Download Chapter 7, Section 1

Chapter 7, Section 1
The Imperialist Vision
Building Support for Imperialism
 Big Ideas:
Imperialism: The economic and political
domination of a strong nation over weaker ones.
Imperialism was the result of racist attitudes, a
desire for access to world markets, and a
continuation of the idea of Manifest Destiny.
Building Support for Imperialism
• Americans of the post civil war
period were not concerned with
expanding the nation’s territory.
• Citizens were interested in
rebuilding the south, settling
the west, and developing
centers of industry.
• European countries were
continuing to expand their empires
in order to obtain raw materials for
their factories and to open up new
markets for their manufactured
goods.
Building Support for Imperialism
• For example, Europeans ruled
nearly the entire African Continent.
• After a series of expeditions,
Europeans realized that the African
continent was full of valuable
resources.
• To avoid starting a war over African
territory European powers met in
Berlin in 1884 to divide up the
continent amongst themselves.
Building Support for Imperialism
• As Europeans began investing
more of their money into foreign
operations, they became
concerned about the safety of
their investments.
• To safeguard their money,
many European countries
developed overseas
protectorates. Unlike a
colony, a protectorate is
allowed to keep their own
rulers, but had to accept
advice from their European
protectors.
Building Support for Imperialism
• The expansion of the European
empires resulted in Americans
feeling as if they were being left
behind and shut-out of overseas
markets.
• Supporters of Social
Darwinism also felt that it was
the destiny of Anglo-Saxons to
dominate the world.
• For Americans, the idea of
Anglo-Saxonism reinforced
the idea of Manifest Destiny.
• Imperialism was also tied to
the desire of many to
Christianize the globe.
Building Support for Imperialism
• The US found itself increasingly
having to enforce the Monroe
Doctrine as European powers
sought to increase their
influence in the South Pacific as
well as in Central and South
America.
• Before the US could take
advantage of overseas markets
and assert itself on the world
scene, it needed to have a
modern navy capable of
defending its merchant ships and
enforcing foreign policy.
Building Support for Imperialism
• In 1890, Captain Alfred T. Mahan,
a teacher at the Naval War
College, published his lectures
on naval power in a book called
The Influence of Sea Power on
History.
• His book became a best seller
and its popularity created a
movement in Congress to
USS Maine
build a modern navy on par
with the major European
powers.
• The new navy became a visual
representation of America’s
power.
The launch of the USS
Nebraska from Moran
Shipyards in Seattle, 1904
American Expansion in the Pacific
 Big Ideas:
Expanding westward had become an American pastime, and by
the late 1800s the only westward territory lay out in the Pacific
Ocean.
America used it’s new industrial might to create inroads in Japan,
conquer Hawaii, and challenge the Spanish Empire in Latin
America.

To accomplish these goals, the US needed safe regions where they could
moor, refuel and resupply their war and merchant ships.
American Expansion in the Pacific
• One of the first instances of
American might being used to
open economic doors occurred
in 1853.
• Business leaders wanted access
to Asian markets, particularly
Japan.
• Japan, under the leadership of
Tokugawa, wanted nothing to
do with the west for fear that
trade would diminish
Japanese culture as it had
done in China.
American Expansion in the Pacific
• In 1852 President Millard
Fillmore ordered Commodore
Mathew C. Perry to take a fleet
of ships to Japan to “negotiate” a
treaty.
• The Japanese people had
never before seen a
steamship or warships with so
much firepower.
American Expansion in the Pacific
• The Japanese had no means of
resisting American technology
and agreed to a treaty of peace
that opened two of Japan’s ports
to American trade and allowed
the US Navy to purchase supplies
for their vessels and crews.
• The opening of Japan was a
pivotal point in their history
that ended the shogunate and
led to the Meiji Restoration
and industrialization.
• By the 1890s, Japan had a
modern navy and army on
par with those of its
European rivals.
Japanese Battleship Mikasa -1905
American Expansion in the Pacific
• American businessmen and
missionaries were involved in
Hawaii since the early 1800s.
• Americans established sugar
plantations on the island in the
mid 1800s, but saw their profits
suffer from the increasing
American tariffs on imported
sugar.
• Worried that disgruntled
farmers would turn to
Europeans for help, the US
negotiated a treaty that ended
the tariffs in exchange for
exclusive rights to base ships in
Pearl Harbor.
American Expansion in the Pacific
• As the sugar growers’ power
increased, the monarchy
became weaker.
• In 1887 businessmen and
sugar planters led by Sanford
Dole used a private army to
force King Kalakaua to sign a
new constitution or be
deposed.
• The “Bayonet Constitution”
stripped the voting rights of all
Asians, expanded voting rights
to foreign residents, and
implemented an income
requirement for voting.
American Expansion in the Pacific
• In 1891, after king Kalakaua
died, his sister, Liliuokalani,
became queen and, in 1893,
set out to replace the Bayonet
Constitution.
• The American minister in
Hawaii, John L. Stevens, called
in American troops to seize
the royal palace and take
custody of the queen.
• Sanford Dole declared himself
governor of the islands.
"I yield to the superior force of the United States of
America, whose minister, his excellency John L. Stevens,
has caused United States troops to be landed at
Honolulu. ... Now, to avoid any collision of armed forces
and perhaps the loss of life, I do, under this protest, and
impelled by said force, yield my authority until such time
as the government of the United States shall undo the
action of its representative and reinstate me.“ – Queen
Liliuokalani, 1893
American Expansion in the Pacific
• After investigating the coup,
President Grover Cleveland
fired Stevens and apologized
to Queen Liliuokalani.
• Hawaii’s new leaders refused
to reinstate the queen and
instead waited for Cleveland’s
term to run out.
• In 1898, Americans elected
Republican William McKinley
who approved the annexation
of Hawaii.
Diplomacy in Latin America
• Americans were not only
concerned about Pacific
expansion, but also expansion
in Latin America.
• American business didn’t like
the idea that Latin Americans
purchased most of their
manufactured goods from
Europe. Especially since
Americans bought many raw
materials from Latin America.
• James G. Blaine, US Secretary
of State, called for a
conference of American
Nations in D.C. to discuss
peace and trade.
Diplomacy in Latin America
• The cooperation between the
US and Latin American
countries was called PanAmericanism.
• The main goal was to reduce
barriers to trade and keep
Europeans from meddling in
the affairs of the Western
Hemisphere.
• The nations agreed to create
a Commercial Bureau of the
American Republics to
promote cooperation.