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THE ROOTS OF IMPERIALISM
Why it Matters?
• For most of its history, America has played a minor role in world affairs.
• By the late 1800s, the US began to abandon isolationism and emerged as a new power on the
global stage.
Causes of Imperialism
• During the Age of Imperialism, from the mid 1800s to the early 1900s, powerful nations engaged
in a mad dash to extend their influence across the globe.
• Imperialism can be defined as- the policy by which strong nations extend their political, military,
and economic control over weaker nations.
• Political- Power- the more colonies the greater the empire.
• Economic- Natural Resources, Trade, New Markets.
• Religion- Spreading Christianity
• Military- Naval Bases
Imperialists Stress Military Strength
• Alfred T. Mahan, a military historian and an officer in the U.S. Navy, played a key role in
transforming America into a naval power.
• In The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, he asserted that since ancient times, many great
nations had owed their greatness to powerful navies.
• Mahan stressed 4 points:
1. Modern Fleet
2. Naval Bases in the Pacific
3. Naval Bases in the Caribbean
4. Canal between Atlantic & Pacific
• The U.S. needs a stronger navy to support imperialistic ideas and secure trade.
• The U.S. needs to acquire overseas bases to fuel this navy and open more markets for trade.
• The U.S. needs to open a canal in Latin America to make access to the Atlantic-Pacific easier, it
will protect this canal with its strong navy.
Imperialists Believe in National Superiority
• Imperialists around the world used ideas of racial, national, and cultural superiority to justify
imperialism.
• Social Darwinism, the belief that life consists of competitive struggles in which only the fittest
survive.
• Social Darwinists felt that certain nations and races were superior to others & therefore destined to
rule over inferior peoples.
U.S. Power Grows in the Pacific
• In 1853, Commodore Matthew Perry sailed a fleet of 7 American warships into Tokyo bay. The
Japanese opened trade to the U.S. out of fear they would attack.
• Perry’s journey set a precedent for further expansion across the Pacific Ocean.
• In 1867, the U.S. took possession of the Midway Islands.
• Treaties in 1875 & 1887 increased trade with the Hawaiian Islands & gave the U.S. the right to
build a naval base at Pearl Harbor.
Seward Purchases Alaska
• In 1867, Secretary of State William Seward bough Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million.
• Journalists scoffed at the purchase and referred to Alaska as “Seward’s Folly” and “Seward’s
Icebox”.
• They wondered why the US would waste money on a vast tundra of snow and ice 1,000 miles
north of their border.
• Seward’s purchase did double the size of the country.
• The “icebox” ended up being rich in timber, coal, oil, and other natural resources.
• Scholars today see Seward’s purchase as a key milestone in American history. (49th U.S. state on
January 3, 1959 )
The Monroe Doctrine
• Monroe Doctrine – Basically says the U.S. will stay out of European Affairs if Europe stays out of
the Western Hemisphere
U.S. Influence in Latin America
• U.S. businessmen saw Latin America as a natural place to expand their trade & investments.
• Secretary of State Jeffery Blaine sponsored the First International Pan-American conference in
1889.
• Blaine preached the benefits of having economic cooperation with the region.
The U.S. Acquires Hawaii
• The Hawaiian Islands had been economically linked to the U.S. since the 1790s.
• Merchants’ ships had stopped in Hawaii on their way to the Far East.
• Missionaries established churches & schools on the island.
• Americans also established sugar cane plantations.
• In 1887, Americans convinced King Kalakua to give voting rights to wealthy landowners.
(Mostly white-Americans)
• In the early 1890s, American planters in Hawaii faced two crises.
• First, a new US tariff imposed duties (taxes) on sugar. This made Hawaiian sugar more
expensive and businessmen feared a loss in profits.
• In 1891, Queen Liliuokalani resented the increasing power of the white businessmen. She
abolished the constitution that gave them voting power.
• “Hawaii for Hawaiians”
Revolution
• Hawaiian League. In 1893 they took control of government buildings on the island. U.S. marines
were ordered to come ashore from the USS Boston and took positions at the royal palace.
• No shots were fired, but a new government was set up with Sanford B. Dole as President.
• President Cleveland requested Dole to step down, but he refused.
The U.S. Annexes Hawaii
• President Harrison signed a treaty of annexation but never got it approved.
• Upon further investigation, he found out that most Hawaiians did not approve the treaty.
• Hawaii was finally annexed in 1898 by President McKinley. Became the 50th state in 1959.
• In 1993 the U.S. apologized for Liliuokalani’s overthrow.