Download American Imperialism

The Rise of American
Imperialism
Hawaii, Cuba, the Philippines,
and Latin America
Major Presidents During
Imperialism
William McKinley 1897-1901
Theodore Roosevelt 19011909
William H. Taft 1909-1913
Anti-Imperial Sentiment
 From the Civil War until the
1890s, most Americans had
little interest in territorial
expansion:
 Imperial rule seemed
inconsistent with America's
republican principles.
 The US did not welcome
people with different
cultures, languages, and
religions.
Acquisition of Alaska
 An exception to the rule
was Alaska. In 1867, Sec.
of State William Seward
arranged to buy Alaska
from the Russians for $7.2
million. Rich in natural
resources (timber,
minerals, and oil), Alaska
was a bargain at two cents
per acre.
European Imperialism
 By the mid-1890s, a shift
had taken place in
American attitudes toward
expansion. Why? Between
1870 and 1900, the
European powers seized 10
million square miles of
territory in Africa and Asia.
About 150 million people
were subjected to colonial
rule.
Fear of Competition
 In the United States, a
growing number of policy
makers, bankers,
manufacturers, and trade
unions grew fearful that
the country might be
closed out in the struggle
for global markets and
raw materials.
Belief in Darwinian Struggle
 A belief that the world's
nations were engaged in
a Darwinian struggle for
survival, and that
countries that failed to
compete were doomed to
decline, also contributed
to a new assertiveness on
the part of the United
States.
The White Man’s Burden
 During the late 19th
century, the idea that
the United States had a
special mission to uplift
"backward" people
around the world also
commanded growing
support.
Dependency on Foreign Trade
 By the late 19th
Century, the American
economy was
increasingly dependent
on foreign trade. A
quarter of the nation's
farm products and half
its petroleum were sold
overseas.
A New Assertiveness
 During the late 1880s,
American foreign policy
makers began to display
more assertiveness on
the world stage.
A Desire for Sea Power
 Alfred Thayer Mahan, a naval
strategist and the author of
The Influence of Sea Power
Upon History, argued that
national prosperity and power
depended on control of the
world's sea-lanes. "Whoever
rules the waves rules the
world," Mahan wrote.
Commodore Perry and the Opening of Japan
To facilitate trade with Asia, four black ships commanded by
Commodore Matthew Perry anchored at Edo (Tokyo) Bay in 1853.
Never before had the Japanese seen ships steaming with smoke and
so heavily armed.
The Japanese government, in no position to defend itself against a
foreign power, signed a trade treaty with the U.S. that opened up two
ports to American vessels, and allowed American ships to buy coal
and other necessary supplies in Japanese ports.
No longer allowed to be isolationist, Japan began to “westernize”.
By 1890s, Japan had built a powerful navy and set out to build their
own empire in the East.
The Annexation of Hawaii
 In 1893, a small group of
sugar and pineapple-growing
businessmen, backed by the
U.S. military, deposed
Hawaii's queen, seized 1.75
million acres of land, and
conspired for U.S.
annexation of the islands
(achieved in 1898.) Hawaii
became a state in 1959.
Origins of Spanish American War
 The Tariff of 1894,
which put restrictions
on sugar imports to the
United States, severely
hurt the economy of
Cuba, which was then a
Spanish colony. Angry
nationalists began a
revolt against the
Spanish colonial regime.
The USS Maine
 The US, which had many
businessmen with
investment interests in
Cuba, became concerned
and dispatched the USS
Maine to rescue US citizens
who might be endangered
by the conflict.
The Effects of Yellow Journalism
 On February 15, 1898, the Maine
mysteriously blew up and the US
blamed a Spanish mine.
 When the American public was
stirred into an anti-Spain frenzy
by the yellow journalism of
newspaper men like Hearst and
Pulitzer, President McKinley
gave the OK for war.

