Download 1 WILHITE U. S. History Imperialism The Pressure to Expand the

WILHITE
U. S. History
Imperialism
The Pressure to Expand
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the overproduction of food and goods in the U.S. in the late 1800s led to financial panic and
depression
I. Growth of Imperialism
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imperialism ~ seeking to extend the control of a nation
several factors contributed to the growth of imperialism in the late 1800s
 economic factors
1. need for raw materials
2. need for new markets
 nationalism
 led to competition among European countries for empires
 militarism
 advances in military technology made European countries stronger than other countries
 stronger nations attempted to control weaker nations
 countries wanted military bases around the world to protect shipping and support increasing
navies
 religious and humanitarian factors
 many believed they had a duty to spread the "blessings" of Western civilization
Great Britain became the imperial leader
 “the sun never sets on the British Empire”
commercial expansion meant new markets
II. The United States and Imperialism
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in his Farewell Address in 1796, George Washington warned against forming permanent alliances
with other countries
the closing of the western frontier left many Americans with the desire to seek new "frontiers"
1853, U.S. sent Matthew Perry to force Japan to re-open to the west
 1639, Japan closed its doors and expelled all Europeans
 1854, Perry forced Japan to sign Treaty of Yokohama
1866, Secretary of State William Seward sent 50,000 troops to Mexico after France placed an
emperor on the Mexican throne
 French abandoned efforts to colonize Mexico
1867, Seward bought Alaska from Russia for $7.2 mil
 added a large amount of territory to the U.S.
 considered by many to be an unwise purchase
 “Seward’s Folly”
1867, Seward annexed uninhabited Midway Islands
1875, U.S. signed a treaty with Hawaii
Pacific islands needed for navy bases
business leaders sought to end economic problems by expanding markets
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American businessman Minor C. Keith provide financial services to the Costa Rican government
 1884, he won long term leases for land and railroad lines
 Keith's United Fruit company dominated Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Honduras
 by 1913, exported 50 million bunches of bananas a year to the U.S.
 Central American countries became known as banana republics
Alfred T. Mahan in The Influence of Sea Power Upon History argued that great empires are based on
naval supremacy
 economy depended on navy
 government pushed naval growth
 by 1900 the U.S. had one of the most powerful navies
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The Spanish-American War
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those in the United States in the late 1800s who wanted expansion looked to three main areas: Latin
America, the Pacific, and China
I. Involvement in Latin America
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1891, Chilean mob attacked a group of U.S. sailors on shore leave in Valparaiso
 U.S. forced Chile to pay $75,000 to the families of those killed or injured
1893, when a rebellion threatened the government of Brazil, President Cleveland sent naval units to
Rio de Janeiro to protect American shipping interests
 show of American force ended the rebellion
Enforcing the Monroe Doctrine
 the Monroe Doctrine defined U.S. foreign policy in the Americas
 warned European countries against interfering with countries in the Western Hemisphere
 declared that European powers must not meddle in the affairs of any developing nations in the
Americas
 1866, Secretary of State William Seward sent 50,000 troops to Mexico after France placed an
emperor on the Mexican throne
 French abandoned efforts to colonize Mexico
 since 1840s, Great Britain and Venezuela had disputed territory between Venezuela and British
Guiana
 July 1895, Secretary of State Richard Olney demanded that Great Britain acknowledge the
Monroe Doctrine and submit the dispute with Venezuela to arbitration
 concerned about the rising power of Germany in Africa, the British wanted to stay on good
terms with the U.S. and agreed
Cuba was a Spanish colony in revolution
Ten Years War
 between 1868 and 1878, Cuban guerillas fought against the Spanish
 rebellion was put down and Spain became brutal towards the Cubans
1895, Cubans rebelled against Spanish rule
 Spain sent General Valeriano Weyler (the Butcher) sent to put down the rebellion
 Weyler established concentration camps
 many suffered and 200,000 Cubans died
 Cuban exiles in the U.S., led by journalist Jose Marti, urged the U.S. to intervene
 Martí was killed in battle, but Cuba declared independence as the Republic of Cuba in
September, 1895
 rebels began attacking American sugar plantations to force the U.S. government to intervene
 many Americans were sympathetic to rebels
 U.S. government vowed to remain neutral
William Randolph Hearst (New York Morning Journal) and Joseph Pulitzer (New York World) used
their newspapers to increase sympathy for Cuban rebels
 William Randolph Hearst took credit for the Spanish American war
 when the western painter Frederic Remington, working for the Journal in Cuba, asked for
permission to return, Hearst replied with his famous saying, "Please remain. You furnish the
pictures and I'll furnish the war."
