“Imperialism”
Chapter 9, Section 1
Imperialism
“Quest for colonial empires”
Desire for power and world prestige
For economic advantage
Spread political beliefs
Industrialism
Workers + efficient machines + raw materials =
produced more than could be consumed at
home
Industrialism
• Turned to Africa, Asia, and Latin America for
customers and more raw materials
• Railroad, telegraph, and the steamship
allowed for an increase in product markets
farther from home
Imperialism
• Interested in also spreading Christian beliefs
• At times, this went hand-in-hand with racial
superiority:
“Our Country” by Josiah Strong
(Protestant Miniser)
“God, with infinite wisdom and skill, is training
the Ango-Saxon (people of English ancestry) for
an hour sure to come in the world’s
future…Then this race, the representative, let us
hope, of the largest liberty, the purest
Christianity, the highest civilization…will spread
itself over the earth.”
The Quest for Empire was:
• Strategic
• Economic
• Cultural/Religious
1876-1915
• African, Asian, and Latin American nations fell
under control of a handful of industrialized
nations (ex. France, Great Britain, Belgium,
U.S., etc.)
Great Britain
• Leading industrial power
• “Sun never sets on the British Empire”
Samoa
• The desire for Naval bases and fueling stations
(rather than culture) led the U.S., Great
Britain, and Germany to square off
Samoans realize this put them in
danger…
• A Samoan government official warned:
“Be kind and don’t start a war in Samoa,
because if you do the Three Powers [Britain,
Germany, and the U.S.] will take over the
conduct of the country and your orators and
Chiefs and things that you have been
accustomed to will be of no further use.”
March 1889
• 7 warships (1 British; 3 German; 3 American)
• Faceoff in the South Pacific Harbor (by Samoa)
• Before a shot is fired, a typhoon destroys all but
the British ship
A Year Later…
• Samoans surrendered their government
• U.S. controlled East Samoa
• Germany controlled West Samoa
• Today: West is independent, East is a U.S.
territory
Cuba
• 90 miles from the Florida keys
• Testing ground for US imperialism
• Cuba + Puerto Rico were the last of the Spanish
colonies in America
Cuba
• Since 1868, Cuba had launched a series of unsuccessful revolts
against Spanish rule
• Spain exiled rebellion leaders—many who came to the US (one
wrote for a NY newspaper calling for Cuban independence)
Cuba
• Another revolt was unleashed in 1896
• Within days, thousands of farmers were put into concentration
camps to prevent them from supplying the rebels
• Over 2 years, about 200,000 Cubans died from starvation and
disease
William Randolf Hearst
• American journalist (wrote for
the “Journal”)
• He, and others, named General
Weyler (responsible for the
concentration camps) “the
Butcher”
• Newspapers began avidly
reporting the actions of the
Spanish in Cuba…
Yellow Journalism
• NY newspapers began outdoing each other in publicizing
Spanish atrocities—often sensationalizing events/acts
• This grandiose journalism is called “yellow journalism”
(after a comic strip)
Frederic Remington
• Hearst sent Remington (an
artist) to Cuba to send back
drawings that documented
Spanish Cruelty
• Hearst wanted to horrify
and scare Americans into
buying his paper and into a
war against Spain
Yellow Journalism
Remington: “EVERYTING IS QUIET.
THERE IS NO TROUBLE HERE. THERE
WILL BE NO WAR. WISH TO RETURN.”
Hearst: “PLEASE REMAIN. YOU
FURNISH THE PICTURES AND I’LL
FURNISH THE WAR.”
War?
• U.S. horror at Spanish atrocities + threats to
U.S. investments in Cuba was convincing for
them to help Cuban rebels
President William McKinley
• Veteran of the Civil War
• Faced increasing “war
fever” from Americans
• Struggled to remain
neutral
• Did not want to commit
American troops for fear
of casualties
Turning Points
1. Hearst’s “Journal” printed a letter
by Spain’s minister which was
intercepted by a Cuban spy and
sold to Hearst
The letter ridiculed President
McKinley as“weak” and afraid of the
American crowd
Americans were outraged and
insulted
Turning Points
2. American battleship MAINE (sent to protect US
lives/property) blew up killing 260 sailors
“DESTRUCTION OF THE WAR SHIP MAINE WAS THE WORK
OF AN ENEMY!” (headline of Hearst’s “Journal”)
Too late…
• Later, it was discovered that a fire in a coal bin
had probably caused the explosion
• But, that did not matter. Americans blamed
Spain and began chanting “Remember the
Maine! To hell with Spain!”
Too late
• Spain tried to calm tensions by agreeing to
U.S. proposed peace plan
• But, McKinley (under public pressure) asked
Congress to intervene in Cuba “in the name of
humanity, in the name of civilization, and in
behalf of endangered American interests.”
Teller Amendment
• “The United States claimed no sovereignty jurisdiction, or
control” over Cuba
• Congress recognized Cuban independence and voted to use
military force to help Cuba get it
• US promised to leave Cuba to self-government after the
war
Spanish-American War: Philippines
• First battles fought in the Philippine Islands
• Commodore George Dewey was ordered to keep
the Navy’s fleet ready to take action in the
Phillipines
• May 1, 1898: (2 weeks after war declared)
Dewey’s fleet easily defeated the small Spanish
fleet guarding the Philippine city of Manila
Spanish-American War: Philippines
• Dewey + US soldiers + rebel army of Filipino
patriots (who had been fighting Spanish for 2
years)
• Attacked and captured Manila
• Spanish forces surrendered on August 14th,
1898
Spanish-American War: Cuba
• Victory in Cuba would not come as easily
• US sent only 28,000 soldiers (unprepared for
land battles)
• Volunteers raced to join, but could not be
trained and fitted in time
Spanish-American War: Cuba
• US soldiers: little training, heavy wool
uniforms, & not well prepared
• Given canned corned beef for food rations,
meant to keep in any weather—but they
exploded
Spanish-American War: Cuba
“Heavy rains pouring down, no tents for cover,
standing in trenches in a foot of water and mud,
day and night…ration issue consisting of sow
belly, hardtack, and some grains of coffee. Then
came the issue of fleece-lined underwear in a
132 degree climate…Then came on malaria.”
July 1
• Major American land invasions
• US wanted to take high ground so they could
shoot down at the Spanish
• Looked to take El Caney and San Juan Hill…
San Juan Hill
• One division took El Caney
• Lieutenant Colonel Teddy Roosevelt led a unit
(about 1,000 men) to take San Juan Hill
• Unit was mostly college athletes, miners,
cowboys, Native Americans, ranchers, and
“Rough Riders” (aka adventurers)
Defeating the Spanish
• Took San Juan Hill and controlled the heights
and ridge
• July 3: US Navy sank the Spanish fleet off the
coast of Cuba (killing about 400 Spaniards)
• July 17: Spanish troops in Cuba surrendered;
US troops defeated Spanish in Puerto Rico too
Costs
• Spain: had to grant Cuba its independence,
give Puerto Rico and Guam to the US, and
gave up the Philippines for a US payment of
$20 million
• US: 5,400 soldiers died (400 from battle,
others from disease and food poisoning)
Rewards
• US gained overseas territories
• Secured its position as an imperialist and
world power
• While some Americans were happy, others
were troubled by the conquest of other
countries…