Chapter 27
• Empire and Expansion,
1890–1909
I. America Turns Outward
• During this time the country was bursting with
growth in population, wealth, and productive
capacity – and at the same time it was
experiencing labor violence and agrarian
unrest.
– An overseas market might relieve some of these
pressures.
• More aggressive Americans (like Teddy
Roosevelt) held to the Darwinist view of
survival of the fittest… and they viewed
America as fit!
p609
• The Big Sister policy – was aimed at rallying the
Latin American nations behind America’s
leadership and opened Latin American markets
to U.S. traders.
• Relations between America and Britain were
strained during this period, and as the British
faced rising challenges in their own back yard
they determined to change course and cultivate
an American friendship.
– The period of “twisting the lion’s tail” had become
“patting the eagle’s head.”
II. Spurning the Hawaiian Pear
• Since the early 1800s Hawaii had been a way
station and provisioning point for American
shippers, sailors, and whalers.
• In 1887, Americans signed a treaty with native
Hawaiians guaranteeing naval-base rights at
Pearl Harbor.
• American sugar lords were importing Asian
laborers to work the canefields and sugar mills.
– These planters eventually pushed to annex Hawaii
to the U.S.
– Standing in their way was the native Queen
Liliuokalani, who insisted Hawaii natives were to
rule Hawaii.
– The white minority on the island organized a
successful revolt (assisted by American troops) in
1893 that deposed the Queen.
– A treaty was quickly brought to Washington, but
before it got through Congress, Benjamin Harrison’s
(Republican) term ended and Grover Cleveland
(Democrat) withdrew the treaty believing the
Hawaiian natives were wronged.
• An investigation concluded that the natives opposed
annexation.
– By 1898, the pressure was too much and the United
States acquired Hawaii.
p612
III. Cubans Rise in Revolt
• Cuba, a Spanish colony, was fighting for its
independence… and losing.
– America’s interest in Cuba:
• Financial stake of about 150 million in Cuba.
• Cuba controlled the Gulf of Mexico.
• Sympathy for the underdog.
– In 1896, the Spanish General “Butcher” Weyler,
threw Cuban civilians (who were accused of helping
the insurrection) into barbed-wire camps, where
conditions were so poor that people died by the
thousands.
– Spanish minister in Washington, Dupuy de Lome,
sent a letter to his government that was intercepted
by Cuban revolutionaries and published by William
Randolph Hearst.
• Letter basically said that McKinley was a wimp and
enraged the American public.
• America sent the battleship Maine to Cuba for a
“friendly visit.”
– Is was really there to evacuate Americans if needed
and to show that American was concerned with
Cuban stability.
– Feb. 15th, 1898, the Maine mysteriously blew up in
Havana harbor, killing 260 sailors.
p613
• What happened??
– Two investigations took place, one conducted by
Spain and the other by the U.S.
• Spain said that the explosion came from within the vessel
and that it was probably an accident.
• U.S. said that it was the result of a submarine mine.
– It wasn’t until 1976, that the Navy confirmed that
the Spanish findings were correct.
• Thanks in large part to yellow journalism, the
U.S. was thirsty for war and jumped to the
conclusion that the Spanish government was
guilty of killing American sailors.
– The battle cry became: Remember the Maine! To
hell with Spain!
• America had received assurances from Madrid
which stated they agreed to Washington’s
demands:
1) An end to reconcentration camps
2) An armistice (cease fire) with Cuban rebels
• McKinley was stuck, he didn’t want war but he
also didn’t want Spain to remain in control of
Cuba.
– As he sat on the information and contemplated
what to do, he was criticized for being weak (just
like Dupuy de Lome had done) and they called him
“Wobbly Willie”.
•
receiving a great deal of pressure in favor of war he
gave in and sent a war message to congress on April 11,
1898.
• As congress enthusiastically approved the
declaration, they also adopted the Teller
Amendment.
– This proclaimed to the world that when the U.S.
had overthrown Spanish rule, it would give the
Cubans their freedom.
IV. Dewey’s May Day Victory at Manila
• Even before the declaration of war, Feb. 25,
1898, While Navy Secretary John D. Long was
away, his assistant secretary Theodore
Roosevelt took matters into his own hands.
– He messaged Commodore Dewey, commander of
the Asiatic Squadron at Hong Kong, and told him to
attack Spain’s Philippines in the event of war.
• May 1, 1898, Dewey did just that and quickly destroyed
Spain’s fleet without losing a man.
– With U.S. attention on the Philippines, the topic of
Hawaii and its importance as a way station for
supplies and reinforcements resurfaced.
Map 27-2 p614
• With the fear that Japan might want to grab Hawaii,
congress quickly approved annexation and granted
Hawaiian natives U.S. citizenship.
V. The Confused Invasion of Cuba
• The invading force was under the command of
General William R. Shafter.
– His troops were severely unequipped for the
tropics; they were given heavy wool uniforms
designed for subzero weather against the natives.
– The Rough Riders, made up of a bunch of cowboys,
miners, ex-polo players, and ex-convicts, were led
by T.R. (who resigned from the Navy Department to
take part in the fighting.)
– American forces took Santiago and destroyed every
vessel of the Spanish fleet.
Map 27-3 p616
p616
VI. America’s Course (Curse?) of
Empire
• Late in 1898 Spanish and American negotiators
met in Paris. The settlement agreement was:
– Cuba was freed from Spain.
– America secured Guam.
– Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the U.S. as payment for
war costs.
– What to do with the Philippines was the only hard
question…
– We couldn’t leave them under the Spanish overlord
– We couldn’t leave them to govern themselves
because it would probably lead to anarchy, and they
might have been seized by Germany or Japan
anyway.
– A tormented McKinley decided to take all of the
Philippines and Christianize and civilize them.
• Because we captured Manila a day after the armistice, we
payed them 20 million for it.
• The Anti-Imperialist League fought McKinley every step
of the way, but the Senate finally approved it on February
6, 1899… America was officially an empire.
VII. Perplexities in Puerto Rico and
Cuba
• Foraker Act of 1900 granted Puerto Ricans a
limited degree of popular government.
– Congress granted U.S. citizenship to Puerto
Ricans in 1917 but withheld full self-rule.
• Insular Cases
VIII. New Horizons in Two
Hemispheres
IX. “Little Brown Brothers” in the
Philippines
p622
X. Hinging the Open Door in China
p623
XI. Imperialism or Bryanism in 1900?
• McKinley had won the war, acquired new land
for America, safe guarded the gold standard,
and brought the promised prosperity for the
nation… He was a shoe-in for the reelection.
• Teddy Roosevelt, riding the war hero wave, was
elected Governor of New York and proved to be
a strong opponent of the local political bosses.
– They decided to make sure T.R. was nominated vice
president to get him out of their hair.
• The McKinley/Roosevelt ticket won the election
easily.
– People were expecting prosperity and
protectionism.
XII. TR: Brandisher of the Big Stick
• Six months into his second term, he was
murdered by a crazy anarchist from New York.
– Theodore Roosevelt then takes the reins.
• An ardent believer in military and naval preparedness, he
adopted the phrase, “Speak softly and carry a big stick,
and you will go far.”
• He believed the President should lead boldly, and that he
may take any action (as president) that is in the best
interest of the country as long as it isn’t specifically
forbidden in the Constitution.
– He had little interest in the delicate balance of checks and
balances… he was a bull in a China shop.
p627
XIII. Building the Panama Canal
• During the Spanish-American war, we tried to
unite our navy from the West coast to help on
the East coast and it took weeks to travel
around South America.
– We needed a canal!
• Now that Britain was “patting the eagles head,”
they agreed to the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty in
1901.
– It not only gave the U.S. a free hand to build the
canal but conceded the right to fortify it as well.
• The question was where to build the canal.
– Nicaragua and Panama (which was part of
Columbia) were the two options.
• The U.S. government was willing to pay as much as $40
million to purchase a route.
• They offered Columbia $10 million and 250,000 annually
for their route, but the offer was rejected.
• Wanting the route, T.R. decided to assist panama rebels
(who desired the canal route) to overthrow the
Columbian region which later became Panama.
– He then offered $40 million and obtained the land.
XIV. TR’s Perversion of Monroe’s
Doctrine
• Latin American nations like Venezuela and the
Dominican Republic were chronically in arrears
(money that is owed and should have been paid
back earlier) to European creditors.
• European nations began collecting by force and
T.R. was concerned that if Britain or Germany
continued, they might just want to stay on this
side of the Ocean.
– This would put them in direct violation to the
Monroe Doctrine.
• T.R. declares the Roosevelt Corollary (or
addition) to the Monroe Doctrine.
– It stated that in the event of future financial
problems by Latin American nations, the U.S. would
intervene, take over the situation, payoff the debts
and keep Europe on their side of the Ocean.
• The shield of the Monroe Doctrine was turned
into an open door for America to intervene in
the affairs of Latin American nations.
– This was the beginning of the “Bad Neighbor”
image held by the U.S.
p629
XV. Roosevelt on the World Stage
• Roosevelt was interested in international affairs
outside of Latin America.
– As war broke out between Russia and Japan, T.R.
jumped at the chance to be a global statesman.
– Russia looked at grabbing the port’s of China’s
Manchuria. Japan, an up and coming power, was
looking to control the region and Russia’s action
was a threat.
– Japan threw the first punch and knocked out
Russia’s fleet. They then went on to school Russia
in a series military beatings.
– As the war dragged on, Japan began to run low on
men and money. Guarding their situation closely,
they asked T.R. to sponsor peace negotiations.
– T.R. negotiated a settlement that didn’t please
either country. Russia felt that T.R. robbed them of
their victory, and Japan felt cheated out of its due
compensation.
XVI. Japanese Laborers in
California
• Japanese immigrants poured into California
following the Russo-Japanese war.
– The population never exceeded 3% of the state,
however, nativists still feared the increase.
• In 1906 the San Francisco school board, coping
with a devastated city due to an earthquake
and fire, ordered the segregation of Asian
students in a special school to make room for
whites.
• The people of Japan regarded this
discrimination as an insult.
• War talk on both sides of the ocean, fueled by
yellow journalism, brought the countries to the
brink.
– T.R. had a discussion with the school board and
convinced them to repeal the order and accept the
“Gentlemen’s Agreement.”
• In the agreement, Tokyo agreed to withhold passports to
stop the flow of laborers.
– Worried that Tokyo might think he intervened
because he was scared, T.R. sent the entire
battleship fleet on a highly visible journey around
the world.
– In the end, they received a warm reception in Japan
and signed the Root-Takahira agreement which
pledged that both powers would respect each
other’s territorial possessions in the Pacific and to
uphold the Open Door in China.
Map 27-4 p633