 fierce competition for readers led to sensationalist stories designed to sell newspapers
 “yellow journalism”
II. William Randolph Hearst
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took control of the San Francisco Examiner in 1887
1895, bought the New York Morning Journal
 lowered prices
 began printing sensationalist stories - "yellow journalism"
by 1935 he owned 28 newspapers, 18 magazines, and several radio stations and news services
III. Turning Point: The Spanish-American War
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1898, riots erupted in Havana, Cuba
President McKinley sent the USS Maine into the harbor to protect American citizens and property
a few weeks later, newspapers published letter stolen from Spanish ambassador Dupuy de Lome
which called McKinley weak
February 15, an explosion sank the Maine, killing 250 American sailors
the public blamed Spain and demanded war
April 11, 1898, President William McKinley asked Congress for a declaration of war
U.S. wanted to free Cuba form Spanish rule
people of the Philippines also rebelled against Spanish
 May 1, 1898 Admiral George Dewey attacked Spanish ships in Manila Bay, destroying Spain's
entire Pacific fleet
in Cuba, Spain's Atlantic fleet was trapped
 July 3, 1898, Spanish ships attempted to escape
 all were sunk
American troops gathered in Tampa preparing to invade Cuba
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 Theodore Roosevelt had organized a volunteer group [1 Volunteer Cavalry] of westerners and
Ivy League athletes that became known as the "Rough Riders"
 July 1, Roosevelt led Rough Riders in charge up San Juan Hill
 Roosevelt was made into a hero by Eastern newspapers
Secretary of State John Hay called the short war "a splendid little war"
 2,500 Americans died, most from disease
 fewer than 400 died in battle
IV. After the War
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Treaty of Paris (1898) ended Spanish-American War
 Spain recognized Cuba's independence
 U.S. paid Spain $20 million for Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam
U.S. refused to give Philippines independence
 January 1899, rebel leader Emilio Aguinaldo declared Philippines a republic
 U.S. ignored proclamation
 U.S. fought three year war against rebels
 4,200 Americans killed, 2,800 wounded
 16,000 Filipino rebels killed
 Philippines did not get independence until 1946
supporters of Cuban independence attached Teller Amendment to declaration of war against Spain
 in the Teller Amendment, the United States pledged that it did not intend to annex Cuba and
that it would recognize Cuban independence from Spain after the Spanish-American War
 after the war, President McKinley installed a military government in Cuba led by General
Leonard Wood that remained for three years
 organized school system and restored economic stability
 established a commission led by Major Walter Reed that found a cure for yellow fever
the Platt Amendment authorized U.S. intervention in Cuba to protect American interests
 Cuba pledged not to make foreign treaties that might compromise its independence, and it
granted naval bases to the United States at Guantanamo Bay
1917, U.S. granted Puerto Ricans American citizenship
V. Other Gains in the Pacific
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1887, Hawaii and U.S. renewed treaty which allowed U.S. to use Pearl Harbor and allowed Hawaii to
sell sugar in the U.S. duty free
when Queen Liliuokalani took the throne, she opposed U.S. control of Hawaii and sought to reduce
the power of foreign merchants
1893, with help from U.S. Marines, pineapple planter Sanford Dole removed Queen Liliuokalani from
power
 asked Congress to annex Hawaii
1898, Congress annexed Hawaii
1878, U.S. negotiated a treaty for use of Samoa's harbor of Pago Pago
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 control was split with Britain and Germany
 1899, Samoa became part of the United States
China's large population was an attractive market to European and American companies
European countries began establishing spheres of influence in China
 areas where countries claimed exclusive trading rights
1899, Secretary of State John Hay proposed an "Open Door Policy" in China to give each country
equal access to Chinese markets
 the U.S. wanted to prevent European and Japanese monopoly of Chinese trade
many Chinese resented foreign domination and influence
 formed an organization known as the Righteous and Harmonious Fists
 the western press called them the "Boxers"
 Spring 1900, massacred 300 foreigners and Chinese Christians
 known as Boxer Rebellion
Expansion Under Roosevelt and Taft
I. The Panama Canal
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by 1900 the United States was a world power
 controlled overseas areas
 had a successful economy
1900, William McKinley won re-election
 assassinated by Leon Czolgosz
 Theodore Roosevelt became President
many Americans saw a need for canal to link Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
 France (Ferdinand de Lesseps) had bought a 25 year concession to build a canal across
Panama from Colombia which controlled Panama
 yellow fever and mismanagement forced them to abandon the project 10 years later
 France agreed to sell the rights to the U.S.
