Imperialism and the Emergence

of the U.S. as a World Power 1872-1900

What is Imperialism?

Imperialism is the economic and political domination of a strong country over a weaker one

Different ways they can take over:

◦ Colony – complete control of the new territory

◦ Protectorate – where the stronger country allows the local rulers to stay in power but helps “protect” against uprisings/rebellions

◦ Annexation – to take and add something

Early U.S. Imperialism

After Reconstruction – people in the U.S. wanted to see the U.S. become a world power and have more influence

People wanted this for many reasons: 5 D’s of imperialism

◦ Dollars

◦ Diplomacy

◦ Democracy

◦ Destiny (Manifest)

◦ Darwinism (Social)

Dollars – Need for Foreign Markets

and Trading Partners

Diplomacy

Social Darwinsim - White Man’s

Burden

Social Darwinism - White Man’s

Burden

Destiny (Manifest)

Democracy

Expansion of the U.S. – Alaska

Manifest Destiny is “complete” after War

with Mexico in the 1850s

BUT – Sec. of State William Seward buys

Alaska from Russia for $7.2 Million

◦ People thought this was a huge mistake

U.S. Strategic Military Interests

“Seward’s Folly”: 1867

$7.2 million

“Seward’s Icebox”: 1867

Hawaii – Crossroads of the Pacific

1890 – McKinley Tariff – eliminates

all taxes on sugar

1893 – American businessmen

backed an uprising against Queen

Liliuokalani.

U.S. waits until McKinley is

President and then Annexes Hawaii

U. S. View of Hawaiians

Hawaii becomes a U. S. Protectorate in 1849

by of economic treaties.

Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani

Latin America

Wanted to expand

market for

American Goods

Pan- Americansim

– Ideas that

American nations

can work together

to support peace

and increase trade

Building a Modern Navy

Needed to modernize to help protect foreign interests

People were more willing to go to war to protect interests

U.S. needed to build up Navy and bases around the world to be powerful

Alfred Mahan – Taught at Naval War College in R.I. Put these ideas in a book

Henry Cabot Lodge and Alfred Beveridge also supported this

Americans Support Cubans

At the start of the war President Grover

Cleveland declared the U.S. to be a

neutral country

Despite neutrality most Americans

remained supportive of the Cuban rebels

Yellow Journalism Drums Up Support for

the War

Dramatic stories that

appeared in the nation’s

two most popular

newspapers generated

passionate support of

Cuban rebels

New York World

◦ Joseph Pulitzer

New York Journal

◦ William Randolph Hearst

“Remember the Maine”

Explosion of War

In 1897 William McKinley became President of the U.S. ◦ McKinley wanted to maintain a neutral

position ◦ September 1897 McKinley asks to mediate ◦ Spain offers limited independence to Cuba ◦ February 1898 Spanish loyalists riot in Havana ◦ McKinley orders the battleship Maine to

Havana ◦ Shortly after a letter from a Spanish diplomat

is intercepted and printed In the letter from the Spanish diplomat President McKinley is described as a “weak” leader

◦ …and then the Maine burst into flames!!!!

A Two Front War In the Pacific the U.S. Navy lead by Commodore George Dewey

launches an attack that destroys the Spanish fleet located in Manila Bay in the Philippines.

The Army then sends 20,000 troops to the Philippines to secure the islands. In addition they also take over the island of Guam which was another Spanish colony.

In June of 1898 the U.S. Army launches its campaign to control Santiago Harbor in Cuba.

On August 12, 1898 Spain and the U.S. agree to a cease-fire.

The “Rough Riders”

◦ All volunteer unit lead by Colonel Leonard Wood and Theodore Roosevelt

◦ Achieved fame for their assault on San Juan Heights

◦ Makes Roosevelt a national war hero

Treaty of Paris

Cuba became an independent nation

The U.S. acquired Puerto Rico and Guam

from Spain

Spain received $20 million for the

Philippines from the U.S.

Post War Cuba

Despite granting Cuba recognition as an

independent nation the U.S. established a

military government in Cuba following the

war

The Platt Amendment was then included

in the Cuban Constitution to ensure that

Cuba would remain tied to the U.S.

The Platt Amendment 1. Cuba could not make a treaty with another nation

that would weaken its power or allow another foreign nation to gain territory in Cuba

2. Cuba had to allow the U.S. to buy or lease naval stations in Cuba

3. Cuba’s debts had to be kept low to prevent foreign countries from landing troops to enforce payment

4. The U.S. would have the right to intervene to protect Cuban independence and keep order

Problems in the Philippines

The U.S. had difficulty controlling their new colony the Philippines

Emilio Aguinaldo a Filipino revolutionary lead an attack against American soldiers stationed in the Philippines

William Howard Taft introduces reforms in education, transportation, and health care in an attempt to win over the Filipino people

By April 1902 all Filipino resistance to U.S. rule had stopped

The Foraker Act

In 1900 Congress passed this law making Puerto Rico an unincorporated territory

Puerto Ricans are gradually allowed some degree of self-government

In 1917 Puerto Ricans were made official U.S. citizens

“That damned cowboy is president of

the United States” Theodore “Teddy”

Roosevelt becomes President after the assassination of William McKinley

Roosevelt was an active man who preached about the necessity of living the strenuous life

Roosevelt believed that the U.S. had a duty to shape the “less civilized” parts of the world

American Diplomacy in Asia

Many different industrialized nations were

competing for trading privileges with China

Many different industrialized nations had forced a

weaker China into leasing territory to them

◦ These leased territories became the center of a

sphere of influence An area where a foreign nation controlled economic development

such as railroad and mining

Influences decisions

The Open Door Policy

President McKinley and Secretary of State John

Hay believed that all countries should be

allowed to trade with China

Hay sent letters to the leaders of all countries

with leaseholds in China asking them to keep

ports open to all nations, this policy is known as

the Open Door Policy

Teddy Roosevelt Wins the Nobel Peace

Prize In 1906 Teddy Roosevelt received the Nobel

Peace prize for his efforts in ending the Russo-Japanese War

After the peace treaty was reached relations between the Japanese and U.S. grew tense

Tensions increased between the two nations after Teddy Roosevelt ordered the “Great White Fleet” to sail around the world

A Growing Presence in the Caribbean

Hay-Pauncefote Treaty

◦ Signed by the U.S. and Great Britain

◦ Gave the U.S. exclusive rights to build and

control any proposed canal though Central

America

The Panama Canal

A French company had begun building a canal through Panama

In 1903 Panama was part of Columbia, which refused to allow the U.S. to buy the land necessary to build the canal

Panamanians declare their independence from Columbia and make a deal with the U.S.

Significance of the Panama Canal

1. Made shipping goods from to the Pacific

much easier

2. In times of War made mobilizing troops

dramatically easier especially during

WWI, WWII, the Korean War, and the

Vietnam War

The Roosevelt Corollary to the

Monroe Doctrine

In 1904 the Roosevelt Corollary stated that the

U.S. would intervene in Latin American affairs

when necessary to maintain economic and

political stability in the Western Hemisphere

How do you think Latin American nations felt

about America’s growing influence?

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