Download Chapter 20: The United States Looks Overseas

Chapter 20:
The United States Looks
Overseas
Objectives:
Describe early attempts by the U.S. to expand in the Pacific.
Identify reasons that the U.S. declared war on Spain.
Explain why and how the U.S. built the Panama canal.
1
Opening Japan to Trade
For 250 years, Japan blocked outside trade
1853 – Commodore Matthew Perry sails into Tokyo Bay and presented a letter from
POTUS
Japan did not have the military to combat Perry’s warships
Japan agreed to open trade with U.S. – soon all European nations settled treaties
with Japan
The Japanese transformed their society within 50 years into a modern, Western
nation
2
Seward’s Icebox
►
Secretary of State William H.
Seward argued that the nation's
strategic interests favored the
treaty.
►
Russia was open to the sale of
the territory because it needed
the money to fund its war with
the British.
►
The negotiations concluded at 4
o'clock in the morning of March
30, 1867 with the purchase
price set at $7,200,000 (about
1.9¢ per acre).
Reaction to Purchase of Alaska
►
Americans saw the purchase as a “folly”
►
Discovery of gold led to many settlers
►
Once there, they discovered the many natural resources of Alaska
 Timber
 Oil
 Furs
 Minerals
The Expansionist Mood
► Isolationism
– avoiding involvement in the affairs
of other countries
► Imperialism
– building empires by imposing
political and economic control over people around
the world.
•
Prior to the 1850’s the United States had been
strictly isolationist, but feared that it would be
militarily vulnerable if it allowed European nations
to continue to colonize the Western Hemisphere.
The Turner Thesis
►
Basically this theory states
that the only reason the
U.S. started to build the
empire was because it had
“Manifested it’s Destiny”.
►
Other theories for
imperialism in the U.S.
included a sense of moral
obligation to “civilize” the
savages of the under
developed world and the
race for economic
influence abroad.
Reasons for an American Empire
►
Economic – U.S. produced more than it could buy; new colonies could
be markets for American goods to new peoples
►
Military – Europe was carving up Asia and Africa; U.S. shut out of
military bases
 Alfred Thayer Mahan – Naval captain and author who argued that
the U.S. needed to expand its navy to become a world power
►
Cultural – spread of American and Christian values (“The White Man’s
Burden”)
The White Man’s Burden by
Rudyard Kipling
Take up the White man's burden –
Send forth the best ye breed –
Go bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives' need;
To wait in heavy harness
On fluttered folk and wild –
Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Half devil and half child
Samoa
►
Important re-fueling station between U.S. and Australia
►
Britain and Germany also wanted the islands
►
All three nations send warships to area, but typhoon struck disabling
most of the fleets
►
1899 – U.S. and Germany divide Samoan islands
►
Samoa becomes U.S. protectorate
Annexing Hawaii
►
In 1893, Queen Liliuokalani announced plans to establish a new constitution
that would restore much of the power back to the monarchy and reduce the
influence of outside business owners.
►
On January 14, 1893, a group of American and Europeans formed a
Committee of Safety in opposition to the Queen, and seized control of
government.
►
United States Government Minister John L. Stevens, responding to a request
from the Committee of Safety expressing concern about possible violence
directed against American citizens, summoned a company of uniformed U.S.
Marines to come ashore to enforce neutrality.
►
President Grover Cleveland established an exploratory commission to research
the legality of backing a nongovernmental entity with federal troops. They
concluded that the overthrow of Liliuokalani was illegal. The U.S. Government
first demanded that Queen Liliuokalani be reinstated, but the Provisional
Government refused.
Annexing Hawaii
►
When William McKinley became president, this issue resurfaced.
►
In June of 1897, McKinley agreed to a treaty of annexation with these
representatives of the Republic of Hawaii.
 On July 7, 1898, by a vote of 42 to 21, the Senate agreed to the
annexing Hawaii as a U.S. territory.
►
Though several attempts were made to achieve statehood, Hawaii
remained a territory for 60 years.
 Plantation owners found territorial status convenient, enabling
them to continue importing cheap foreign labor.
►
Finally, in March 1959, both houses of Congress passed the Hawaii
Admission Act and U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed it into
law.
An American Empire?
