Download Becoming a World Power: 1890-1915

Becoming a World
Power: 1890-1915
Section 1: The Pressure to Expand

An industrial powerhouse with a booming population,
America turned its focus on becoming a world power at
the turn of the century.
Imperialism
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Imperialism- stronger nations dominate and control
weaker ones in attempt to create an empire.
Historical examples: Roman Empire, Mongolian Empire,
Ottoman Empire, British Empire.
British Empire
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“The sun never sets on the British Empire.”
Territories that have been, or remain, part of the British Empire.
Why Imperialism Grew
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Imperialistic activity increased in the late 1800s
for several reasons…
– Economic factors: need for resources
– Nationalistic factors: feelings of national superiority
– Military factors: Navies needed bases for fuel and
supplies.
– Humanitarian factors: Western civilizations often
thought it their duty to spread their culture, law, and
religion to other countries.
George Washington’s Advise
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In his farewell address in 1796, George Washington
warned Americans to avoid foreign conflicts and
“entanglements” and to “steer clear of permanent
alliances”
These values molded early America, and for the next
100 years.
Monroe Doctrine
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Beginning in the 1820s,
America embraced the
anti-imperialist “Monroe
Doctrine” named after a
policy of president James
Monroe.
The Monroe Doctrine
declared the US neutral in
all European wars and
warned European powers
not to interfere with
North or South America.
Monroe Doctrine
Sign reads, “all guests are welcome, but they must not bring their guns”
Manifest Destiny
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The US showed early glimpses of its own imperialism.
Manifest Destiny: it was the destiny of the U.S. to
control Atlantic to Pacific Oceans
Arguments for U.S. Expansion

By the 1890s, many Americans argued for
increased involvement in international affairs,
despite the US’s history of isolationism.
Economic Growth
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Rapid industrial growth created an overproduction of
food and goods.
Businesses and workers argued that the US needed to
secure new markets abroad to sell goods.
Banana Republics
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In some cases, American
businesses were already invested
in other countries.
United Fruit Company provided
financial services to the Costa
Rican government in exchange for
long-term leases on land.
By 1913, United Fruit Company
was exporting 50 million banana
bunches to the US per year and
played a significant role in the
governments and economies of
several Central American
economies, which came to be
known as “banana republics”.
Protecting American Security
In the 1880s, the US Navy
was far inferior to that of
European powers.
 Many argued for a larger,
more modern navy.
 A powerful navy not only
allowed for the possibility of
imperialism, but also created
a new need for naval bases
around the world.
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New Frontiers
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Some believed that America needed a new frontier since
they had already expanded the whole way to the Pacific
Ocean.
The challenge of a new frontier, they argued, created
energy and passion on which the country thrived.
Still others cited social Darwinism to justify taking over
new territories; survival of the fittest.
Spreading Western Civilization:
“White Man’s Burden”
Many Americans believed that it was their
duty to spread modern civilization and
Christianity to “heathen” or “savage”
peoples around the world.
 Even many intellectuals at the time
believed that certain racial and national
groups were biologically superior to
others.
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White Man’s Burden
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White Man’s Burden, written by Rudyard Kipling, assumed the racial
supremacy of whites and came to embody the “noble” justifications
of imperialism: to liberate and civilize the poor savages of other
countries.
“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…
Take up the White Man's burden-And reap his old reward:
The blame of those ye better,
The hate of those ye guard-The cry of hosts ye humour
(Ah, slowly!) toward the light:-"Why brought he us from bondage,
Our loved Egyptian night?"
“The White Man’s Burden.”
White Man’s Burden
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Remnants of this kind of
thinking remain today,
even in our wellintentioned efforts of
humanitarian aid and
church missions.
Many believe that
developed, western
governments often do
more harm than good
even when trying to
“help”.
Expansion
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Over time, these various arguments
gained traction throughout the country
and within government and the United
States began to move toward foreign
involvement and expansionism.
Arguments for Imperialism
Section 2: Spanish-American War
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The Spanish-American War was America’s first major step towards
imperialism and changed its role in world affairs forever.
A war created, sustained, and shaped by journalists.
Spanish-American War
“I should welcome almost any war, for I think
this country needs one.”
–Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt
Teddy Roosevelt thought that America needed a new challenge, an
adventure for young men and a unifying cause for the nation to rally
behind.
The Cuban Rebellion
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Cuba was a colony of
Spain.
Cubans rebelled in 1895.
Spain sent 150,000 troops
to put down the rebellion.
“Reconcentration” camps.
General Weyler
Spanish General
Valeriano Weyler
Cuba
In the prison camps over 200,000
Cubans died over 2 years due to
disease and starvation.
 Cuban exiles living in US, led by
Jose Marti, urged US to intervene.
 US government refused to help.
 Cuban guerrillas began destroying
American sugar plantations in
Cuba to pressure US government
to help.

