Chapter 28
America on the World Stage
1899 - 1909
“I never take a step in foreign policy
unless I am assured that I shall be able
eventually to carry out my will by force”
-- Theodore Roosevelt, 1905
A.
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“Little Brown Brothers” in the Philippines
Filipinos rebel when not
given independence
Reports of abuse and
“water torture”.
Ended in 1901 American
soldiers captured Emilio
Aguinaldo.
Philippine Commission
established in 1899 to set up
a Filipino government
William H. Taft referred to
the Filipinos to “little brown
brothers,”
1. “Benevolent Assimilation”?
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President McKinley’s plan
– improving roads,
sanitation, and public
health
– set a school system with
English as the 2nd
language
– Filipinos preferred liberty
over assimilation.
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Freedom not achieved until
1946
B. Hinging the Open Door in China
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Following China’s defeat by Japan in
1894-1895, Russia and Germany
moved into China.
Secretary of State John Hay
dispatched to all the great powers a
communication known as the Open
Door note.
He urged the powers to establish
“spheres of influence” and respect
Chinese rights
Italy was the only major power to
accept the Open Door unconditionally
and Russia was the only major power
not to accept it.
1. “Boxers”
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In 1900, a super-patriotic
group in China known as the
“Boxers” killed hundreds of
foreigners. A multinational
rescue force came in and
stopped the rebellion.
After the failed rebellion,
Secretary Hay declared in
1900 that the Open Door
would embrace the territorial
integrity of China as well as
its commercial integrity.
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C. Imperialism or
Bryanism in 1900?
President McKinley was the
Republican presidential
nominee acquired rich
territory, established the
gold standard, and brought
prosperity to the nation.
Theodore Roosevelt was
nominated as the vice
president
– Why? The political bosses of
New York (where Roosevelt
was governor) couldn’t
control the headstrong
governor. They wanted him
out of New York
1. “Bringing Out the Old Sign”
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William Jennings Bryan
was Democratic
candidate.
Bryan and the Democratic
Party supported the silver
standard and antiimperialism.
McKinley and the
Republican Party won the
election of 1900.
D. TR: Brandisher of the Big Stick
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In September 1901, a deranged
anarchist murdered President
McKinley, and Theodore Roosevelt
took over the presidency.
Roosevelt was a direct actionist
He believed the president should
lead and keep things moving
He had no real respect for the
checks and balances system
among the 3 branches of
government.
He felt that he may take any
action in the general interest that
is not specifically forbidden by
the laws of the Constitution.
E. Colombia Blocks the Canal
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Spanish-American War
demonstrated need for ships
to cross quickly from the
Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific
Ocean
Canal had to be built across
the Central American isthmus
By the terms of the ClaytonBulwer Treaty, U.S. could
not gain exclusive control
over a route for the canal.
Friendly relations with Britain
permitted the HayPauncefote Treaty in 1901
–
gave the U.S. right to build
canal and rights to fortify it.
1. Which Way Will They Go?
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Nicaraguan route for the canal
was favored, but Congress
decided on the Panama route
in 1902 after the New Panama
Canal Company dropped the
price of its holdings
Panama was part of Colombia
who refused to compromise
After a treaty to buy land for
the canal had been rejected by
the Colombian senate,
President Roosevelt, who was
eager to win the upcoming
election, demanded that the
canal be built without
Colombia’s consent.
51 miles across
2. Remember the Volcanos
3. What About the French?
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French
equipment was
often too light or
ill-suited for the
rugged inland
terrain. When the
Americans
arrived in 1904,
abandoned
railroad and
excavating
equipment
littered the
jungles.
4. President Roosevelt said
Make the Dirt Fly !
Make the Dirt Fly!
Make the Dirt Fly !
5. Some Americans did not Approve
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"There was much accusation about my having acted in an
'unconstitutional' manner," Teddy shrugged. "I took the isthmus,
started the canal, and then left Congress -- not to debate the
canal, but to debate me. . . . While the debate goes on, the canal
does too; and they are welcome to debate me as long as they
wish, provided that we can go on with the canal."
6. 102 Steam Shovels
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The Bucyrus Co. of South
Milwaukee, Wisconsin,
manufactured most of the
102 steam shovels used to
dig the canal.
The largest weighed 95
tons (86 metric tons) with
dippers capable of
extracting up to five cubic
yards (four cubic meters)
in each cycle.
7. Nine miles in Nine years
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Ten hours a day, six
days a week, they
loaded from 4,000 to
6,000 cubic yards of
stiff clay and blasted
rock.
