Download The US as a World Power

The US as a World Power
*Why did the US go outside their future borders and conquer other nations? Were their reasons
valid?
 Imperialism
 To spread religion
 To Stop Genocide
Reasons for US Imperialism:
1. The American frontier closed
o The US started out in the east, and anytime people were upset, they could just
move west
o But then they ran out of room and they couldn’t go west anymore without running
into the ocean
o So what happens when there are societal pressures?
 Find an enemy to focus energy on
 Focus anger outside our borders
2. Commercial/Business interests, military strategic interests
o Most of islands in the pacific were coaling stations for ships
o Not many resources
o Wanted a place to sell our stuff, markets
3. Social Darwinist Thinking
o Hierarchy of race (a book about which is the best race)
o This was a scientific because white people have the best technology, religion,
civilization
o White man’s burden – to help everyone and bring them up to white people’s level
4. Religious, missionary interests
o Convert to Protestantism
o Save their souls from hell
How did the US become a World Power:
 Got American land from Europeans, not from the Native Americans who lived there
How did America Join the Imperialist Club:
 Alaska – 1867
o Bought from Russia
o Seward’s folly
o Business – Russia thought it was an ice box, but there was gold, oil, etc.
 Hawaii – 1849, 1898
o Missionaries, business people
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o Racism
o Business people set up sugar cane stuff
o Queen Liliuokalani
 Hawaiians weren’t working for America, so the queen was overthrown
and royalty got kicked out and Hawaii became a state which we took and
annexed.
o Sanford B. Dole
 Dole pineapple
China – 1882, 1900
o Chinese Exclusion Act
o Open door policy – anyone can go in and trade anywhere. It basically gave power
over the Chinese
o Boxer rebellion – Chinese response, tried to kill foreigners but weren’t too
successful
o Racism
o Business
Japan – 1853
o Commodore Perry – US guy brings fleet to Tokyo, ordered the Japanese to do
strait trading or the US fleet would kill them. The Japanese are humiliated.
o Business
o 1860 – Japan starts to industrialize because they want to become powerful so that
they don’t get embarrassed like that again
o Soon Japan had battleships
o Then they were ready to fight Russians
 Japan wanted to be imperialist so they launch attack on Russian naval base
 Russians decide to negotiate peace because Russians lost after going to
Japan
 Japan gets Korea
o Gentlemen’s agreement – if no more Japanese come in, San Francisco won’t
segregate between Americans and Japanese
o Meiji Restoration – restored imperial rule to Japan and led to major changes in
Japan’s political and social structure
o Lodge Corollary – an addition to the Monroe Doctrine which allowed for
corporate territorial acquisitions
Panama – 1904
o Business
o We helped panama become independent from Columbia and they let us build
panama canal
Spanish-American War:
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3 months long, few casualties, we won
We wanted to expand and become an empire
Background of Spanish American War:
 Monroe Doctrine – Europe had to stay out of the west, and the US would stay out of
European affairs
o Europe says ok because all of their territories abroad had already rebelled
o Cuba as the next state?
 We have a soft spot for Cuba
Why’d we go to War:
 Cuba
o We wanted to liberate Cuba from Spain
o Cuban rebellion
o Spanish abuses
o Yellow journalism – bad journalism, journalism but really propaganda
 Hearst used yellow journalism
o Spark – blowing up of USS Maine
 We blamed Spain
Where?
 Cuba and the Philippines
 We won very dramatically
 No fighting in Spain or the US, just in colonies
How did the US Win:
 Jose Marti
 3 months
 Rough riders (they helped at the end and came home as heroes)
 Spam
o More Americans died from bad meat than battle
 Platt Amendment - a series of provisions that the US insisted Cuba add to its new
constitution, commanding Cuba to stay out of debt and giving the US the right to
intervene in the country and the right to buy or lease Cuban land for naval an fueling
stations.
How did US win: Philippines:
 Emilio Aguinaldo led Filipino rebels trying to get freedom for the Philippines
 Battle of Manila Bay
o We sunk their ships, and the Filipinos weren’t in their boats, so it was easy
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o We lost one guy to heat stroke
War in the Philippines: 1898 – 1902
End Result (What we got):
 Philippines = colony
 Cuban independence with Platt Amendment
 Puerto Rico
 Guam and other pacific islands
 20 million – we paid to Spain
 Roosevelt corollary – an addition to the Monroe Doctrine
 The US is an empire
American Influence/Diplomacy:
 Roosevelt – Big Stick Diplomacy
o Speak softly, carry a big stick
 Don’t tell people what to do, but if they do it wrong, smack them
 Mainly aimed at Latin American nations
 Roosevelt corollary
o Russo-Japanese war
 Roosevelt mediated negotiations between them, so Roosevelt won the
Novel peace prize
o Great White Fleet
 Painted ships white, sent them around the world, so everyone could see the
‘big stick’ all about show
o Got panama canal by helping Panama get liberated from Columbia
 Taft and Dollar Diplomacy
o Money, money, money
o Focused on interests of the US
o Create stability to promote America’s commercial interests. Foreign policy mized
with Business
 Wilson and Moral Diplomacy
o Missionary diplomacy
 Everyone should be like us, so he was going to show others how to be as
good as the US
 He was against colonies (ours and others)
o Self Determination
 Colonies can choose their own fate
o Mexican revolution
 Chaos
 Lots of coup attempts
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Pancho villa killed some Americans after he crossed American borders
We invaded
Another time, American sailors went to Mexico, got in a bar fight, so they
went to jail
Captain demanded to have them get out of jail, an apology, and a gun
salute.
 That would have embarrassed Mexico, and was over the top
 They didn’t get the four gun salute
 Some people mediated
 We went home with an apology