Download Honors World History Mr. Soff The Beginnings of the American “Age

Honors World History
The Beginnings of the American “Age of Imperialism”
Mr. Soff
1. Imperialism: “The policy of extending a nation’s authority by territorial acquisition or by the establishment of
economic or political hegemony over other nations.” In other words, imperialism is the policy of powerful countries
looking to control the economic and political affairs of weaker countries or regions.
2. Expansionism: Extending a nation’s boundaries. For example, America was constantly pushing westward until
the 1890’s.
3. Isolationism: American foreign policy for most of the nineteenth century – avoiding involvement or
entanglements in the affairs of other nations.
4. Washington’s Farewell Address (1797): President Washington cautioned his fellow Americans to avoid
“foreign entanglements” and to have “…as little political connection as possible…” with foreign nations; for a century
thereafter, the nation did just that. Washington did not want the United States to be dragged into the frequent wars
going on in Europe. Since the United States was insulated from the European and Far Eastern powers by great oceans,
the nation maintained a foreign policy of strict isolation. The major exception to this policy of neutrality was the Monroe
Doctrine.
5. The Monroe Doctrine (1823): Defined U.S. foreign policy in the Americas for the rest of the nineteenth
century and beyond. Prompted by a Spanish plot to regain American colonies, it declared that the United States had an
interest in the Western Hemisphere and that European powers must not meddle in the affairs of any developing nation(s)
here. In other words, the United States said it would stay out of European affairs and warned Europe that this
hemisphere was off-limits to any state wanting to create new colonies here.
6. Manifest Destiny (phrase coined in 1845): The belief of many Americans that it was the destiny of the
United States to possess the entire North American continent. Later in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries many
believed it was their “manifest destiny” to expand American influence around the world.
7. European Imperialism: By the late nineteenth century, European nations such as England, Spain, France,
Portugal, Germany, Belgium, and Russia had created colonies or “spheres of influence” throughout Africa and Asia. To
remain competitive, the U.S. reacted by looking for a way to secure its own economic future through a policy of
expansionism and imperialism.
8. Social Darwinism: Theory loosely based on Darwin’s theory of biological evolution…Social Darwinism was
applied to society, namely that the wealthy/powerful (individuals and countries) were the product of “natural selection.”
This theory helped support American imperialism.
9. The Nation of Hawai’I: The first American contacts with the Hawaiian Islands began early in the nineteenth
century (whalers, sailors, and missionaries). By 1875, American sugar planters on the islands had a treaty with the United
States, opening the American market to Hawaiian sugar. In 1882, an amendment to the treaty gave the United States a
naval base at Pearl Harbor. In 1891, newly crowned queen Liliuokalani resented the growing power of the American
planters by rejecting the island’s new (Americanized) constitution. In 1893, the American planters rebelled against the
queen’s attempt to limit their power. The American ambassador called in the Marines who overthrew the queen, set up a
republic, and asked for American annexation. Congress debated the Hawaiian issue for months and President Cleveland
said “Our interference in the Hawaiian Revolution of 1893 was disgraceful…I am ashamed of the whole affair.” Congress
finally annexed Hawaii in 1898 after President Cleveland left office. In 1900, Hawaii became a United States territory. It
became a state in 1959.
10. The Venezuelan Boundary Controversy (1895): The United States and Britain almost went to war as
President Cleveland tried to uphold the Monroe Doctrine. Britain and Venezuela were disputing the boundary between
British Guiana and Venezuela (gold had been discovered in the disputed area). When Britain refused to submit to
American arbitration, President Cleveland asked Congress for the authority to defend Venezuela (thus upholding the
Monroe Doctrine). Britain backed down and agreed to arbitration (which ended up favoring Britain anyway).
This controversy was significant because: 1) President Cleveland was able to uphold the Monroe Doctrine against a major
European power; 2) It showed arbitration in international disputes could work (rather than war); 3) It showed Britain that
Germany posed a larger threat to her Empire; 4) It marked an historic turning point in Anglo-American relations that
continues to this day.
11. Cuba: The proximity and strategic location of Cuba have always made this island of special concern to the United
States. Before the Civil War, there was a movement to annex Cuba; after the Civil War, Cuban rebels wanted American
aid to oust the Spanish rulers. Spain tightly held onto their “Pearl of the Antilles” for it was the last remnant of her
empire in the Americas. Americans had a large economic investment in Cuba: nearly $50 million on the island and an
additional $100 million in trade (approximately 25% of American exports). This, plus growing American sympathy for the
rebels fighting for their freedom created a volatile situation.
12. “Yellow” journalism: Sensational, nonobjective, distorted, and sometimes outright untrue journalistic
practices aimed directly at inflaming public opinion and meant to boost newspaper circulation. The most notorious
promoters of this kind of journalism were the competitors William Randolph Hearst ( The New York Journal) and Joseph
Pulitzer (New York World). These newspapers continually competed against each other, publishing sensational (and
usually exaggerated or untrue) stories to attract readers. Hearst’s infamous note to Frederick Remington in Cuba: “You
furnish the pictures and I’ll furnish the war.”
13. Jingoes/jingoism: American war-hawks who supported an imperialist foreign policy. The terms came from
the expression “by jingo!” (from a popular English music-hall song).