It took more than nine
years of nearly nonstop digging to create
the nine-mile-long
Culebra Cut
8. Some Interesting Facts
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http://www.ared.com/kora/java/pcc/javaani.html
•A ship traveling from New York to San Francisco can save
7'872 miles using the Panama Canal instead of going around
South America.
• In the fiscal year 1994 there where 14'029 transits, which
carried 170.8 million long tons of cargo and paid US $ 419.2
million in tolls.
• The highest Canal toll was US $ 141,344.91 paid by the Crown
Princess and the lowest toll ever paid was 36 cents by Richard
Halliburton for swimming the Canal in 1928.
• The average time spent in transit from port to port is approx.
8 - 10 hours.
• Until Lake Mead was formed by the building of the Hoover
Dam, Gatun Lake was the largest artificial body of water in the
world.
F. Uncle Sam Creates Puppet Panama
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Revolution began
November 3, 1903 with
killing of Chinese civilian
and donkey
Led by Bunau-Varilla.
US navy refused to allow
Columbian troops to cross
isthmus and crush uprising
Bunau-Varilla became the
Panamanian minister to
the United States and
signed the Hay-BunauVarilla Treaty
Increased U.S. zone of
control from 6 to 10-miles
G.
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“If you try to build this
canal there will not be trees
enough on the isthmus to
make crosses for the graves
of your laborers.” — French
resident in Panama to
Ferdinand de Lesseps, 1880s
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Completing the Canal
and Appeasing Colombia
Roosevelt claimed Colombia
had wronged the United States
by not permitting itself to be
benefited by the construction of
the canal.
In 1904 the construction of the
Panama Canal began, and in
1914 it was completed at a
cost of $400 million.
Chief engineer was Colonel
George Washington Goethals
Worst problem, yellow fever,
eradicated by Col. William
Gorgas, by draining swamps of
misquitos
H. TR’s Perversion of Monroe’s Doctrine
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Several nations of
Latin America were
in debt to European
countries.
Roosevelt feared
European nations
might seize control
and remain there,
in violation of the
Monroe Doctrine.
Roosevelt created a
policy known as
“preventive
intervention.”
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"Chronic wrongdoing ... may
in America, as elsewhere,
ultimately require
intervention by some civilized
nation," he announced in his
annual message to Congress
in December 1904, "and in
the Western Hemisphere the
adherence of the United
States to the Monroe Doctrine
may force the United States,
however reluctantly, in
flagrant cases of such
wrongdoing or impotence, to
the exercise of an
international police power."
1. Roosevelt Corollary
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The Roosevelt Corollary
declared that in the event of
future monetary problems of
Latin American countries, the
U.S. could pay off the Latin
American counties’ debts to keep
European nations out of Latin
America.
Latin American countries began
to hate the Monroe Doctrine
because it became the excuse for
many U.S. interventions in Latin
America.
I. Roosevelt on the World Stage
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Japan began war with
Russia in 1904 after Russia
failed to withdraw troops
from Manchuria and Korea.
Japan was defeating Russia,
but supply of troops began
to run low.
Japan asked President
Roosevelt to step in and
sponsor peace negotiations.
In 1905 Roosevelt received
Nobel Peace Prize for his
part in the negotiations
J. Japanese Laborers in California
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Japanese government lifted
its ban on emigration in 1884
Japanese were recruited to
work in California, but
confronted with racist hostility
by whites.
In 1906, San Francisco’s
school board segregated the
Chinese, Japanese, and
Korean students to make
room for white students.
The Japanese saw this action
as an insult and threatened
with war.
1. “Come to the White
House” –T.R.
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Californians were
persuaded to
repeal the
segregation and
to accept what
came to be known
as the
“Gentlemen’s
Agreement.”
– The Japanese
agreed to stop the
flow of immigrants
to the United
States.
2. Great White Fleet
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1907 Roosevelt sent 16 white
battleships to ‘impress’ the
world
Received welcome
everywhere
In 1908, the Root-Takahira
agreement was reached with
Japan.
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The U.S. and Japan pledged
themselves to respect each
other’s territorial
possessions.
Uncle Sam’s new slogan, “Join
the Navy and See the World.”
K. Why Did America Become a World Power?
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Yellow Press?
Contagious scramble for imperial possessions by
Europe created international peer pressure –
need to hold its own against other powers
Increasing industrial output needed
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Raw materials
Overseas markets
Economic dominance over foreign markets
Investment outlets
Race-fueled militarism, from Indian Wars to Cold
War