonies is a natural consequence of America's development. He even asserts that the U.S. has historically "possessed territories that were essentially colonies, inhabited by people who did not enjoy self-governance."