AMERICAN
IMPERIALISM
UNIT 3
Time to test your memories… 
 How many empires can you name? What was the
“mother country” of those empires?
 Why did these countries build an empire? Why
would a country want one?
 Major empires around 1900?
Key Terms
 Imperialism: Controlling foreign colonies
for a country’s own use
 Manifest Destiny: The belief that
Americans had the divine right to settle
from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific
Oceans
American Stance on Imperialism
 From the Civil War to 1890, America had
little interest in territorial expansion
 America was not particularly fond of other
cultures (remember the Chinese Exclusion
Act, Gentleman’s Agreement,
immigration, ect.)
Rise of Imperialism Worldwide
 By the mid-1890s, a shift had taken place
in American attitudes toward expansion
 Why?
Between 1870 and 1900, the European powers
seized 10 million square miles of territory in
Africa and Asia!
About 150 million people were subjected to
colonial rule
Reasons for American Imperialism
 1. Economic competition among industrial
nations
 2. Political and military competition,
including the creation of a strong naval force
 3. A belief in the racial and cultural
superiority of people of Anglo-Saxon (white
English descent)
Economics
 In the United States, a growing number of policy
makers, bankers, manufacturers, and trade
unions grew fearful that the country might be
closed out in the struggle for global markets and
raw materials.
 By the 1890s, the American economy was
increasingly dependent on foreign trade.
 A quarter of the nation's farm products and half its
petroleum were sold overseas
Sea Power
 Alfred Thayer Mahan, a naval strategist
and the author of The Influence of Sea
Power Upon History, argued that national
prosperity and power depended on
control of the world's sea-lanes.
"Whoever rules the waves rules the world”
Racial Superiority
 A belief that the world's nations were engaged in a
Darwinian struggle for survival and that countries
that failed to compete were doomed to decline also
contributed to a new assertiveness on the part of
the United States!
Racial Superiority
 During the late 19th
century, the idea that
the United States had
a special mission to
uplift "backward"
people around the
world also
commanded growing
support
War!!! Almost…
 During the late
1880s, American
foreign policy
makers began to
display a new
assertiveness. The
United States came
close to declaring
war on Germany,
Chile, and Great
Britain.
Building an Empire
 Where can America build an empire?
 Caribbean
 Hawaii
 Pacific Islands
Latin America Fights For Independence
American and Hawaii
 In 1893, a small group of sugar
and pineapple-growing
businessmen, backed by the
U.S. military, deposed Hawaii's
queen
 Seized 1.75 million acres of
land, and conspired for U.S.
annexation of the islands,
which was achieved in 1898
 Hawaii became a state in 1959
War Breaks Out
 Spain was willing to compromise with the US to avoid
war
 American public opinion pushed for war
 “Remember the Maine!”
 April 11, 1898 McKinley asks Congress for permission to
go to war
 After a week of debate Congress agrees
 April 20, 1898 the US officially declares war on Spain
Spanish-American-Cuban War
 The Army was not ready to fight a land war  the Navy was
ready!
 Roosevelt had ordered a fleet to the Philippines in February in case
war broke out with Spain
 The first battle occurred in Manila Bay (Philippines)
The Philippines
 George Dewey (American naval commander) destroyed the
Spanish fleet
 Spain lost 381 men, the US 1 man (from heat exhaustion)
 The US landed on the Philippine Islands and joined with
Filipino forces to kick out the Spanish
 11,000 Americans fight along side the Filipino forces for two
months
 August 1898, the Spanish surrender to the Americans (not the
Philippines)
The War in Cuba
 Admiral Sampson sets up a naval blockade
 Seals off the Spanish fleet in the Santiago harbor
 US Army is finally ready to invade on land
 Volunteer soldiers  untrained with inadequate equipment
and supplies
American Naval Blockade
Rough Riders
 June 1898  US forces land in Cuba & go after Santiago (port
city)
 The Rough Riders regiment was lead by Teddy Roosevelt and
Leonard Wood
 First volunteer group for the war
 Mostly came from the Southwest US, very diverse group of men
The Rough Riders
Major Battles in the War
 July 1st 1898  near Santiago
 Part 1: Occurred on Kettle Hill
 An uphill charge
 Led by the Rough Riders and two African American
regiments
 Victory lead the way for an infantry attack
 Part 2: San Juan Hill
 Allows the US troops to push towards Santiago
Surrounding Santiago
 US troops surround Santiago
 Small, minor battles occur but the Spanish are put down
 Two days (July 3rd) later the Spanish try to escape the naval
blockade
 Naval battle ensues and the Spanish fleet is destroyed
Santiago Surrenders
 July 17, 1898 Santiago surrenders
 July 25, 1898 the US invades Puerto Rico
“A splendid little war”
 United States and Spain signed an armistice on
August 12, 1898
 The fighting had lasted 16 weeks
 300,000 Americans served  5,400 died (379
from battle, the rest from disease or other
causes)
America’s Acquisitions
 December 10, 1898 the United States and Spain
agreed:
 Cuba would become independent
 Spain would give the U.S. Puerto Rico and Guam
 U.S. would pay Spain $20 million for the
annexation of the Philippine Islands
 Ratified by the Senate February 6, 1899
Mixed Feelings! The Debate over the
Philippines
 The issue of imperialism was at the core of the debate:
 McKinley said: “That there was nothing left for us to do but
to take them all, and educate the Filipinos, and uplift and
Christianize them”
 Uhhhhh, the Filipinos had been Christians for centuries…
 What does this tell you about McKinley’s views on
imperialism??
