Download U.S. becomes world power revised

U.S Becomes World Power
• In March 1889, a storm prevented a battle for control of
Samoa between the British, Germans, & U.S.
• Countries were willing to risk war in far-off places as Samoa
because they wanted to build naval bases & protect shipping
routes in Pacific
• This effort was part of imperialism
• Imperialism = practice of building an empire by founding
colonies or conquering other nations
• 1870-1914 Western (Europe & U.S.) nations built colonial
empires
• They took control of most of Africa and much of Southeast
Asia
• Several forces drove this wave of imperialism.
• 1st: Countries wanted raw materials—such as copper, rubber,
and tin—to help their industrial growth.
• 2nd: At the same time, businesspeople needed new markets to
sell their goods
• 3rd: Many saw colonies as a source of power and national
pride
America’s Manifest Destiny
• Manifest Destiny- The 19th-century (1800s)
belief that the U.S. had the right and duty to
expand throughout the North American
continent
• Americans saw it as God given right to have all
continent, no matter who occupied it (Indians,
foreigners, etc.)
• In 1867 Secretary of State William H. Seward
purchased Alaska from Russia
• At $7.2 million, cost was less than 2 cents/acre.
• However, Alaska added some 600,000 square
miles to the U.S. & had valuable resources such
as furs, minerals, & timber
• In the late 1800s many American imperialists
took the idea of manifest & expanded it beyond
North America
• Previously, U.S. had followed a policy of
isolationism—avoiding involvement in affairs of
other countries.
Hawaii
• Not everyone favored isolationism
• Some Americans thought the United States
needed to expand to keep the country's
economy strong
• Pacific island—Hawaii—interested
imperialists
• Hawaii had tropical climate & fertile soil
• British explorer Captain James Cook was the
1st European to arrive in 1778
• Later, American missionaries came to convert
the Hawaiians to Christianity
• These missionaries opened businesses and
raised crops such as sugarcane
• Some missionary families became rich sugar
planters
• 1840s: most of economy owned by Americans
• Sugar = leading export of Hawaiian economy
U.S. Gains Hawaii
• 1875 treaty allowed Hawaiian sugar to be shipped duty-free to
the U.S. In return, Hawaii agreed not to give territory or
privileges to other country
• In 1893 Queen Liliuokalani presented new constitution that
returned power to the monarchy (Queen)
• In response, planters revolted. John L. Stevens, U.S. minister
to Hawaii, called 150 U.S. Marines ashore to support the revolt
• The rebellion succeeded without a shot being fired.
• Acting without authority from the U.S. Govt. Stevens
recognized declared Hawaii to be under U.S. control on
February 1, 1893.
• President Grover Cleveland disapproved of revolt & refused
to annex Hawaii
• Annex = Bringing a territory into existing country, state, etc.
• However, he took little action to help restore the monarchy
• The islands remained an independent until July 7, 1898
• Hawaii became U.S. territory in 1900 and 50th state in 1959
U.S. Eyes Japan
• By the mid-1800s some European powers had
formed strong trade ties with much of East
Asia
• But the island nation of Japan had isolated
itself from the rest of the world for hundreds
of years
• The United States wanted to open Japan's
trade before Europeans got there
• President Millard Fillmore sent Commodore
Matthew Perry to secure "friendship,
commerce, a supply of coal and provisions."
• Perry returned to Japan in February 1854 with
seven warships
• He brought gifts showing technological
benefits the United States could offer
• This effort—and the presence of American
military power—persuaded Japanese leaders
to sign a treaty opening trade with the U.S.
Open Door Policy in China
• Economic interests drew the United States not only to
Hawaii and Japan but also to China
• After Japan defeated China in 1895, other countries
quickly took further advantage of China's weakness
• Nations seized spheres of influence—areas where
foreign nations could control trade & natural resources
• The United States, however, lacked the naval power to
establish its own sphere of influence.
• Fearing that the U.S. would be closed out of Chinese
markets, U.S. Secretary of State John Hay announced
the Open Door Policy.
• The main argument of the Open Door Policy was that
all nations should have equal access to trade in China
• When European powers & Japan neither accepted or
rejected the policy Hay announced it had been
accepted
• China forced to accept foreign influence when outside
military was needed to stop Boxer Rebellion in 1900
Yellow Journalism
• In 1895, Cubans revolted against Spanish
colonial rule. Many Americans believed Cuba's
battle with Spain resembled America's
Revolutionary War
• The Cuban conflict was widely reported, even
exaggerated, in the American press, further
increasing American support for the Cubans
• New York World, published by Joseph Pulitzer,
was very critical of the Spanish, as was William
Randolph Hearst's New York Journal
• This exaggeration of news stories in order to sell
newspapers became known as yellow journalism
• Both were trying to sell papers and get support
for U.S. military action
• Hearst illustrator Fredric Remington sent Hearst a
telegram from Cuba reading, "Everything is quiet.
