h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Can't help but suspect that this took place around the time of the Spanish-American War when, following the USS Maine accidentally sinking itself and the American media blaming the Spanish, the US decided to help Cuba, Puerto Rica, Guam, and the Philippines gain 'independence' from the Spanish empire by conquering them itself.

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You have hit the nail on the head! The 1898 mess led to extremes of faux patriotism and some serious objections by saner people. It's also why the US got stuck with Teddy Roosevelt. (McKinley chose him for a running mate because of his media rep in Cuba, McKinley was assassinated...)

About the same time, EVERYBODY in Europe was doing it, not just the Brits (see Boer Wars). There was this other mess called the Boxer Rebellion. Everybody piled in and tried to get a piece of China. The late 1890s were an imperialist-fueled nightmare.

The US yellow press pushed the country into a ridiculous war in the Caribbean which netted the imperialists the prize they really wanted: the Philippines. (They wanted Manila as a harbour.) It also set up a terrible war there - like Vietnam, only the US won.

If you're interested, the Library of Congress has many photos from the Philippines and political cartoons of the period that show how it went down.

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?q=philippines%201900-1910&sg=true