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CHAPTER THEME
Theme: In the 1890s a number of
economic and political forces sparked a
spectacular burst of imperialistic
expansionism for the United States that
culminated in the Spanish-American
War—a war that began over freeing Cuba
and ended with the highly controversial
acquisition of the Philippines and other
territories.
Theme: In the wake of the SpanishAmerican War, President Theodore
Roosevelt pursued a bold and
sometimes controversial new policy of
asserting America’s influence abroad,
particularly in East Asia and Latin
America.
1. From the end of the Civil War to the 1880s, the United States was very isolationist,
but in the 1890s, due to rising exports, manufacturing capability, power, and wealth, it
began to expand onto the world stage, using overseas markets to sell its goods.
2. In order to do so, the U.S. needed to become a world power on par with the
industrialized nations of Europe, and U.S. naval captain Alfred Thayer Mahan
argued that control of the sea through a superior navy was the key to world
domination.
3. James G. Blaine pushed his “Big Sister” policy, which sought better relations with
Latin America, and in 1889, he presided over the first Pan-American Conference,
held in Washington D.C.
However, in other diplomatic affairs,
America and Germany almost went to
war over the Samoan Islands (over whom
could build a naval base there), THEN
Italy and America almost fought due to
the lynching of 11 Italians in New
Orleans! THEN, the U.S. and Chile
almost went to war after the deaths of two
American sailors at Valparaiso in 1892!
A dispute between Venezuela and Britain
wound up strengthening the Monroe
Doctrine when the U.S. acted as an
arbitrator between the two.
Britain did this primarily to remain on
good terms with the U.S., as tensions
were also growing between them and
Germany, and they thought they could
make better use of the U.S. as an ally, as
it HAS been ever since.
Clearly, the numerous near-wars and
diplomatic crises of the U.S. in the late
1880s and 1890s demonstrated the
aggressive new national mood.
1. From the 1820s, when the first U.S. missionaries came,
the United States had always coveted the Hawaiian
Islands.
2. Treaties signed in 1875 and 1887 guaranteed
commercial trade and U.S. rights to priceless Pearl
Harbor, while Hawaiian sugar was very profitable. But in
1890, the McKinley Tariff raised the prices on this
sugar, raising its price.
3. Americans felt that the best way to offset this was to
annex Hawaii—a move opposed by its Queen
Liliuokalani who was removed from power for opposing
annexation—and in 1893, desperate Americans in
Hawaii revolted. They succeeded in taking over the
island and Hawaii seemed ready for annexation.
4. However, Grover Cleveland became president again,
investigated the coup, and rejected the effort to annex
Hawaii because he believed that the native Hawaiians
had been wronged and that a majority opposed
annexation. This delayed annexation until he basically
left office. Cleveland was bombarded with criticism for
“stopping manifest destiny,” but his actions proved to
be honorable for him and America.
1. In 1895, Cuba revolted against Spain, citing years of
misrule, and the Cubans torched their sugar cane
fields in hopes that such destruction would either
make Spain leave or America interfere (the American
tariff of 1894 had raised prices on it anyway).
2. Sure enough, America supported Cuba, and the
situation worsened when Spanish General Valeriano
“Butcher” Weyler came to Cuba to crush the revolt
and ended up putting many civilians into brutal
reconcentration camps which killed many.
3. Americans favored providing aid to the Cuban
revolutionaries for the following reasons
1. Popular outrage at the Spanish use of these reconcentration camps.
2. Fear that Spanish misrule in Cuba menaced the
Gulf of Mexico and the route to a proposed
Panama Canal.
3. The atrocity stories reported in the “yellow
press.”
4. Sympathy for Cuban patriots fighting for their
freedom.
The final straw came when the
U.S. battleship Maine was sunk
by an explosion on the ship.
However, William Randolph
Hearst’s newspapers claimed that
the Spanish were behind the
sinking of the Maine, and
President McKinley asked
Congress to declare war on Spain
mainly because the American
people demanded it.
Congress accepted his proposal
and also adopted the Teller
Amendment, which proclaimed a
guarantee that when the U.S. had
overthrown Spanish misrule, it
would uphold the independence
of Cuba and not rule over it as a
conquered territory.
1. On paper, at least, the Spanish
had the advantage over the
U.S., since it had more troops
and a supposedly better army,
as well as younger (and
seemingly more daring)
generals.
2. However, America’s main
military strength was its new
steel navy, as opposed to
Spain’s antiquated wooden
one. Navy Secretary John D.
Long and his assistant
secretary, Theodore Roosevelt
had modernized the U.S. navy,
making it sleek and sharp.
Teddy Roosevelt
Navy
Secretary
John D.
Long and
his
assistant
Secretary,
Theodore
Roosevelt
had
modernized
the U.S.
navy,
making it
sleek and
sharp.
John D. Long
The U.S. Navy perfected by
TR and John D. Long
Spanish Armada back in the glory days....

On May 1,1898, Commodore George
Dewey sailed boldly with his six warships
at night into the fortified harbor of Manila
in the Philippines, he trained his guns
the next morning on the moldy ten-ship
Spanish fleet. The entire collection of
antiquated and overmatched vessels
was quickly destroyed, with a loss of
nearly 400 Spaniards killed and
wounded, and without the loss of a
single American life.

Dewey had naval control of the harbor,
but he could not storm the islands and its
fortresses, so he had to wait for
reinforcements.

Finally, on August 13, 1898, American
troops arrived and captured Manila and
the rest of the Philippines, overthrowing
Spanish rule, while collaborating with
Filipino insurgents, led by Emilio
Aguinaldo.

On July 7, 1898, the U.S. annexed
Hawaii (supposedly so that it could use
the islands to support Dewey). Hawaii
received full territorial status in 1900.
Commodore George Dewey
Admiral of the Navy:
George Dewey
Dewey at the Battle of Manila
Emilio Aguinaldo & Dewey Victory Paraphanalia