14. The Wilson-Gorman Tariff (1894): The American tariff that helped cause the Cuban Revolution (and
indirectly led to the Spanish-American War). This placed a high tariff on imported sugar so Americans bought less.
Cuba’s economy declined, poverty increased, and so did popular discontent.
15. The battleship USS Maine (February 15, 1898): The American battleship Maine was dispatched to
Havana (Cuba) Harbor by President McKinley to protect American citizens and the large American investment in Cuba
(and to pressure Spain into recognizing Cuban independence). On February 15, the ship exploded and sank killing 266
American sailors. The Hearst and Pulitzer newspapers immediately blamed Spain with the cries “Remember the
Maine…to hell with Spain!” America was now poised for war. (In 1976, an American naval commission report finally
absolved Spain of any wrongdoing. Spain had nothing to do with the explosion).
16. The Causes of the Spanish-American War:
1) Advocates of American imperialism wanted a large, modern navy. If war was created, the President could
push for a larger navy. Plus, America wanted naval bases in Cuba.
2) America wanted to protect her substantial investments in Cuba.
3) Spanish General Weyler’s policy of forcing Cuban rebels and civilians into miserable concentration camps
(where tens of thousands died of disease and starvation).
4) Yellow journalism inflamed American sympathies and desires for action.
5) The de Lome letter. An intercepted letter between the Spanish Ambassador in Washington and a
friend…called President McKinley “a low and spineless politician, catering to the rabble.”
6) The explosion and sinking of the battleship Maine in Havana Harbor.
17. The Hopes to Avoid War: The Spanish government and President McKinley wanted to avoid war. The
Spanish knew they could not defeat the Americans, especially so close to the American coast. On April 9, 1898 President
McKinley received concessions from Spain on every point concerning Cuba. However McKinley asked Congress to declare
war on April 11 because the popular demand for the war was so great, he was afraid his administration and the
Republican Party would be ruined if war wasn’t declared.
18. Commodore Dewey in Manila (April 30, 1898): Acting on instructions from Assistant Secretary of the
Navy Theodore Roosevelt, Commodore Dewey was dispatched from Hong Kong and took the Pacific Fleet into Manila
Harbor under the cover of darkness. At dawn on April 30, just two days after war was declared, Dewey ordered the
bombardment of the surprised Spanish fleet, totally destroying it within a few hours. Only one American died in the
battle (of heat exhaustion).
19. The Rough Riders: When the war broke out, none were more eager to fight than Theodore Roosevelt. He
resigned his position as Assistant Secretary of the Navy and formed the First Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, later called the
Rough Riders. They were a mix of cowboys, college students, and adventurers. As a Colonel, Roosevelt led his men in
a charge up San Juan Hill (Santiago, Cuba) where they were joined by the African American soldiers of the 9 th and 10th
Cavalries. The American Army, Navy, and Marines captured Santiago and destroyed the Spanish fleet in Santiago Bay
two days later. The Spanish army in Cuba then surrendered. For his heroics in the face of enemy fire, Teddy Roosevelt
became an instant media sensation and was asked to be William McKinley’s VP candidate.
20. The Treaty of Paris (1898): The United States and Spain met in Paris in October 1898. The agreed to terms
included:
1) Cuba would be granted independence but Spain would retain the heavy Cuban debt;
2) Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines were ceded to the United States;
3) The U.S. agreed to pay Spain $20 million for the Philippines. The United States now had an overseas empire
(and all the burdens that went with it).
21. The Effects of the War: The “splendid little war” lasted less than four months. Even though nearly 5000
Americans died, only 400 died from combat. The rest died from heat exhaustion, rancid food, poor sanitation, and
disease. The war had far-reaching consequences:
1) The war marked the end of the Spanish Empire in the New World with Cuba gaining independence and the
United States acquiring Puerto Rico.
2) Acquiring the Philippines and Guam gave the United States immediate access to the Orient. The U.S. became
active participants in Asian affairs.
3) America turned away from her long-standing policy of isolationism to become internationally known as a
world power.
4) Military strategists realized the importance of creating a link between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (it
became the Panama Canal) so that the American military could respond quicker.
5) Internally, it helped heal the festering wounds of the Civil War as the North and South pulled together in a
common effort.
6) As Assistant Secretary of the Navy and then President, Teddy Roosevelt pushed for building an American
navy that would rival Britain’s for supremacy.
22. The Philippine Insurrection (1899-1902): The Philippines wanted independence like that granted Cuba,
and Filipinos were outraged when Congress didn’t approve it. Instead of liberating the Philippines, most Filipinos believed
that America merely represented a new master. Under their leader Emilio Aquinaldo, 70,000 Filipino rebels fought a
bloody and brutal war against the Americans until General Funston captured Aquinaldo to end the insurrection. Over
4,000 Americans and 57,000 Filipinos died in this little known war of American imperialism.
23. The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine: Teddy Roosevelt’s policy that essentially made the
United States a police force in international affairs, especially in the Western Hemisphere. This was a major step toward
establishing the United States as a preeminent world power. It would also be used to justify an American military
presence in Central/South America and the Caribbean.