AMERICA AS A WORLD POWER Chapter 22

END OF ISOLATION

Imperialism = building an empire by founding colonies and conquering nations

Isolationism = avoiding involvement in the affairs of other countries By the late 1800s, many Americans believed the U.S. needed to

expand to keep our economy strong and a strong Navy to protect our interests

Imperialism grew between 1870s and 1914 because nations wanted to find sources of raw materials to help industrial growth

SEWARD’S FOLLY

Secretary of State William H. Seward purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million in 1867

Many Americans called this “Seward’s Folly” (mistake) because they thought Alaska was nothing but a frozen wasteland with no resources

Alaska did indeed become a source of fur, timber, minerals, gold, and eventually oil

HAWAII

1875 – treaty allowed American sugar planters to ship sugar to the U.S. from Hawaii without paying a tax (duty-free)

Many American sugar planters became rich in Hawaii Bayonet Constitution (1887) – planters forced Hawaiian king to sign a

constitution at gunpoint; this gave more power to the planter-controlled parliament

In 1891, Queen Liliuokalani proposed a new constitution to return power to the monarchy

1893 – Marines removed Queen Liliuokalani from power 1898 – U.S. annexes Hawaii as a territory

JAPAN

Japan was isolationist in the mid-1800s The U.S. wanted to open Japan’s trade markets in the mid-1800s

because we wanted to be ahead of the Europeans in securing trade agreements with Japan

President Millard Fillmore sent Commodore Matthew Perry to Japan in 1853 to attempt a peaceful alliance – it didn’t work

Perry returned in 1854 with warships to persuade them to open trade with the U.S.

1858 – both countries signed a trade agreement

CHINA

Spheres of Influence = areas of economic and political control set up in China by Russia, Germany, Britain, and France; allowed these countries to control resources in specific areas of China

Open Door Policy = Secretary of State, John Hay, wanted European powers to allow them equal access to China’s millions of consumers

Boxer Rebellion (1900) = Chinese society of Boxers wanted foreigners out of their country so they massacred 300 foreigners and Christian Chinese; U.S. and European military forces defeated the Boxer rebellion

YELLOW JOURNALISM

At first, the American press concealed (hid) the conflict between Spain and Cuba so readers’ sensibilities (feelings, emotions) weren’t hurt

Yellow Journalism = to attract readers, controversial (exaggerated) stories are printed to lead to high profits

Americans felt ready to take action outside of their borders since the U.S. was growing and becoming more powerful

All this contributed to our entry into the Spanish-American War

CAUSES OF THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR

The de Lôme letter - Spanish minister to the U.S. made fun of President McKinley

Sinking of the USS Maine – our battleship was sunk in February 1898 in Havana Harbor, Cuba; no one knows exactly how it was sunk, but the American press blamed Spain

McKinley inspired Americans by telling them to “Remember the Maine!”; he also asked Congress for $50 million to prepare for war

Cubans were rebelling against Spanish rule Congress issued a resolution in April 1898 declaring Cuba independent; this

angered Spain Teller Amendment = U.S. has no interest in controlling Cuba; Spain still

declared war on us

WAR IN THE PHILIPPINES

*Note – this was part of the Spanish-American War Filipinos, like Cubans, rebelled against Spanish rule American Commodore Dewey sailed into Manila Bay, Philippines in

May 1898 and destroyed the Spanish Pacific Fleet In August 1898, American troops supported Filipino rebel leader,

Emilio Aguinaldo Aguinaldo’s forces and Americans took control of Manila

WAR IN THE CARIBBEAN

U.S. soldiers faced many challenges such as yellow fever, other diseases, lack of weapons and ammunition, improper clothing

Rough Riders – Colonel Theodore Roosevelt’s (future President) soldiers who became national heroes after capturing Santiago, San Juan Hill, and Kettle Hill, Cuba

The Rough Riders were volunteers from all walks of life; they were Native Americans, African-Americans, college athletes, cowboys, miners, and ranchers

July 1898 – U.S. invades Puerto Rico and defeats Spanish forces August 12, 1898 – Spain signed a cease-fire agreement; U.S. wins war

UNITED STATES GAINS TERRITORIES

Anti-Imperialist League – group that opposed the creations of an American colonial empire; the group failed

Cuba became independent Spain gave the U.S. Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines for $20

million Platt Amendment – gave U.S. the power to intervene in Cuban

affairs and prevented Cubans from making treaties

PANAMA CANAL

President Theodore Roosevelt had U.S. troops help Panama fight for its independence from Colombia

He encouraged a local uprising against the Colombian government; Panama became independent after a revolt

In 1803, Panama grants the U.S. the ability to build the canal in $10 million 1904 – construction of the Panama Canal begins There were many obstacles, such as the spread of yellow fever and malaria

and the use of dangerous equipment and explosives August 15, 1914 – Panama Canal is officially opened

BENEFITS OF THE PANAMA CANAL

Easier transportation Connected Atlantic and Pacific Oceans Gave us more power and influence in Latin America Better trading and military bases The East Coast of the U.S. benefited the most

ROOSEVELT COROLLARY

President Roosevelt was a strong leader with an aggressive foreign policy

Roosevelt Corollary (December 1904) = an extension of the Monroe Doctrine that warned U.S.-influenced nations that we would get involved if they did not repay their loans

Famous Roosevelt quote – “Speak softly and carry a big stick”; this meant the U.S. promoted peace but would use the military to protect its interests

DOLLAR DIPLOMACY

President William Howard Taft also acted to protect U.S. interests in Latin America

He used dollar diplomacy which meant influencing governments through economic, not military, intervention

He believed in using business rather than force

MEXICAN REVOLUTION

In 1910, many Mexicans revolted against the harsh rule of the dictator Porfirio Diaz

More than 120,000 Mexicans immigrated to the U.S. between 1905 and 1915 to avoid political persecution

Francisco “Pancho” Villa was a rebel leader who killed 17 Americans in New Mexico

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson sent General John J. Pershing and 15,000 soldiers to Mexico in a effort to catch Pancho Villa

Pershing failed to capture him and withdrew his troops A new constitution began to bring order in Mexico in 1917