There is no trouble. There will be no war."
• Hearst is said to have answered, "You furnish
[provide] the pictures and I'll furnish the war
USS Maine Explodes
• Despite growing public support for military
action, President Grover Cleveland remained
strongly opposed to U.S. involvement in Cuba
• However, in 1896, William McKinley, a
supporter of Cuban independence, was elected
• On January 25, 1898, the U.S. battleship
Maine arrived in Havana Harbor to protect U.S.
citizens and economic interests
• On February 9 Hearst published a letter written
by the Spanish minister to the United States
that called President McKinley a weak leader
• The letter outraged many Americans and
embarrassed the Spanish government.
• Six days after Hearst published the letter, 260
American sailors were killed when the Maine
exploded
• Although the cause of the explosion was
unclear, many Americans blamed Spain
Story of USS Maine
Spanish-American War
• Spain offered to negotiate but would
not consider Cuban independence
• Congress then passed a resolution on
April 20, 1898 declaring the island
independent and giving Spain three
days to leave the island
• Attached to the resolution was the
Teller Amendment, which stated that
the United States had no interest in
taking control of Cuba
• In response to the U.S. declaration
that Spain had to leave Cuba, the
Spanish government declared war on
the United States on April 24, 1898
• The next day Congress passed and
McKinley signed a declaration of war
against Spain
• The Spanish-American War was
underway
US Attacks Philippines
• While attention was focused on Cuba, the U.S.
Navy won a quick and spectacular victory nearly
halfway around the world
• When the war began, Commodore George
Dewey set out to attack the Spanish Philippines
• On May 1, 1898 Dewey's ships boldly sailed into
Manila Bay and destroyed Spain's Pacific fleet
• Dewey had defeated the Spanish, but he lacked
the forces necessary to occupy the islands
• They were joined by Filipino rebels led by Emilio
Aguinaldo
• The army was at first unprepared to train and
support them. There were shortages of bullets
and rifles
• Once in Cuba, many soldiers were struck by
yellow fever and other deadly diseases
Spanish American War Ends
• The most famous group of soldiers in
the war was the First Volunteer Cavalry,
or the Rough Riders. Organized by
Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt
• The U.S. Navy trapped the Spanish
Caribbean fleet in the harbor of
Santiago de Cuba in June 1898
• On July 3 the Spanish fleet tried to
break through the U.S. blockade
• Every Spanish ship was destroyed in
the battle, with 474 Spaniards killed and
1,750 others captured
• U.S. forces suffered only two casualties.
Santiago surrendered on July 17. U.S.
troops soon captured Puerto Rico as
well
• Spain asked for peace and signed a
cease-fire on August 12, 1898…just 4
months after the start of the war
U.S. Takes Control of Spanish Territory
• Peace treaty between Spain & U.S. placed Cuba,
Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam under U.S.
control
• Americans opposed to treaty formed Anti-Imperialist
League
• League accused the U.S. of building a colonial empire
• Despite such protests, the peace treaty was approved
by one vote
• The Teller Amendment had stated that the United
States would not annex Cuba
• But McKinley wanted to create stability and increase
U.S. trade and influence in the area, so he set up a
military government there
• McKinley had schools set up & doctors discovered the
deadly yellow fever was transmitted by mosquitoes
• Getting rid of standing water lowered the mosquito
population and helped health officials control the
disease
U.S., Philippines & Cuba
• General Leonard Wood was appointed governor
of Cuba by McKinley
• Wood also oversaw the drafting of a Cuban
constitution, which included the Platt Amendment
• This amendment limited Cuba's right to make
treaties and allowed the United States to
intervene in Cuban affairs
• The amendment also required Cuba to sell or
lease land to the United States for naval stations.
Cuban leaders protested
• However, the Cubans reluctantly accepted the
Platt Amendment, and U.S. troops withdrew
• The amendment remained in force until 1934
• Spain had surrendered the Philippines in return
for a $20 million payment from the United States
• Some believed that it would be wrong to annex
the islands without the consent of the Filipinos
Philippines & Puerto Rico
• President McKinley argued that annexing the
islands would keep Europeans from seizing them
• Filipino rebels had helped U.S. forces capture
Manila
• Now they expected to gain their independence
• When the U.S. decided to keep the islands, the
rebels began a guerrilla war against U.S. forces
• In 1946 the United States granted full
independence to the Philippines
• Like Cubans and Filipinos, Puerto Ricans had
hoped for independence after the war. Instead,
the U.S. government made Puerto Rico a territory
• In 1916 the Jones Act granted Puerto Ricans
U.S. citizenship
• In 1952 Puerto Rico became a U.S.
commonwealth. This unique status means that
the island has its own constitution and elected
officials