Chapter 7 (Appleby 260-285)
Becoming a World Power
Today’s Agenda• 7.1 slide show• Teddy Roosevelt PresentationHomework• Test Thursday on Progressive Era
Define Imperialism. •Economic and political domination of a strong nation over a weaker nation
British Empire
What were the causes of American Imperialism?• Social Darwinism
– Belief in superiority of White Races– Believed nations were in competition &
that the strongest survived• Military bases
– Alfred T. Mahan’s The Influence of Sea Power upon History
• Said that nations must build strong navies & have bases or risk being destroyed by others
• Overseas Markets– Believed that nation needed overseas
markets to sell industrialized products– High tariffs shut off European markets
Take up the White Man's burden--
Send forth the best ye breed--
Go bind your sons to exileTo serve your captives'
need;To wait in heavy harness,
On fluttered folk and wild--Your new-caught, sullen
peoples,Half-devil and half-child
Rudyard Kipling
• Spanish Atrocities– Spanish Gen. Weyler put 300 thousand
Cubans in concentration camps• American Investments in Cuba
– 100 million in yearly trade• Yellow Journalism
– US Press used emotional & dramatic stories to exaggerate Spanish atrocities in order to sell papers
• USS Maine (2/1898) – US ship exploded near Cuba
• Resulted in America acquiring territory (Imperialism) (Philippines, Puerto Rico)
What were the causes of the Spanish American War?
What was the “Big Stick” policy?• TR’s foreign policy• “Speak softly and carry
a big stick”– Don’t brag about power,
show it• Sent Great White
Fleet around world• Made America a world
power
How can the US navy get more powerful?
Begin at 7:00
Panama Canal Presentation
What is the significance of the Panama Canal?• Greatly reduced travel
time • Shrunk distance between
NY and San Francisco from 13 thousand to 5 thousand miles– Cut traveling time by
60 days• Save millions $$• Allow US to protect both
coasts• Announced US power to
world• Major Engineering
marvel
Suez Canal Panamanian Jungle
Describe TR’s methods of getting the right to build the Canal.
• Shady• TR tried to buy rights to construct
canal from Columbia– Hay-Herran Treaty (1903)
• Offered $10 million, $250 thousand annually for “rent”
• Columbia declined• Panamanian revolution
– Rebels declared independence from Columbia
• TR supports Rebels• Panama agreed to US deal
How did the Canal work?
Panama Canal
What was the Roosevelt Corollary?• Expanded Monroe Doctrine
(MD) with military force– Monroe Doctrine had
warned European powers not to acquire any more colonies in western hemisphere
• Dominican Republic– Owed Germany $ and
threatened to send troops• TR seized island and had debt
paid• Made US policeman of
western hemisphere
What impact did this new foreign policy have on America?
• Made it a world player
• “Entangled” US into European affairs