American
Imperialism
Chapter 22
Why did the United
States join the
imperialist club at the
th
end of the 19 century?
The Imperialist Tailor
Commercial Interests
U.S. Foreign Investments
Strategic/Military Interests
Alfred Thayer Mahan – The Influence of Sea Power on History
Social Darwinism
The White Man’s Burden
The Hierarchy of Race
Religious/Missionary Interests
American Missionaries in China,
1905
Closing the American Frontier
Commodore Matthew Perry
Opens Up Japan: 1853
Alaska: 1867
Seward’s Folly
O Seward’s Icebox
O 7.2 million
O Purchased from
Russia
O
Seward’s Icebox
Hawaii
Hawaii becomes a U.S. Protectorate in 1849 by virtue of
economic treaties.
Strategic Location for Trade &
Defense of the U.S.
U.S. Business Interests in
Hawaii
O 1875 – Reciprocity
Treaty
O U.S. gains use of
land (Pearl Harbor)
O Trade Agreement –
starts trade with
Hawaii
O Led to U.S.
investments in sugar
plantations
The Showdown Between the
Businessmen & the Queen
O 1890 McKinley Tariff – large increase in
tariff made it so that Hawaiian sugar
importers were losing business to those who
could sell sugar cheaper.
O 1893 – American businessmen backed an
uprising against Queen Liliuokalani
O Marines storm the island without
presidential orders – backing the
businessmen led by Sanford B. Dole
O The Queen is put under house arrest
President of Hawaii
O Sanford Dole
proclaims himself
president of the
Republic of Hawaii
O President Grover
Cleveland opposes
annexing Hawaii
O American public &
businessmen push
for annexation
Cuban Revolt: Cuba Tries to
gain independence from Spain
Leads to the Spanish-American War
Spanish Misrule in Cuba
Valeriano Weyler’s
“Reconcentration” Policy
Yellow Journalism
William Randolph Hearst & Joseph Pulitzer
Hearst to Frederick Remington – “You furnish the
pictures, and I’ll furnish the war!”
Jingoism
O Extreme patriotism – “chauvinistic
patriotism”
O Extreme nationalism
O Characterized by an aggressive or
belligerent foreign policy
O Often associated with Teddy Roosevelt
The Rough Riders
“Remember the Maine & To
Hell with Spain”
The U.S.S. Maine explodes in
Havana Harbor
Funeral Procession for those killed
In the explosion of the U.S.S. Maine
The Spanish-American War
“A Splendid Little War”
O April – July 1898
O Ended with Treaty of Paris, 1898 – yes,
another Treaty of Paris!
O Two major areas of conflict
O The Caribbean
O The Philippines
Cuba & Puerto Rico
The Philippines
Spanish fleet was sunk in Manila Bay in just a few hours and with
no American casualties. Spain: 381 killed or wounded & 6 ships lost
Instant Hero!
The Philippines
O The Filipino people
hope to gain their
independence
O The U.S. has other
ideas
Emilio Aguinaldo & the
Philippine Insurrection
O Fighting continues in
the Philippines until
1901 when
Aguinaldo is arrested
O Philippines will be
granted
independence on
July 4, 1946!
Treaty of Paris 1898
O Cuba gains independence from Spain**
O U.S. takes over Puerto Rico & Guam
O U.S. pays Spain $20 million for Philippines
O U.S. becomes an imperial power!
O **U.S. puts a number of restrictions on
Cuba
O Teller Amendment (1898)
O Platt Amendment (1903)
Independent? Cuba
O Teller Amendment
(1898)
O U.S. would not
annex Cuba but…
O the U.S. could leave
troops there to help
the Cubans
transition to
independence
O Platt Amendment
(1902) – U.S.
withdraws troops but…
O Cuba must lease
Guantanamo Bay to
the U.S. for a naval
station
O U.S. reserves right to
intervene in Cuba
O limited Cuba’s right to
make agreements with
other countries
Puerto Rico
O 1900 Foraker Act
O P.R. became in “unincorporated territory” of
the U.S.
O Puerto Rican citizens, not U.S. citizens
O Imports duties (tariffs) apply to goods
O 1901-1903 Insular Cases
O Constitutional rights were not automatically
applied to territories
O Congress would decide the rights of
territories and their citizens
Puerto Rico
O 1917 Jones Act
O Full territorial status
O Citizens elect their own legislature and
governor & run their own court system
O Citizens could not vote for U.S. president
O Tariff was removed
China
American racism is fueled by Chinese immigration from 1850 forward
Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) banned Chinese immigration for 10 years.
Renewed in 1892 and made permanent in 1902. Repealed in 1943.
Open Door Policy
O Sec. of State John
Hay
O Gives all nations
equal access to
trade in China
O Guaranteed no
nation would take
control of China
China – Open Door Policy
Open Door Policy Cartoons
Treaty of Portsmouth
O Teddy Roosevelt
wins Nobel Peace
Prize for negotiating
an end to the RussoJapanese War
O 1905
Japanese in America
O Primarily on West Coast
O Faced discrimination
similarly to the Chinese
O Japan tried to limit
immigration by denying
passports to the U.S. but
workers went to Canada
& then to the U.S.
O San Francisco School
Board proposes
segregating schools for
Asian students
O Gentleman’s
Agreement (1908)
O Japan will continue to
refuse passports to the
U.S. for laborers
O Japan recognizes U.S.
right to deny entry to
Japanese coming from
other countries
O San Francisco will not
segregate Asians in
their schools
Root-Takihara Agreement
O TR’s Noble Peace Prize irritates Japan who
wanted reparations from the RussoJapanese War
O U.S. & Japan are clashing in Asia – this
eased tensions
O U.S. recognized Japan’s annexing of Korea
and dominance over Manchuria
O Japan would not interfere with the U.S.
presence in the Philippines
U.S. Power in the World
U.S. in the Pacific
America’s New Role
Constable of the World