Download US Overseas Expansion

1898-1914
Isolationism
Having little to do with the
political affairs of other nations
George Washington advised
the U.S. to “steer clear of
permanent alliances in his
Farewell Address. Americans
followed this policy of
isolationism until the late
1800’s
Expansionism
The policy of extending a country’s
national boundaries
Between
1803-1854,
the U.S. expanded
westward. By 1854,
“Manifest Destiny”
was complete
Imperialism
When a powerful country attempts to control
the economic and political affairs of weaker
countries or nations
The period
between 1870
and 1914 has
often been
called The Age
Of Imperialism
Between 1870
and 1914, most
of Africa and
southern Asia
was taken over
by the more
powerful countries
of Europe
Reasons For American
Imperialism
 The U.S. had to keep up with
the European “race” for
colonies. European powers:
England, France, Germany,
Italy
 The U.S. needed new foreign
“markets” for its products
(cotton, corn, wheat, steel
etc.)
 The American frontier was
settled. New lands were
needed for settlement
 Overseas naval bases were
needed for the growing
American navy
 Many Americans believed that it was
their duty to civilize the “uncivilized” cultures
of the world – to bring them democracy &
Christianity. This belief was called the White
Man’s Burden
The Great White Fleet
Japan had been isolated from the western world since the
1600’s. The United States wanted to “open” Japan to trade.
in 1853-1854, the U.S. sent 7 steam-powered warships to
Tokyo Bay – “The Great White Fleet”
Impressed by the American
show of strength, the
Japanese emperor opened
two Japanese ports to
trade and accepted American
demands to help shipwrecked
sailors
The Purchase of Alaska
The U.S. purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7.2
million. The addition of Alaska increased the size of the
country by one-fifth at a cost of 2¢ an acre.
This purchase, which was made by Secretary of State William
Seward, was ridiculed as “Seward’s Ice Box” and “Seward’s
Folly”
“Seward’s Folly?”
•
•
•
Alaska became the 49th state
in 1959
•
Gold was discovered in the
1890’s
Oil was discovered in the
1920’s
Alaska became valuable as a
naval base and refueling
station in the Pacific
Alaska became an
important source of natural
resources such as timber,
copper, and natural gas
The Annexation of
Hawaii
Annex:
to add on
Hawaii is a chain of 8 large islands
and 100 smaller islands located in
the Pacific Ocean about 2,400 miles
southwest of California. The islands
interested the U.S. because of:
 rich soil
 warm climate
 plenty of rainfall
which make it possible to grow
crops – such as sugar- all year round.
Annexation
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American
missionaries wanted
to covert the
Hawaiians to
Christianity
American owners of
large sugar
plantations wanted
to make Hawaii part
of the U.S.
Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani did
not want to give up Hawaii’s
independence…..until the U.S.
threatened to land marines on
islands to “protect” American
citizens
The United States annexed Hawaii in 1898, officially making
it a territory. Hawaii became the 50th state in 1959
(annex- to add on)
What is the
artist who
drew this
cartoon saying
about (English)
imperialism?
Could the artist
make the same
statement
about the
United States
in the late
1800’s?
China
In the late 1800’s, Britain, France, Germany, Russia
& Japan all carved out “spheres of influence” in
China
Sphere
of Influence- An area, usually around a
seaport, where a powerful country had special
privileges and made its own laws
The Open Door Policy
The United States wanted to trade with China, too! So, in
1899, Secretary of State John Hay sent a letter to all the
countries with Spheres of Influence in China urging them
to follow an Open Door Policy. An Open Door Policy would
allow any nation to trade in the Spheres of Influence of
other nations.
Amazingly, the other countries
agreed to accept the Open Door
Policy. The United States could
now trade freely in China without
interference from other foreign
powers.
The Boxer Rebellion
 Some of the Chinese citizens
who were against foreign
influence in their country
belonged to a secret society
called The Boxers
 The Boxers wanted to rid China
of “foreign devils”
 In 1900, The Boxers led a
rebellion against foreigners,
killing over 200
 An international army, including
2,500 Americans, put down the
rebellion
After the Boxer Rebellion
ended, U.S. Secretary of
State John Hay sent another
Open Door Letter, urging the
other countries to respect
China’s independence. THIS
SHOWED THAT THE U.S.
NOW PLAYED AN IMPORTANT
ROLE IN FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Cuba
Background
 The island of Cuba, which is
only 90 miles from Florida,
was owned by Spain
 Cuba was ruled by a ruthless
dictator, General Valeriano
Weyler, known as “the
butcher”
 U.S. trade with Cuba was
THE UNITED STATES
WANTED CUBA FREE
FROM SPAIN…….
worth $100 million a year.
 Americans also invested $50
million in Cuban sugar & rice
plantations, mines, tobacco
and railroads
Yellow Journalism
Yellow Journalism – newspaper and magazine stories
which are exaggerated, biased, and often untrue
 Joseph Pulitzer
 William Randolph
Hearst
Publisher of The New
Publisher of The New
York Journal
York World
Both publishers were yellow journalists who competed with
each other to print the most grisly stories about Spanish
cruelties in Spain. The more horrifying the story, the more
newspapers were sold!
Omigod! I don’t
believe it! This
can’t be true.
Poor Cuba!
“Remember The Maine”





The U.S.S. Maine was an
American battleship sent to
Havana (Cuba) harbor to
protect American citizens and
property
On February 15, 1898, The
Maine mysteriously exploded,
killing 260 of the 350 sailors
on board.
No one knows what really
caused the explosion
SPAIN WAS BLAMED!