Effects of Yellow Journalism
 Yellow journalism is exaggerated or biased
writing disguised as news, often used for
political, social, or economic gain.
 “You furnish the pictures, I’ll furnish the war.”
William Randolph Hearst
Teller Amendment
 Congress agreed to war,
but only after adopting
the Teller Amendment
that made it clear that
the United States did
not harbor imperialist
ambitions and would
not acquire Cuba.
Manila Bay
 What Happened at Manila Bay?
•Surprise naval attack
sunk the crumbling
Spanish Navy in the
Philippines
•Made Americans feel
very superior
19
Rough Riders
 Who were the Rough Riders?
•Teddy Roosevelt resigns a
Asst. Sec. of the Navy to
lead a volunteer “Cowboy
Calvary” that served with
the 17,000 soldiers that
landed in Cuba
•TR’s popularity from
this leads to his
becoming V.P. and
President
20
Rough Riders
 What famous Battle did they participate in?
•San Juan Hill
•African Americans
also helped but get no
credit
21
Teddy Roosevelt
22
“A Splendid Little War”
John Hay, Secretary of State, 1898
•US defeats Spain after 144 days and 3,300 deaths to
Results:
become a world power.
•Teddy Roosevelt elected Vice President in 1900 and
becomes President in 1901 when McKinley is shot.
•Treaty of Paris: Cuba is granted independence, but it
becomes an American protectorate. The U.S. acquires
former Spanish possessions of Puerto Rico, Guam, and
the Philippines.
23
The Platt Amendment
 After the US defeated Spain,
it passed the Platt
Amendment, which gave the
US the right to intervene in
Cuba to protect "life,
property, and individual
liberties.”
The Philippine-American War
 As a result of the
Philippine-American
War, a sequel to the
Spanish American
War, Spain ceded the
Philippines to the
United States for $20
million.
American Atrocities
 To suppress Filipino
insurgency, the American
military forcibly
relocated or burned
villages, imprisoned or
killed non-combatant
civilians, and used
vicious torture
techniques (including the
water cure) on suspected
insurgents.
Philippine Independence
 During the war, more than
4,000 U.S. soldiers, about
20,000 Filipino fighters, and
an estimated 200,000
Filipino civilians died.

 U.S. made improvements in
infrastructure, education,
and healthcare. Resistance
ended by 1902
 Filipinos received their
independence in 1946.
China Open Door Policy
 Spheres of Influence:
European nations had divided
up China for trading purposes
 1899 John Hay (Sec. of State)
called for
 1. open access to all of China’s
coastal ports to all countries
 2. elimination of special privileges
for any trading nations
 3. maintenance of China’s
independence
3 American Beliefs reflected
in Open Door Policy:
 1. Growth of American
economy depended on
exports
 2. America had the right
to intervene abroad to
keep foreign markets
open
 3. A fear that closing of
an area to American
products, citizens, or
ideas threatened U.S.
survival
The Roosevelt Corollary
 In 1904, when Germany demanded a
port in the Dominican Republic as
compensation for an unpaid loan,
Theodore Roosevelt announced the
Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe
Doctrine. It stated that the U.S.
would intervene in Latin American
affairs when necessary to maintain
economic and political stability.
 This was a declaration that the U.S.
would be the policeman of the
Caribbean and Central America.
America As World Power
 Panama Canal
 Built to connect Atlantic
and Pacific Oceans
 Cut travel time of U.S.
ships by half
 Panama was province of
Colombia, but TR helped
Panama obtain its
Independence to get
Canal built
America As World Power
 Great White Fleet
 New all-steel fleet of 16
battleships that TR sent
around the world to
show U.S. dominance.
 Painted white
Great White’s World Wide Tour, 1907
Roosevelt and Latin America
 Gunboat Diplomacy
 Use force to accomplish
goals in world, especially
Latin America.
 “Speak softly and carry a
big stick; you will go far”
 (Big-stick Diplomacy)
Taft and Latin America
 Dollar Diplomacy
 Invest money into a
country to help
strengthen that
country’s economy in
hopes of preventing
revolutions
 By investing money, it
normally meant U.S.
corporations in Latin
American countries
Interventions in Western Hemisphere
 To enforce order, forestall
foreign intervention, and
protect economic interests, the
United States intervened in the
Caribbean and in Central
America some twenty times
over the next quarter century (in
Cuba, the Dominican Republic,
Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua, and
Panama.)
American Support of Dictators
 Each intervention
put into power a
dictator supportive
of American
interests (Somoza
in Nicaragua,
Trujillo in the
Dominican
Republic, and
Duvalier in Haiti).
Somoza
Protection of American
Interests
 On the whole, the United
States’ actions in Latin
America protected US
commercial and strategic
interests, but the goal of
spreading democracy went
mostly unfulfilled. The
frequent use of military force
also engendered widespread
resentment in the region.