American Imperialism

From Isolationism

to Internationali

sm

American Emergence as a World Power

End of 19th Century American Businessmen believed

there were two things to be gained from international trade– Huge Profits for corporations– Economic Prosperity for the US

Isolationism

A policy of avoiding involvement in world affairs

Based on George Washington’s farewell address (1796)– “It is our true policy to steer clear of

permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world”

– This set a precedent for isolationist policy

And then….The Monroe Doctrine

1820s modified it’s commitment to isolationism – Monroe Doctrine– Warned against new

European colonization in the Americas

– Declared the US the protector of the entire Western hemisphere

But Even though we expanded our foreign

policy with the Monroe Doctrine, Isolationism remained the basis of foreign policy until the end of the 19th century

As the nation industrialized, American businessmen and politicians looked more and more at foreign markets as a source of profits.

Age of American Imperialism

Imperialism - The act of one nation gaining political or economic control over another

Age of Imperialism – end of the late 19th century and early 20th century

During this period, the United States gained control over Hawaii, the Philippines, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

Why Imperialism

Economic ImperialismOpen Door Policy

1899 - President William McKinley and Secretary of State John Hay

All nations should have equal trading rights in China and no single nation would dominate

Other countries already had settlements and “spheres of influence” which US feared would shut out trade

Foreign Influence in China

Economic ImperialismOpen Door Policy –

Why?1) Americans believed health of US

economy depended on exports2) US had the right to intervene to

keep foreign markets open3) Feared that closing an area to

American trade threatened US products, citizens and ideas – which threatened American survival

Economic ImperialismDollar Diplomacy

Developed by William H. Taft1)Encouraged American banks

and corporations to invest in Latin America (includes both Central and South America)

2)Promised the US would intervene if local unrest threatened business investments.

Political Imperialism Three major examples of political

imperialism during the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century– Annexation of Hawaii– Acquisition of the Philippines &

Puerto Rico– American Involvement in the

Panama Canal

Political Imperialism Annexation of Hawaii

Since 1790s merchants had stopped their on their way to China and East India

1820s ~ Yankee missionaries founded Christian schools and churches on the islands

Their children & grandchildren established sugar plantations & sold their crop to the U.S. and would control 75% of the wealth of the islands

1867 ~ U.S. took over Midway Islands (1300 miles north of Hawaii)

Hawaii

1887 ~ pressured Hawaii to allow the U.S. to

build a naval base at Pearl Harbor

End of a Monarchy

1887 ~ King Kalakaua

was forced to amend

Hawaii’s constitution,

limiting voting rights to

only wealthy landowners

1891 ~ King Kalakaua

died and Liliuokalani,

his sister became queen

End of a Monarchy Queen Lil proposed removing the

property-owning qualification for voting

To stop what she was trying to do, a revolution was organized upon the insistence of Ambassador John L. Stevens

Marines help to overthrow the Queen and government set up a government led by Sanford Dole

Hawaii Declared a territory in 1898 – 50th state in 1959

About Alaska

William H. Seward, Secretary of State under Lincoln and Johnson acquired Alaska for $7.2 million from Russia (about 2 cents an acre)

Often called “Seward’s Folly” because people thought it was silly to buy the territory

In 1959, Alaska became a state and America acquired a land rich in timber, minerals (gold), & oil

Seward’s Folly

Seward’s Folly

Spanish American War 1898 ~ U.S. went to war to help

Cuba win its independence from Spain

U.S. involvement in Latin American and Asia increased greatly as a result of the war and continues today

Cuba Rebels Against Spain

Spain ~ losing most of its colonies by the end of the 19th century

Spain’s colonies– Philippines– Guam– Some outposts in Africa– Cuba– Puerto Rico

The U.S.S. Maine Explodes

1898 ~ McKinley ordered the U.S.S. Maine to Cuba to bring home American citizens in danger from the fighting and to protect Americans property