Yellow Journalism
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Yellow Journalism fueled support for the war.
– Joseph Pulitzer: New York World
– William Randolph Hearst: New York Morning Journal
Featured articles that exaggerated horrific acts that
Spanish soldiers performed against Cubans.
Hearst to photographer: “you provide the pictures, I’ll furnish the war”
The de Lome letter
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US newspapers published a letter intercepted from Dupuy
de Lome, a Spanish ambassador to Washington.
Letter called President McKinley weak, angering Americans.
Explosion of U.S.S. Maine
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Weeks after the letter, on
February 15, 1898, the
U.S.S. Maine, a US warship
sank off the coast of Cuba.
The explosion/sinking was
likely caused by an
accidental fire.
Newspapers and the
American public immediately
blamed Spain for the
explosion.
Enraged, the US public called
for war.
U.S.S. Maine
Philippines
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The Philippines were also under Spanish possession at the
time.
The Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Theodore Roosevelt,
felt that Philippines would be a key naval base in the Pacific.
Teddy Roosevelt secretly messaged naval commanders in
the Pacific to prepare for war with Spain.
War
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In attempt to avoid war, McKinley sent a
list of demands to Spain.
– Compensation for the U.S.S. Maine
– A truce in Cuba
– Cuban independence
Spain, also hoping to avoid war, agreed to
all but Cuban independence.
 On April 11, Congress recognized Cuban
independence and declared war on Spain.

Action in Philippines
The first action took place in the
Philippines, not in Cuba.
 On May 1, US forces launched a surprise
attack on Spanish ships.
 Destroyed Spain’s entire Pacific fleet in
seven hours.

Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough
Riders
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Teddy and the volunteer “Rough Riders” became war
heroes.
Charge on San Juan Hill
Became the celebrities of thew war, even though they
experienced little battle action.
“A Splendid Little War”
The Spanish fleet tried to escape on July 3, but
the US Navy sank every Spanish ship, ending
the war and setting off wild celebrations
throughout the US.
 The war lasted only 2 months.
 2,500 Americans died, but only 400 in battle.
Most died of disease or food poisoning.
 Secretary of State John Hay called it “a splendid
little war”
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The Treaty of Paris
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Spain recognized Cuba’s independence and gave the
Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam to the US for $20
million.
These islands became “unincorporated” territories of the US.
The annexation of the new territories barely passed the
two-thirds vote in the senate.
Dilemma in Philippines
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Filipino rebels had fought
alongside American troops
against Spain with the
expectation that US victory
would give them their
independence.
Instead, after the war the US
annexed the island.
Filipino rebel leader Emilio
Aguinaldo proclaimed the
Philippines an independent
republic in January 1899.
America ignored him.
War in Philippines
War between the US and the Philippines broke out and
lasted for three years.
 4,000 Americans were killed.
 Americans killed 16,000 Filipino rebels and 200,000 Filipino
civilians.
 The Philippines did not gain independence until 1946.
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Cuba’s Fate
Congress attached an amendment, called
the Teller Amendment, to the resolution of
Cuban independence, promising not to
annex Cuba.
 US involvement didn’t end after the war,
however.
 Set up a military government in Cuba.
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Cuba
Feeling betrayed, that the US had simply
replaced Spain, Cubans began to draft a
constitution that did not allow American
involvement.
 US agreed to withdraw troops only if Cubans
included the Platt Amendment in their
constitution.
 Platt Amendment required Cuba to allow US
naval bases on the island and to intervene in the
country when necessary.
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Puerto Rico
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United States had brief military government before
pulling out.
Puerto Rico remains a US territory today.
Annexation of Hawaii
The leader of Hawaii, Queen
Liliuokalani, strongly
opposed U.S. control of the
islands.
 In 1893, pineapple planter
Sanford B. Dole and the
United States Marines
removed Liluokalani from
power.
 In 1898, Congress approved
the annexation of Hawaii.
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Open Door to China
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China represented a huge market considered crucial to
the expansion of American trade.
John Hay, Secretary of State, worried that other
European powers would close off trade in China.
Hay proposed an “Open Door Policy” to other powers,
trying to ensure that the U.S. would have equal access
to Chinese trade.
World Map: Size according to
Population
Boxer Rebellion
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Many Chinese resented foreign influence.
In 1900, a secret Chinese society called the Righteous
and Harmonious Fists ( “Boxers”) started a rebellion.
The Boxers massacred 300 foreigners and Christian
Chinese.
Effect of “Boxer” Rebellion
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Secretary Hay worried that
other imperialist countries
would use the “Boxer” Rebellion
as an excuse to seize greater
control of China.
He issued a second series of
Open Door notes,
reemphasizing the importance
of open trade in China and the
U.S. intention to preserve it.
Section 3: A New Foreign Policy
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Given all of America’s international activity in the late 1890s,
the U.S. entered the 20th century as a genuine world power
and with a new, interventionist foreign policy.
The Panama Canal
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Americans desired a shorter route between the Pacific
and Atlantic oceans.
A canal across Central America would cut distance.
Panama was an ideal location for the canal.
At the time, Panama was a province of Colombia.
Panama’s Independence
Columbia refused to negotiate with the U.S.
 Now President, Teddy Roosevelt, encouraged
Panama to revolt for their independence.
 The revolt took place in 1903 with U.S. warships
waiting offshore to support the rebels.
 America immediately recognized Panama as an
independent country and in return Panama
signed the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty, giving the
U.S. a permanent land grant to build their canal.
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Panama Canal
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Construction of the canal began in
1904 and lasted until 1914.
The canal was a huge undertaking and
operated with a system of locks and
channels.
Roosevelt’s Big Stick Diplomacy
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Roosevelt said his foreign policy was…
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Roosevelt believed that if the U.S. displayed military and economic
power, the rest of the world would obey without resistance or conflict.
“speak softly and carry a big stick.”
Roosevelt Corollary
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Roosevelt issued messages to
Congress that became known as the
Roosevelt Corollary, an extension of
the Monroe Doctrine.
Roosevelt denied that the U.S. was
interested in acquiring new
territories, but that they would
intervene to “stabilize” political and
economic affairs in South and
Central America.
This signified a very formal shift
from American isolationism to
interventionism.
Roosevelt
Under Roosevelt, U.S.
intervention in Latin
America became common.
 This angered many Latin
Americans as well
congress, who felt
Roosevelt’s independent
foreign policies
strengthened his powers
while undermining the
authority of congress.
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Taft: “Dollar Diplomacy”
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Elected president in 1908, William Howard
Taft was not as aggressive as Roosevelt in
his foreign policy.
Promoted economic control over military
control.
Wanted to “substitute dollars for bullets”.
– “Dollar Diplomacy”
Woodrow Wilson: “moral
diplomacy”
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The next president was Woodrow
Wilson.
Amidst a bloody Mexican revolution,
many encouraged Wilson only to
protect U.S. investments.
Wilson believed Mexican revolutionary,
Victoriano Huerta, to be a tyrannical
“butcher”.
U.S. must intervene to stop Huerta on
moral grounds.
Became known as Wilson’s “moral
diplomacy”.
Francisco “Pancho” Villa
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The U.S. withdrew from Mexico after replacing Huerta with a new
leader, Venustiano Carranza.
Francisco “Pancho” Villa, a peasant rebel, was furious with the U.S.
support of Carranza.
Began terrorizing Americans in Mexico and raiding U.S. border towns.
In 1916, his men burnt down Columbus, New Mexico.
Gen. John “Black Jack” Pershing
Wilson sent General John
J. “Black Jack” Pershing
and 5,000 U.S. to Mexico
to pursue Villa.
 After many bloody
clashes between
Pershing’s forces and
regular Mexican troops,
Wilson withdraws troops.
 Pershing’s troops never
actually found Villa.