“Remember The Maine”
became the battle cry for
Americans who wanted to go to
war with Spain
The Spanish-American
War
“Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled, First. That
war be, and the same is hereby, declared to exist, and that war
has existed since The 21st day of April, A.D. 1898, including said
day, between
The United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain.
Second. That the President of the United States be, and he
hereby is, directed and empowered to use the entire land and naval
forces of the United States and to call into the actual service of
the United States the militia of the several States to such extent
as may be necessary to carry this act into effect
-President William McKinley
Approved, April 25, 1898
The “Splendid Little War”
The Spanish-American War lasted 4 months:
April-August, 1898. By the end of the war,
the United States would have an overseas
empire and would be recognized as a world
power.
The Philippines
 The Philippine Islands
were Spain’s main naval
base in the Pacific
 On April 30, 1898,
Commodore George
Dewey sailed into Manila
Bay with the U.S. Pacific
fleet
 By noon the Spanish
fleet in the Philippines
was destroyed
The Rough Riders
It’s me – Teddy
Roosevelt- with my
band of “cowboys.”
We’re going to take
San Juan Hill,
Cuba
San Juan Hill was in
the important Cuban
city of Santiago. “TR”
and his men were
victorious, and two days
later the Spanish army in Cuba surrendered
The Results of the
Spanish-American War
 379 Americans were killed in
the war
On August 12, 1898, Spain
and the United States signed
an armistice, an agreement to
stop fighting
 5,000 more Americans died of
other causes – mostly diseases
– such as malaria, typhoid, and
yellow fever
 Spain gave Cuba its freedom
 Spain gave the United States
two islands: Puerto Rico in the
Caribbean and Guam in the
Pacific
 In return for $20 million, Spain
gave the Philippines to the U.S.
The Platt Amendment
This amendment allowed the United States to
intervene (interfere) in Cuban affairs when
necessary and also gave the United States
of the naval base at Guantanamo Bay (GITMO)
Since the September 11th
attacks,, the U.S. has
Used Guantanamo Bay as
a detention center for
prisoners-of-war
The Foraker Act
This act gave the people of Puerto
Rico only a limited say in their own
government. As a territory of the
United States, Puerto Ricans are
considered American citizens. The
United States set up schools,
improved health care, and built
roads on the island.
Puerto Ricans are very
divided about their status.
When the last vote was taken,
in 1993, 48% wanted to remain
as a territory of the U.S., 46%
wanted statehood, and the
remainder favored independence
The Filipino War For
Independence
 The U.S. did not think the
Philippines were “ready” for
independence after the SpanishAmerican War
 Emilio Aguinaldo led the Philippine
rebels against the U.S.
 Aguinaldo was captured in 1901,
ending the Filipino War For
Independence
 More than 4,000 Americans died in
the war; 20,000 Filipino soldiers
were killed and another 200,000
died from famine and disease
The Philippines were
made a territory in
1902. In 1946, the
United States finally
granted the Philippines
independence!
The Panama Canal
Background
 The isthmus of Panama was a
perfect place for a canal because
of its location between the
Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean
 The Panama isthmus is narrow:
only 50 miles wide
 A canal through Panama would
greatly benefit the American
economy and the American
military. By avoiding the long trip
around South America, ships could
shorten the journey from New
York to California by 8,000 miles
Check out the following palindrome!
A man, a plan, a canal, Panama
Do you see it?
The Panama “Revolt”
 Panama was owned by
Columbia
 President Teddy Roosevelt
offered Columbia $10 million
+ $250,000/year rent for
the isthmus. Columbia
refused.
 Roosevelt “encouraged” the
Panamanians to revolt
 American troops stopped the
Columbian Army from
crushing the Panamanian
revolt
 On November 3, 1901,
Panama declared its
independence
TR believed the U.S. should “Speak
softly and carry a big stick.” He
meant that words should be backed
by strong action
President Theodore
Roosevelt (“TR”)
1900-1908
Republican
“I took the Canal Zone,
now let Congress
debate!”
“One of the greatest engineering
marvels of the modern world….”
• The U.S. paid Panama $10 million +
$250,000 a year for a 10 mile strip
of land: The Canal Zone
• The Panama Canal took 10 years to
build (1904-1914)
• This “mosquito paradise” created
many disease-related problems.
Dr.William Gorgas was very
effective in helping keep malaria
and yellow fever under control
• George Goethals, the chief
The Panama Canal is considered
one of the “seven wonders of
the industrial world.” The U.S.
turned the canal over to
Panama in 1999.
engineer, helped solve problems with
rock and mudslides
• More than 40,000 workers
struggled to dig the canal; 5,600
Americans died in the process
The Roosevelt Corollary
The United States
did not want European
countries interfering
in the affairs of Latin
America. President
Roosevelt declared
that it was the
responsibility of the
United States, not
Europe, to prevent
disorder and lawlessness
in Latin America
I’m the
international
police power!
The Roosevelt Corollary
gave the United States
the right to interfere
in Latin American affairs
to preserve law and order
Over the next 20 years, U.S. presidents used this power. As a result, many
Latin American countries began to resent the United States
Dollar Diplomacy
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President Taft, TR’s
successor, preferred to
“substitute dollars for bullets”
in Latin America
Taft urged American bankers
to invest in Latin America. He
wanted to use trade, rather
than warships, to expand U.S.
influence
This policy, which became known as “Dollar Diplomacy,”
helped build railroads, harbors, and roads, and created
strong economic ties between the U.S. and Latin America
Conclusion
By 1914, many Americans realized that their
nation’s role in world affairs had changed
dramatically. The United States was now
recognized as a world power, with troops and
ships in both Asia and Latin America. American
business interests spanned the globe.
From now on, it would be
difficult for Americans to
ignore what was going on in
the rest of the world…….......