Download The Roots of Imperialism

THE ROOTS OF
IMPERIALISM
Section 1
CAUSES OF IMPERIALISM
During the mid-1800s to the early 1900s, powerful
countries competed to spread their influence throughout the
world in a process known as imperialism. Imperialism is a
policy of extending a country's power and influence through
diplomacy or military force. Nations in Europe began to add
colonies to their nations from areas of Africa and Asia. Later,
the U.S. would practice imperialism as well.
BENEFITS OF IMPERIALISM
Of the many benefits to having colonies there were:
 Natural Resources
 Raw materials were valuable to Europe and Japan.
 These materials could range from tea, rubber, iron, petroleum, and many
others.
 They became extractive economies.
 Having these resources provided an advantage for global competition .
 America’s Benefit
 By practicing imperialism, America could use the resources they
previously had too much of.
IMPERIALIST MILITARY
 Many imperialist nations expressed the need for military
strength to keep their colonies and interests in order.
ALFRED T. MAHAN
 He was both a military historian and an of ficer in the U.S.
Navy.
 He played a huge part in making America a naval power
 He helped America to have the third largest navy on the planet
NATIONAL SUPERIORITY
 There were many justifications for imperialism
 Racial, cultural and national superiority, and also Social Darwinism.
 Darwinists
 Thought that only certain races and nations were superior to all
others, and were destined to rule over the inferiors
 They are firm believers in Manifest Destiny
FREDERICK JACKSON TURNER
 He was an American historian in the early 1900s
 He believed that now that America had covered the continent, we
needed to expand overseas to avoid internal conflict within the
country.
AMERICA’S FIRST STEPS TOWARD
WORLD POWER
In the mid-1800s, America set its sights on expanding
trade and getting new territories.
COMMODORE MATTHEW PERRY
 Sailed a fleet of warships to Japan
 The Japanese were in awe because they had never seen steamships
before.
 Japan had shut themselves off from the rest of the world, and had fallen
behind with military technology.
 Perry won the Emperor's favor through gifts
 Within a year, a treaty was negotiated that allowed Japan to trade with
America.
 Perry set the example for further treaties and expansion of
the U.S.
 The U.S. obtained the Midway Islands in 1867, increased trade with
Hawaii, and obtained the rights to build a naval base at Pearl Harbor
in 1875 and 1887.
MATTHEW
PERRY
ALASKA PURCHASE
 Secretary of State William Seward bought Alaska from Russia
in 1867 for $7.2 million
 Journalists mocked Seward and referred to Alaska as “Seward’s
Folly” and “Seward's Icebox”
 They didn’t know why the U.S. needed vast tundra so far north
 The purchase nearly doubled America’s size
 It was abundant in oil and timber
 The purchase also expanded the country’s reach across the Pacific
LATIN AMERICAN INFLUENCE
 Businessmen viewed Latin America as a place to expand trade
and investments.
 In 1889 Secretary of State James Blaine helped by sponsoring the
First International Pan-American Conference
 Blaine addressed the economic benefits to the Latin American delegates
 Also led to the construction of the Pan -American highway system
 In 1895, tensions rose between America and Great Britain
 These tensions were over a border dispute between British Guiana
and Venezuela.
 President Cleveland threatened U.S. intervention.
 Britain eventually accepted U.S. sphere of influence.
THE UNITED STATES ACQUIRES HAWAII
Although the U.S. had an influence on Hawaii from as far back
as the 1790s, Hawaii didn’t become a territory until later in the
late 1800s.
AMERICAN INFLUENCE
In the late 1700s and early 1800s, America had a fairly
prominent influence in the Hawaiian Islands. Missionaries set
up churches and schools, there were established sugar
plantations.
“In 1887, American planters convinced King Kalakaua to
amend Hawaii’s constitution so that coting rights were limited
to only wealthy landowners.” (Pg. 591)
WEALTHY PLANTATION OWNERS RUN
INTO PROBLEMS
New U.S. tariff law
 Put duties on
previously duty-free
Hawaiian grown sugar
 Made Hawaiian sugar
more expensive
 Farmers feared for
their sales and profits
Queen Liliuokalani
 Kalakaua’s sister and
successor.
 Very nationalistic
 She didn’t like the
increasing power of
white planters
 Abolished the
constitution that gave
power to the white
minority
THE PLANTERS OVERTHROW
The planters responded soon after. They overthrew the
Queen and took power with the help of the United States
Marines, sent by John Stevens. A new government in Hawaii was
led by Sanford B. Dole, a wealthy plantation owner. He asked
President Benjamin Harrison to annex Hawaii into the U.S.
afterwards.
THE UNITED STATES ANNEXES HAWAII
 Harrison signed the treaty of Annexation
 Couldn’t get the required senate approval before Cleveland took
office.
 Cleveland set a full investigation
 It revealed that most Hawaiian people didn’t like or approve of the
treaty.
 As a result, Cleveland apologized and refused to sign the treaty.
 Americans still wanted the annexation.
 Finally, in 1898, Congress and President McKinley stated
Hawaii as an of ficial U.S. territory.
CITATIONS
Emma J. Lapsansky -werner et al. Richard Snow. United States
Histor y. Prentice Hall. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
Print. October 16, 2015.
Alfred T. Mahan’s Portrait
Frederick Jackson Turner’s Portrait
Commodore Matthew Perry’s Portrait
Annexation Document