Sec. 4: Debating America’s New
Role
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While United States’ new, imperial role in the world excited many
Americans, others were strongly opposed to the new level of
international involvement.
Anti-Imperialists
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In 1898, opponents of U.S.
policy in the Philippines
established the AntiImperialist League.
Many of the organizers were
well-known leaders of
society.
Politician William Jennings
Bryan, settlement house
leader Jane Addams, and
novelist Mark Twain were
several.
Moral and Political Arguments
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Imperialism, they argued, was a
rejection of the nation’s
foundation of “liberty for all.”
“We regret that it has become
necessary in the land of Washington
and Lincoln to reaffirm that all men,
of whatever race or color, are entitled
to life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness.”
–Carl Schurz (Republican senator)
Political Arguments
Opponents also pointed out that “the Constitution must
follow the flag”.
 Annexed territories should be entitled to the same rights
as other U.S. citizens.
 Samuel Gompers, famous labor union organizer, pointed
out that most of Hawaiians worked for much less than
American laws required.

Breakdown of Democracy
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Opponents worried that
imperialism threatened
the very nature of
democracy within the
continental U.S.
The large standing armies
that were used to control
new colonies could also
be used to crush dissent
at home.
Racial Arguments
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People saw racism as a
cause, or justification, of
imperialism.
“Had the Filipinos been
white and fought as
bravely as they have, the
war would have been
ended and their
independence granted a
long time ago.”
–Bishop Alexander Walters
(African American)
Racial Arguments
Many white southerners actually opposed
Imperialism because of their racism.
 They feared that taking on new territories
would eventually mean different races and
ethnicities of people would move to the
U.S.

Economic Arguments
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Some thought expansion
wasn’t economically viable.
Maintaining new levels of
armed forces would require
additional taxation and
possibly even mandatory
military service.
Samuel Gompers argued that
laborers coming to U.S. from
annexed territories would
also compete for American
jobs.
Imperialism’s Appeal
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Despite opposing
arguments, imperialism
maintained a powerful
momentum in the
American public.
In 1890, the American
frontier had officially
been declared “closed”.
Imperialism seemed to
offer a new frontier for
the country.
Imperialism Supporters
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Most Americans thought the practical advantages of
expanded marketplaces, and strategic military
opportunities outweighed the arguments for isolationism.
Unlike other empires, the U.S. “empire” has dominated primarily
through economic control and foreign investment.
Great White Fleet
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In 1907, Roosevelt sent the part of the U.S. Navy on a
cruise around the world.
The trip was meant to be an impressive display of the
world’s most powerful navy ships.
The ships made big impressions all around the world and
became known as the Great White Fleet.
Imperialism Viewed from Abroad
Many annexed territories
became resentful of the
America.
 In Latin America, the cry
“Yankee, Go Home!” became
popular.
 Other nations began to
recognize America’s new
power, and began turning to
them for help.
