Download The Impact of US Territorial Gains

The Impact of U.S. Territorial Gains
• Prior to SpanishAmerican-Cuban War,
many Americans didn’t
even know where
Philippines were located
– Acquiring new lands
forced Americans to
expand their knowledge
of distant lands
• Ex: World Fairs – perfect
opportunity to learn while
demonstrating how
imperialism PROFITED
EVERYONE
Between 1900-1910 5 international expositions
–At Louisiana Purchase Exposition
included a “Philippine Reservation”
»1200 people were brought from
Philippines to live in 47 acre village on
the fairgrounds (two carefully chosen
groups – some who created the
impression of cultural advancement
under American influence and others
were “primitive savages”
The Impact of U.S. Territorial Gains
» Opposing Imperialism
Shall we go on conferring our Civilization upon the peoples
that sit in darkness, or shall we give those poor things a
rest?...Extending the Blessings of Civilization to our Brother
who Sits in Darkness has been a good trade and has paid
well, on the whole; and there is money in it yet…but not
enough, in my judgment, to make any considerable risk
advisable.
- Mark Twain
How would summarize the arguments of those
who opposed American imperialism?
US DID NOT NEED COLONIES IN ORDER TO TRADE WITH OTHER
NATIONS; EXPENSE OF MAINTAINING AN EMPIRE OUTWEIGHED THE
ECONOMIC BENEFITS; THE IMPERATIVE SPREAD OF ANGLO-SAXON
CULTURE WAS JUST AN EXCUSE TO EXPLOIT PEOPLE
Section 5
–
America
as a
World
Power
Pages 382-387
BACKDROP
McKinley was assassinated in 1901 –
Theodore Roosevelt becomes President.
(Was Assist. Sec. of Navy and became VP in 1900
when McKinley’s former VP Garrett Hobart died)
-By this time, US had achieved 2 out of 3 of the
recommendations for becoming a world power (according
to Admiral Mahan
Had a modern navy and naval bases in the Caribbean and
Hawaii
3th GOAL – Build a canal through Central America
What was the point of having a canal?
**Greatly reduce travel time for commercial and
military ships
The Panama Canal
Construction of the canal’s Miraflores Lock
• Back in 1879, a Spanish businessman
(de Lesseps) obtains canal rights
from Colombia (Panama was
province of it)
•
• Company fails and U.S. buys rights in
1903 (rights are up in 1904 –
Colombia stalls)
•
• U.S. backs Panamanian rebels
independence against Colombia
[knew that US Navy would support
•
them])
•
Rebels successful and US
recognized Panama as
independent country
Treaty with US – granting
US a 10 mile strip of land
to build canal
1904 – 1914
US controlled (until 1999)
Panama Canal
Political Cartoon
The United States
represented (President
Roosevelt) – Why so big?
To show how powerful the
United States was over
Columbia (had become a
world power)
We see he is shoveling getting rid of all Colombian
influence in Panama. By
doing this he is clearing the
land in order to build the
canal.
So what can we conclude from the US
pursuing and achieving several foreign
policy goals in the early 20th century?
1) Expanded access to foreign markets in order to ensure
the continued growth of the domestic economy
2) US builds a modern navy to protect interests abroad
3) US exercises its international power to ensure
American dominance
US HAS BEEN DRAWN DEEPER INTO WORLD
AFFAIRS WITH PURSUIT OF IMPERIALISM BUT IS
LEADING THEM TOWARDS A WAR THEY COULD
NOT AVOID…
Next Unit - World War I
British troops on the front line, Somme area,