Download Chapter 20 The United States Looks Overseas

Chapter 20
The United States Looks Overseas
Key Terms for the Chapter
• Isolationism
– Avoiding involvement in other countries’ affairs
• Imperialism
– Building empires by imposing political and
economic control over peoples around the world
The Turner Thesis
• Frederick Jackson Turner
– Created idea that western frontier defined
American History
• expansionists believed that overseas was the
new frontier and would bring new riches and
power
Economic Growth
• Expansionists argued that future prosperity
depended on building up trade
• U.S. had a powerful industrial economy and
produced more than Americans would buy
Economic Growth
• There was a fear that if U.S. did not expand it
would be shut out of global markets and
denied raw materials
• Alfred T. Mahan stated that the key to strong
trade was a powerful navy
United States Looks Overseas
• Purchasing Alaska
– 1867 The United States purchased Alaska from
Russia for $7.2 million (about 2 cents an acre)
– Alaska was full of resources (gold and oil)
• Alaska Gold Rush of 1897-1898
Spreading American Values
• In the late 1800s many Americans believed
that Americans of the “Anglo-Saxon race”
were superior to “lesser races” in other
nations
• Argument was Americans had a divine duty to
spread Christian values and western
civilization around the world.
Gaining Foothold in the Pacific
• Expansionists had interest in various Pacific
islands, and saw them essential for expanding
influence and trade
• Samoa
Gaining Foothold in the Pacific
• Samoa
– U.S. had interest in Samoa to use as coaling
stations for ships
• Other European countries also wanted Samoa and
Britain, Germany, and the U.S. almost went to war
– In 1899 the U.S. and Germany divided the islands
• People in Samoa had no say in the matter.
Gaining Foothold in the Pacific
• Hawaii
– U.S. saw Hawaii as a military outpost in Pacific
– 1893 American planters and 50 U.S. Marines
overthrew Queen Liliuokalani.
• President Grover Cleveland refused to annex Hawaii
because the revolt had been illegal
– on July 7, 1898 Hawaii became a territory of U.S.
when it was annexed by President William
McKinley
• Hawaii
Carving Up China
• Late 1800s China lost a war and European
powers wanted to take advantage of China’s
weakness
– European power and Japan started dividing China
into spheres of influence (areas where another
nation has economic and political control)
Carving Up China
• At first, U.S. were not part of the activity, but
U.S. officials feared they would be excluded
from trading with China
– Secretary of State John Hay called on nations to
keep an “open door” policy in China.
Carving Up China
• Boxer Rebellion
– A secret Society called Righteous and Harmonious
Fist was formed to try and combat foreigners in
China
• Became known as Boxers because of their ceremonial
exercises that resembled shadowboxing
– In spring of 1900 the Boxers began a rebellion to
expel foreigners
Carving Up China
• The boxers attacked and killed westerners and
Chinese Christians.
• European powers and the U.S. sent in 18,000
troops with modern weapons and crushed the
rebellion
The Spanish-American War
• Cuba had been under Spanish control since
1492
• After Centuries of being under Spain’s harsh
control Cuban’s started to rebel
– First rebellion started in 1868 and lasted 10 years,
but was unsuccessful
The Spanish-American War
• Cubans started another rebellion in 1895
• To stop the revolt the Spanish began a policy
of reconcentration (movement of large
numbers of people into detention camps for
military or political reasons)
– 200,000 Cubans would die in these camps due to
poor sanitation and starvation
The Spanish-American War
• Cubans, led by Jose Marti, asked for help from
the U.S.
– Marti was a leader of the rebels, but was killed in
Cuba before he was able to see Cuba free from
Spanish rule
The Spanish-American War
• Many Americans wanted to help the Cuban
rebels, but U.S. government was resistant to
send troops
• Americans wanted to help Cuba to protect
their investments
– Americans had over $50 million in sugar
plantations, railroads, and iron mines
Yellow Journalism
• yellow journalism- A sensational style of reporting
that exploits, distorts, or exaggerates the news
The Spanish-American War
• Newspapers swayed public opinion towards
war by using Yellow Journalism
– Led by Joseph Pulitzer of the New York World and
William Randolph Hearst of the New York Journal
The Spanish-American War
• U.S. declares war
-February 15, 1898 the Maine sinks and the United
States declares war on Spain
Spanish-American War
• The U.S. Goes to War
– April 20, 1898 the U.S. declares war on Spain
– The first main battle of the war took place in the
Philippines
• May 1, 1898, Commodore George Dewey led a small
fleet of ships to Manila Bay and sank the entire Spanish
squadron
• The U.S. did not lose a single ship or life
Spanish-American War
• The Filipinos were also fighting for
independence from Spain
– Emilio Aguinaldo was the leader of the Filipino
rebels
– Instead of giving independence to the Filipinos the
U.S. took control of the islands
Spanish-American War
• War in the Caribbean
– Most of the fighting took place around Santiago
and at sea
Spanish-American War
• War in the Caribbean
– U.S. troops were poorly trained, but eager to fight
• One of the best known units was the Rough Riders,
which was led by Theodore Roosevelt
• Roosevelt led a successful charge up San Juan hill,
which became the most
celebrated event of the war
Americans 205 killed and 1,180 wounded
Spanish lost only 58 dead, 170 wounded, and
39 captured
Spanish-American War
• Once Spain surrendered Cuba, American
troops invaded and quickly took control of
Puerto Rico
Spanish-American War
• December 1898, a treaty was signed
– Cuba received its independence
– Puerto Rico, Philippines, islands of Guam, and
Wake islands became territories of the U.S.
The United States and Latin America
• Panama Canal
– The Isthmus of Panama was chosen because it
was only 50 miles wide
– perfect location to shorten trips from the West
Coast to the East Coast
The United States and Latin America
• U.S. offered Columbia $10 million and
$250,000 yearly rent to build the canal
– Columbia did not accept the deal
The United States and Latin America
• Panamanians started a revolution against
Columbia
– U.S. sent gunboats and Marines to support
Panama
– Panama gains its freedom and the U.S. received
the land to build the canal
“Gun Boat Diplomacy”
The United States and Latin America
• Fighting Disease
– First obstacle to building the canal was
overcoming diseases
• Malaria and Yellow Fever (carried by mosquitoes)
• William C. Gorgas
The United States and Latin America
• Constructing the Canal
– Construction involved three main tasks
• Cut through a mountain
• Dam a river
• Build locks
The United States and Latin America
• Canal Was finished August 15, 1914 (six
months ahead of schedule)
The United States and Latin America
• Wielding a “Big Stick” in Latin America
– Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine
• It was the job of the U.S. to protect the Western
Hemisphere from European nations
• When neighbors of the U.S. got into disputes with
foreign nations, the U.S. had the right to intervene and
restore order
The United States and Latin America
• William Howard Taft believed in dollar
diplomacy
– Taft wanted bankers and businesses to invest in
Latin America
– Dollar Diplomacy led to many military
interventions because the U.S. had to protect its
investments
The United States and Latin America
• Relations With Mexico
– 1911 Mexico entered into a violent revolution
– President Woodrow Wilson believed U.S. foreign
policy should support democracy throughout the
world, and hoped Mexico would develop its own
democratic government
The United States and Latin America
• The United States had trouble staying out of
the conflict
– 1914 an incident in Tampico, Mexico led to U.S.
sailors being arrested
– Francisco Villa (Pancho Villa) kept entering New
Mexico and raiding towns. (Killed 18 Americans in
one raid)