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Imperialism, 1890-1914 (Overview)
Essential Questions: Did US imperialism contradict the values and ideals expressed in the
Declaration of Independence?
1.
Read the article and for each paragraph provide 1-2 words to summarize what the author is saying.
By the late 19th century, many Americans had come to believe that it was their nation's manifest
destiny not only to possess all of the North American continent but also to expand the United States'
influence around the world. In part, this idea was embraced because the United States was producing
many more agricultural and industrial goods than it could consume, and new markets abroad were
needed. In addition, idealists and religious leaders believed that America had a duty to carry its
advanced culture and Christianity to other peoples of the world. In order to carry out that duty as well as
to ensure the continued success of America's growing economy, the United States adopted an
aggressive policy of expansionism. During America's Age of Imperialism, the practice of extending
power and dominion by gaining political and economic control over other areas established the United
States as a world power.
Supply Bases Secured
After the Civil War, as pioneers settled the last western frontiers, expansionists began to look even
farther west—toward Asia. The expansionists believed that future national security as well as greatness
depended on a large navy supported by bases throughout the world. Access to islands in the Pacific was
particularly critical for successful trade routes, as ships needed ports along the trade routes to resupply
them with coal and other provisions and to provide them a place to make repairs. In the late 19th
century, the United States began to acquire those island bases—some peacefully, some not peacefully.
In 1896, President William McKinley signed an annexation treaty with Hawaii that was passed by both
houses of Congress, and the islands became American possessions. While it seemed a peaceful
acquisition, in reality U.S. military power had supported the revolutionary efforts of the Annexation
Club, which had overthrown the Hawaiian monarchy headed by Queen Liliuokalani only two years
before. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Annexation Club was formed by American planters and
businessmen who wanted to eliminate trade restrictions on sugar.
More acquisitions resulted from the treaty between Spain and the United States following the SpanishAmerican War. Spain ceded Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States. Defying the
provisions of the treaty, some Filipinos organized a revolution to secure the right of self-government.
They fought a brutal war for three years but were finally overwhelmed by the superior military power of
the United States.
The United States now had a number of footholds in the Pacific as well as the Caribbean.
A Canal Needed and Built
With those footholds in place, an old idea resurfaced—a canal across Central America to connect the
two oceans. President Theodore Roosevelt offered Colombia $10 million for a 50-mile strip across the
Isthmus of Panama. When Colombia refused the offer, rebels within the country organized a revolt and
established a new government. The United States provided military support for the new Panamanian
government, which gladly accepted the $10 million offer, and work on the canal proceeded. Nine years
later, a canal connected the trade routes of the Pacific with the trade routes of the Atlantic.
An Empire Dismantled
No sooner had the United States acquired an overseas empire than it set in motion a process to
transform it. The Hawaiian Islands were made a territory in 1900. Puerto Rico was given limited selfgovernment in 1900 and full territorial status in 1917. The Philippines began partial self-government in
1902 and gained home rule in 1916.
What does the
author say in the
respective
paragraphs?
[1-2 words]
Voices of Dissent
Not all Americans supported the nation's expansionist activities. In 1898, philanthropist Andrew
Carnegie wrote, "Is the Republic, the apostle of Triumphant Democracy, of the rule of the people, to
abandon her political creed and endeavor to establish in other lands the rule of the foreigner over the
people, Triumphant Despotism?"
Referring to the turmoil in the Philippines, Mark Twain wrote, "I thought we should act as their
protector—not try to get them under our heel. . . . But now—why, we have got into a mess, a quagmire
from which each fresh step renders the difficulty of extrication immensely greater. I'm sure I wish I
could see what we were getting out of it, and all it means to us as a nation."
"Imperialism, 1890-1914 (Overview)." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 24 Jan. 2013.
[Library of Congress]
Political cartoon from 1898 satirizing the United States' colonial policy.