During the period of American Imperialism, a variety of reasons was used to justify the actions of nations that were searching for colonies. One such reason used to justify colonization was the locals were in need of assistance; social, economic, cultural, religious, etc. I would like to evaluate the use of the "civilization" reason. Do believe that it was a legitimate reason that promoters of colonization bought into or was it something used to hide a ulterior motive or hide a guilty conscience? Was it something that promoters used but never really believed in? What do you think?