►
Ultimately Spain freed Cuba and granted Puerto Rico, the Philippines,
Guam and Wake Island to the United States. In return, the United
States paid Spain $20 million.
►
In 1902 the United States forced the Cubans to adopt the Platt
Amendment
 Basically stated that the U.S. could have a Naval base in Cuba and
limited its the trade and barrowing abilities.
►
The Foraker Act of 1900 set up a limited self-rule system in Puerto
Rico. The U.S. would still oversee much of its affairs, but they could
make “state level” decisions independently.
►
Because fighting never really stopped in the Philippines, the United
States did not make any such concessions with them. The islands
remained heavily occupied by American troops until 1946.
Carving Up China
►
China lost Opium War to British
►
European powers take advantage of China’s weakness by
dividing it into spheres of influence
 Regions in China could only trade with one country
 Extraterritorial rights within each sphere
Open Door Policy
►
U.S. excluded from Chinese trade
►
Secretary of State John Hay issued message to China in
other powers in 1899
 Called on them to keep an “open door” in China
 Guarentee the rights of all nations to trade
 Though many nations agreed in principal, Hay
announced the Policy as “done deal”
John Hay
Boxer Rebellion
►
Boxers were anti-foreigner secret society in China (Righteous and Harmonious
Fists)
►
In 1900, Boxers began revolt to expel all foreigners in China
 Attacked and killed Chinese Christians and westerners
 Burned Christian churches and homes of foreigners
 Took diplomats hostage in Beijing
►
U.S. and other powers send 18,000 troops
 Freed diplomats and crushed rebellion
 Looted capital and killed thousands of Chinese
 Forced China to pay reparations
Revolt in Cuba
►
Cuba had been Spanish colony since days of Columbus
►
Cuba revolted several times, unsuccessfully
►
1895 – Cubans revolt again
 Spanish commader Valeriano Weyler begins policy of reconcentration
 Cubans were placed in concentration camps
 Many died of starvation and disease
 U.S. press revealed harsh conditions to public
►
U.S. Cubans led by Jose Marti
 Urged United States to get involved in conflict
Revolt in Panama
►
In 1903, French canal builders agreed to sell their stake in the
bankrupt Panama venture to the United States for $40 million.
►
Colombia, because of its sovereignty over Panama, expected part of
the payment, but felt the price was too low.
►
Unwilling to have the sale jeopardized and recognizing Panama’s
desire for independence, the United States quietly encouraged Panama
to rebel.
►
The ensuing three-day-long revolution, under the watchful eye of two
U.S. gunboats, created the Republic of Panama.
►
A few days later, the United States and Panama signed a treaty to
build the canal.
18
Fighting Disease
► As
a result of the large number of deaths in the
Spanish-American war that were due to Malaria,
the American government sponsored the large
scale spreading of pesticides around the canal
zone.
► The
process used most often was developed by
William Gorgas, an American tropical disease
expert.
 By spraying a thin film of oil on the water’s surface,
they smothered any mosquito larvae that might be
living there.
The Gatun Locks
North
Gatun Lake
Limon Bay
The Pedro Miguel Lock
North
Gatun Lake
Miraflores Lake
22
Roosevelt Corollary
►
On December 2, 1823, President James Monroe
proclaimed that European powers were no longer to
colonize or interfere with the affairs of the newly
independent nations of the Americas. (Monroe Doctrine)
►
In December 1904 Theodore Roosevelt amended this
statement by asserting the right of the United States to
intervene to stabilize the economic affairs of other nations
within this hemisphere.
 This would prevent wars close to the United States and
discourage countries (especially the Soviet Union) from
attempting to colonize a country which could not pay
back its debts.
Dollar Diplomacy
►
After William Howard Taft took over the presidency, he
continued to work with other countries in North America to
expand relations
►
The term dollar diplomacy was coined by President Taft,
who claimed that U.S. operations in Latin America went
from "warlike and political" to "peaceful and economic".
 The term is also used historically by Latin Americans to show their
disapproval of the role that the U.S. government and U.S.
corporations have played in using economic, diplomatic and
military power to open up foreign markets.
►
It basically means that anything that brings positive
economic change to both the U.S. and other countries of
the world is acceptable.