 Colombia objected to the transaction
 France's concession was about to expire and Colombia wanted to re-sell the concession to
the U.S.
 Roosevelt was enraged
 called the Colombians “bandits”
 the U.S. supported a Panamanian revolt against Colombia
 sent warships
 recognized Panama as an independent country
 I took the Canal zone and let Congress debate, and while the debate goes on the canal does
also. [T. Roosevelt]
 Alabama native William Gorgas helped stop yellow fever in Panama Canal Zone
Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty gave U.S. a ten mile wide Canal Zone
canal finished in 1914
II. Foreign Policy in the Early 1900s
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Roosevelt, like Monroe, believed a special relationship should exist between the U.S. and Latin
America
the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine established the right of the U.S. to act as a police
power in the Western Hemisphere nations
 Roosevelt believed Monroe Doctrine allowed U.S. to actively intervene in Latin American
countries if the countries engaged in activities harmful to the interest of the U.S. or if their
governments collapsed, inviting intervention from stronger nations
 under Roosevelt, U.S. intervention in Latin America became common
 "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."
when Caribbean island republic of Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) went bankrupt, European
countries threatened to intervene to collect their money
 Roosevelt established American supervision of customs collections
 American bankers took over the country's finances and paid its European debt
in Asia, Roosevelt wanted to keep markets open for American goods
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Roosevelt sometimes seen as the first modern President because he used the power of the office
and his personality to lead
 used Presidential action to achieve foreign policy objectives
1905, Roosevelt worked to end Russo-Japanese War
 Representatives of Russia and Japan met in Portsmouth, NH
 Roosevelt brokered a deal
 Portsmouth Treaty ended the war
 he won the Nobel Peace Prize
from 1900 to 1915, the U.S. worked to promote its influence in Latin America
III. Taft and Dollar Diplomacy
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1908, William Howard Taft elected as President
Taft’s foreign policy based on economic investment
 “substituting dollars for bullets”
Debating America's New Role
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Walter Gresham, Secretary of State in 1894, warned against "the evils of interference in affairs that
do not specially concern us"
I. The Anti-Imperialists
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after the annexation of the Philippines by the U.S. in 1898, opposition to imperialism grew
anti-imperialists believed imperialism was a moral and political wrong
 believed America was founded on the principles of self-determination and liberty for all
 believed imperialism was racist
 some anti-imperialists also racists
 many politicians feared the effects of having to absorb more people of different races
into the U.S.
 labor leaders feared competition for jobs
II. Imperialism's Appeal
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many people saw imperialism as the new frontier
 the growth of scouting programs during this time shows that the frontier spirit was strong in the
U.S.
 Boy Scouts founded by Englishman Sir Robert Baden-Powell
 first appeared in U.S. in 1910
imperialist argued the most important aim of foreign policy is to promote advancement of national
self interest
December 1907, Roosevelt sent part of the U.S. Navy on a cruise around the world to show that the
U.S. was a naval power
 the ships were painted white to stand out and make an impression everywhere the went
 known as the Great White Fleet
III. Two Sides to Imperialism
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many countries began to turn to the U.S. for help while other countries resented U.S. intrusion
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