February 15, 1898 ~ the ship exploded in Havana harbor killing more than 260 men

Not really known why the ship exploded 1898 ~ American newspapers claimed the

Spanish had blown up the ship $50,000 dollars offered for the capture of

the Spaniards who blew up the ship

The U.S.S. Maine Explodes

The U.S.S. Maine Explodes

War with Spain Erupts “Remember the Maine” became the

rallying cry for U.S. intervention in Cuba

April 11, 1898 ~ McKinley asked Congress for the authority to use force against Spain

April 20, 1898 ~ Congress agreed and the U.S. declared war on Spain

The War in the Philippines

Spanish believed the U.S. would invade Cuba - but U.S. chose to fight in the Philippines first

April 30th ~ Commodore George Dewey steamed into the harbor - May 1st ~ gave command to open fire on the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay

Quick victory for the US

The War in the Philippines

Dewey had the support of the Filipinos who also wanted freedom from Spain

Over next 2 months ~ 11,000 Americans joined forces with Filipino rebels led by Emilio Aguinaldo

August 1898 ~ Spanish troops surrendered to U.S. forces

The Caribbean Rough Riders

June 1898 ~ American forces land in Cuba heading towards Santiago (de Cuba)

Army ~ 17,000 men including 4 African-American regiments

Rough Riders ~ volunteer cavalry under the command of Leonard Wood and Theodore Roosevelt

July 1st ~ Rough Riders and 2 African-American regiments charge up Kettle Hill

Victory cleared the way for infantry to attack San Juan Hill

Rough Riders July 3rd ~ Spanish fleet tries to escape Naval battle occurs and ends in the

destruction of the Spanish fleet July 25th ~ America invades Puerto Rico

Rough Riders

Treaty of Paris August 12th ~ U.S. and Spain sign an

armistice December 10th ~ U.S. and Spain met in

Paris to agree on a treaty Spain turned over Cuba, Guam and

Puerto Rico to the U.S. U.S. bought the Philippines for $20

million

Platt Amendment 1900 ~ Cuba wrote a constitution for an

independent government Constitution did not specify the

relationship between the U.S. and Cuba 1901 ~ U.S. insisted on the Platt

Amendment– Cuba could not make treaties that would limit

its independence or permit a foreign power to take control of any part of its territory

– U.S. reserved the right to intervene in Cuba– Cuba was not to go into debt– U.S. could buy or lease land on the island for

naval stations and refueling stations

Platt Amendment

U.S. refused to withdraw its troops without the passage of the Platt Amendment

Cubans were outraged by the amendment and protested but the U.S. stood firm

1903 ~ Platt Amendment was ratified and remained in effect for 31 years

Cuba became a U.S. protectorate

Panama Canal November 18, 1903 ~ U.S. and

Panama signed a treaty negotiated by Theodore Roosevelt– U.S. would pay Panama $10 million plus an

annual rent of $250,000 for an area across Panama ~ the Canal Zone

– Payment began in 1913

Canal ranks as one of the world’s greatest engineering feats

Builders fought diseases, and soft volcanic soil

Panama Canal

Panama Canal

Panama Canal 1913 ~ height of construction

– 43,400 workers – ¾ were blacks from the British West Indies– 5,600 workers died from accidents or

disease– Total cost to U.S. ~ $380 million

August 15, 1914 ~ canal open for business– 1,000 merchant ships passed through the

1st year

The Roosevelt Corollary Late 19th century Latin American

nations borrowing huge sums of money from European banks

U.S. feared if they defaulted that Europeans would intervene

Roosevelt wanted U.S. to be the dominant power in the Caribbean and Central America

The Roosevelt Corollary

The Roosevelt Corollary December 1904 ~ Roosevelt Corollary

was added to the Monroe Doctrine Warned that disorder in Latin American

might “force the United States … to the exercise of an international police power”

U.S. would not use force to protects its economic interest in Latin America

This was consistent with Theodore Roosevelt's foreign policy “Speak softly and carry a big stick” ~ African proverb