American Stories:
A History of the United States
Second Edition
Chapter
21
Toward Empire
1865–1902
American Stories: A History of the United States, Second Edition
Brands • Breen • Williams • Gross
TR and the Rough Riders in Action A blend of
Ivy League athletes and Western frontiersmen, the
Rough Riders, became the most famous military
unit in the war.
Toward Empire
1865–1902
• America Looks Outward
• War with Spain
• Acquisition of Empire
Roosevelt and the Rough Riders
• Roosevelt hoped “world-movement”
would establish U.S. as world power,
particularly in Asian and Latin America
• Policymakers fostered overseas
business interests, strengthened navy,
extended U.S. influence into Pacific
America Looks Outward
America Looks Outward
• U.S. expansion shifted after 1890
• Strategically placed islands taken,
intended only as colonies
Catching the Spirit of Empire
• Domestic concerns dominated the postCivil War years
• 1870s brought new interest in areas
beyond U.S. boundaries
• Internationalism began to replace
nationalism
Reasons for Expansion
• Expansion abroad sought to gain
markets
• Evolutionary ideas encouraged
expansion to give guidance to native
peoples elsewhere
• Missionary spirit expressed in Josiah
Strong’s popular Our Country (1885)
Foreign Policy Approaches,
1867–1900
• Expansionist foreign policy
• Acquisitions: Alaska, Midway Islands
• Eroded European influence in Latin
America
 Diverted Latin American trade from Europe
through a series of reciprocity treaties
 U.S. supported Venezuela against Great
Britain
The Lure of Hawaii
• 1875: U.S. granted Hawaiian sugar free
entry
• 1887: new treaty gave U.S. exclusive
use of Pearl Harbor
• Queen Liliuokalani retaliated for
McKinley Tariff, attempted to reduce
U.S. influence
• 1893: American settlers pulled off coup
• 1898: Hawaii made U.S. Possession
Map 21.1 Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian
Islands provided the United States with both a
convenient stopping point on the way to
Asianmarkets and a strategic naval station in the
Pacific.
The Last Hawaiian Queen The first step toward
American annexation of Hawaii came in 1893 when
Queen Liliuokalani was overthrown. Hawaii was
annexed to the United States as a possession in
1898 and became a U.S. territory in 1900. This
photograph from c. 1898 shows the former queen
with guests and members of her household at
Washington Place, her residence from 1896 until
her death in 1917.
The New Navy
• Alfred Mahan argued that overseas
markets were essential for industrial
surpluses
• Large merchant marine, strong navy
needed
• 1889: Secretary of Navy Benjamin
Tracy supervised a program of naval
construction
• U.S. gained offensive capability at sea
New Steel Navy Return of the Conquerors by
Edward Moran celebrates the triumphant return of
America’s Great White Fleet. The fleet of 16 whitehulled battleships and supporting craft set off in
December 1907 on a 14-month, round-the-world
cruise as a dramatic show of America’s naval
strength.
War with Spain
War with Spain
• The war increased overseas
possessions
• It also gained the U.S. recognition as a
“world power”
• Americans became convinced they had
a special destiny
A War for Principle
• February, 1895: Rebellion in Cuba
• "Yellow press" whipped up U.S.
sentiment to favor Cuban independence
• McKinley gained Spanish concessions
• February, 1898: Explosion of the Maine
A War for Principle (cont’d)
• April, 19: Congress declared Cuba
independent, passed "Teller
Amendment"
• April, 25: U.S. declared war on Spain
The Spanish-American War
• U.S. regular army small, ill-prepared
• Problems of equipment and supply
 Regulars possessed latest Krag-Jorgensen
rifles
 Guard units possessed old Springfield rifles
• Most soldiers fight in National Guard
units
African American Soldiers
in the War
• African Americans served in army
Guard units
• Black troops resisted segregation
• African American soldiers won 26
Certificates of Merit, 5 Congressional
Medals of Honor
The Battle of San Juan Hill Charge of the 24th
and 25th Colored Infantry and Rescue of the Rough
Riders at San Juan Hill, July 2, 1898, colored
lithograph by Kurz and Allison, 1899 (above). The
Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Colored Infantry
regiments served with exceptional gallantry in the
Spanish-American War. Charles Young (left), an
1889 graduate of West Point, was the only African
American officer in the army during the war except
for a few chaplains.
The Course of the War
• May, 1: Commodore George Dewey
captured Manila Bay
• June: Cuba invaded
• July: Santiago surrendered, Puerto Rico
occupied
• August, 13: Philippines surrendered
African Americans in the War with Spain
Charles Young an 1889 graduate of West Point, was
the only African American officer in the army
during the Spanish-American War except for a few
chaplains.
Map 21.2 Spanish-American War: Pacific
Theater Commodore Dewey, promoted to admiral
immediately after the naval victory at Manila Bay,
was the first hero of the war.
Map 21.3 Spanish-American War: Caribbean
Theater President McKinley set up a “war room” in
the White House, following the action on giant
maps with red and white marking pins.
Acquisition of Empire
Acquisition of Empire
• Fate of the Philippines was the thorniest
issue at the peace negotiations
• December, 1898: Treaty of Paris
 Cuba independent
 U.S. acquires Puerto Rico, Guam,
Philippines
The Treaty of Paris Debate
• Debate over annexation of the
Philippines
• Opponents formed the Anti-Imperialist
League
 Against big armies, government, and debt
 Republican ideals incompatible with
imperialism
The Treaty of Paris Debate
(cont’d)
• February, 1899: Ratification of peace
treaty made U.S. a colonizing nation
Guerrilla Warfare
in the Philippines
• 1898–1901: Emilio Aguinaldo led
Philippine independence movement
• Filipinos used guerilla war tactics, U.S.
adopted tactics Spanish used in Cuba
Guerrilla Warfare
in the Philippines
• 1901: U.S. replaced military with civil
rule, Taft named civilian governor
 Local self-government permitted
 Schedule established for independence
• July 4, 1946: Philippine independence
Map 21.4 American Empire, 1900 With the
Treaty of Paris, the United States gained an
expanded colonial empire stretching from the
Caribbean to the far Pacific. It embraced Puerto
Rico, Alaska, Hawaii, part of Samoa, Guam, the
Philippines, and a chain of Pacific islands. The dates
on the map refer to the date of U.S. acquisition.
The Open Door
• March, 1900: "Open Door" policy in
China
 No European nation should carve out a
sphere of influence in China and exclude
others from trading in the area
The Open Door (cont’d)
• Despite American claims to the
contrary, other countries did not accept
it
• Policy opened the potential for later
conflict with expansion-minded powers
in Pacific
U.S. Policy in Asia In this 1899 cartoon, “Putting
His Foot Down” from Puck, the nations of Europe
are getting ready to cut up China to expand their
spheres of influence, but Uncle Sam stands firm on
American commit- ments to preserve China’s
sovereignty.
Conclusion: Outcome of the War
with Spain
Conclusion:
Outcome of the War with Spain
• Teddy Roosevelt a war hero
• Set back the cause of civil rights for
African Americans
• Confirmed Republicans as majority
party
• U.S. soldiers stationed outside the
country
Map 21.5 World Colonial Empires, 1900
Events of the nineteenth century increased
European hegemony over the world. By 1900, most
independent African nations had disappeared and
the major European nations had divided the
continent among themselves. In the East, the
European powers and Japan took advantage of
China’s internal weakness to gain both trading
ports and economic concessions.
Timeline