Debate over the Philippines
 Some felt it violated the Declaration of
Independence  denied self-governance to
new territories
 Booker T. Washington  felt we should focus on
race relations at home first before we tackled
social problems elsewhere
 Samuel Gompers (labor leader)  feared
Filipino immigrants would take jobs
Acquiring New Lands
 Anti-imperialists feared the US was becoming
an empire  and the US was!
 What lands did the US now have control over?
U.S. in Puerto Rico
 Americans and Puerto Ricans were split over what to do
with Puerto Rico
 Puerto Ricans were not particularly fond of U.S.
governance  American rule was militaristic and
treated the Puerto Ricans as inferior
 Puerto Ricans wanted to decide their fate, but the U.S.
had other ideas
 Puerto Rico was importance for U.S. Caribbean presence
 Protection for potential Panama Canal
Foraker Act
 Congress passes the Foraker Act (1900)
 Denies U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans
 Gives the U.S. president control over Puerto Rico
 He appoints a governor and members of the upper house
(Puerto Ricans can only elect members to the lower house)
 Insular Cases  1901 U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the
Constitution did not automatically apply to people in U.S.
territories
 Congress could extend that right if they wanted to
U.S. and Cuba
 1898 war resolution against Spain included the Teller
Amendment  said the U.S. did not intend to annex or
control Cuba
 However…four years after the war the U.S. Army controlled
Cuba
 U.S. troops didn’t leave
 Military governor Leonard Wood (remember him?) built schools,
sets finances, and keeps peace while Cuba writes a constitution
 Helped the Cuban poor  provided food and clothing, medical
assistance, sanitation, ect.
Platt Amendment
 1900  Cuban constitution is written but does not specify
the relationship between U.S. and Cuba
 1901  U.S. refuses to leave Cuba unless they accept the
Platt Amendment
 The Cuban people protested, however, in 1903 the Platt
Amendment was accepted as a treaty between the U.S. and
Cuba
 Cuba became a protectorate  a country who’s affairs are
partially controlled by a stronger power/country
Platt Amendment
 Cuba can not make treaties that might limit its independence
or permit a foreign power to control any part of its territory
 U.S. reserved the right to intervene in Cuba to preserve
independence and maintain order
 Cuba was not to go into debt (that Cuba couldn’t pay off with
current revenue)
 U.S. could buy or lease land on the island for naval and
coaling stations (Guantanamo Bay)
U.S. and the Philippines
 Filipinos rebelled when the U.S. annexed the
Philippine Islands  they wanted independence
 Emilio Aguinaldo led the rebels  believed the
U.S. had betrayed the Filipino people
 January 1899 Aguinaldo declared the
Philippines independent and drafted a
constitution
Philippine-American War
 Emilio Aguinaldo turned to guerilla warfare
 U.S. forced Filipinos to live in designated zones
 Poor sanitation, filth, starvation  killed thousands
 Again, U.S. soldiers saw the Filipinos as inferior
 Many African American soldiers defected to the Filipino side 
didn’t want to support white racial superiority
 War lasted 3 years and cost $400 million
P-A War Aftermath
 U.S. suppressed the rebellion in 1902
 American control:
 U.S. president would appoint a governor
 Governor would appoint the legislative upper house
 Filipinos would elect the lower house
 U.S. rule did improve schools, education, hospitals, sanitation
 1946  The Philippines become independent
China and the Open Door Policy
 America was not interested in colonies on the Asian
mainland
 But they do want trade!  Big market for American
products
 China is weak  “sick man of Asia”
 European powers and Japan are demanding trading
rights
 The U.S. wants in too!
John Hay and the Open Door Notes
 U.S. did not want colonies in China but did want
to trade
 Great market for American goods
 Gateway to the rest of Asia
 China is weak  result of:
 War
 Foreign intervention
John Hay and ODN
 America had access
to China due to
previous treaties
 But, European
powers and Japan
have land holdings
in China!  U.S.
fears a war and
China losing their
land (and the U.S.
will lose trade)
Open Door Notes
 John Hay sent policy statements to Great Britain,
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Russia
 U.S. called for open access to China’s coastal ports,
elimination of special privileges, maintenance of
China’s independence
 Why would the U.S. want this??
Boxer Rebellion
 Chinese secret society  “the Boxers”
 Wanted all foreign influence out of China
 Killed missionaries, foreigners, Chinese Christian converts
 August 1900 Britain, France, Germany, Japan, and U.S. join
together and march to the Chinese capital, Beijing
 Want to put down the Boxer Rebellion
 Lasted for two months
 Thousands of Chinese died
Open Door Notes, Part 2
 Announced that the U.S. would “safeguard for the world the
principle of equal and impartial trade with all parts of the Chinese
Empire”
 Reflected three deeply held American beliefs about it’s industrial
capitalist society:
 Growth of U.S. economy depended on exports
 Felt the U.S. had a right to intervene abroad to keep foreign markets
open
 Feared the closing of an area to American products, citizens, or ideas
threatened U.S. survival