American Pageant: Chapter 27
Our Country: Its Possible Future
and Its Present Crisis
 Written by Rev. Josiah Strong
 Anglos had a responsibility to “Civilize and Christianize”
 7 “perils”
 Catholicism
 Mormonism
 Socialism
 Intemperance
 Wealth
 Urbanization
 Immigration
Influence of Sea Power upon
History, 1660-1783
 Alfred Thayer Mahan, 1890
 Role of sea power and need for a strong navy
 occupy sites around world for refueling
 canal for quick access from Atlantic to Pacific
 Control of Sea = key to World Domination
“Big Sister” policy
 James Blaine
 1880s
 Called for an alliance between U.S. and Latin America
 Open Latin American markets to American traders
 Important because it begins trend of inter-American
assemblages.
Venezuela (1895-1899)
 Richard Olney (Sec. of State under Cleveland) warned
Britain that invading Venezuela violated Monroe
Doctrine (US calling the shots in Western Hemp.)
 Britain rejected claim but chose not to fight
Great Rapprochement 1898
 Reconciliation between Great Britain and the U.S.
 Shared interests
 Britain worried about Germany and Russia
 Britain sided with U.S. during Spanish-American War
Imperialism in Hawaii in the 19th century
 1840s – U.S. warned other countries to stay away
 1887 – Pearl Harbor naval base established
 Americans in Hawaii wanted it annexed to relieve
affects of tariff against Hawaiian sugar
 1893- Queen Liliuokalani overthrown by minority
white planters
 Grover Cleveland withdrew annexation treaty
 1898 - Annexed (w help of provincial Gov. Dole)
 Would not become a state until 1959
Imperialism in Cuba
 Tariff of 1894 created hardships for Cuba
 Cuban rebel army revolted against Spanish rule
 Spanish were treating Cubans poorly
 200,000-400,000 died in camps
 1896- Congress recognized revolt of Cubans, but
Cleveland did not, he would not answer Congress’ call
for war
 US people are sympathetic to the cause of patriots
fighting for freedom from an oppressor
YELLOW
JOURNALISM
Yellow Journalism
 Sensationalized News
 Result of Competition
 William R. Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer
 USS Maine incident
 Feb 15th, 1898 ship exploded in harbor
 U.S. blamed Spain, Spain said it was internal
 Publications led to U.S. people calling for war
 “Remember the Maine!”
McKinley Declares War
 Spain already agreed to demands
 End camps
 Peace with Cuban rebels
 Declared war on April 11th, 1898 believing it was the
people’s will BUT added the Teller Amend.
 Teller Amendment=
 Promised Cuban independence once Spain was defeated
Attack on Cuba
 Spanish – Admiral Cervera
 “Rough Riders”
 Organized by Teddy Roosevelt
 Volunteer cowboys and ex-athletes
 Spanish fleet destroyed July 3rd, 1898
 Meanwhile General Nelson Miles takes over Puerto
Rico
 War ends – August 12th, 1898
 Most American deaths due to bad food,
disease and unsanitary conditions
End of the War
 Peace Treaty= Guam and Puerto Rico to U.S.
 U.S buys the Philippines for $20 mil from Spain
 Problems with Expansion:
William Jennings Bryan-anti imperialist groups
Insular Cases, 1901

Constitution did not extend to Philippines and Puerto Rico
US ignores Teller Amendment
issues Platt Amendment, 1903= US has the right to interfere in
Cuba & US given Navy bases
Philippines
 invaded Manila Bay by Commodore Dewey at onset of
Spanish-American War (May, 1898)
 Invasion into P.I. not easy. US allies with Aguinaldo,
Filipino revolutionary, against Spanish.
 In exchange, US would give P.I. independence
 First Philippine Commission
 Formed to investigate conditions and make
recommendations on the Philippines
 Filipinos not ready for independence
Formal Proclamation of War?
 Feb 1899, Filipinos revolt against US presence
 Led by Emilio Aguinaldo
 President McKinley told reporters “that the insurgents
had attacked Manila” and that Aguinaldo was an
“outlaw bandit”
 U.S. never formally declared war but captured
Aguinaldo in 1901.
 P.I. gains independence 1946
Chapter 28 begins here
Benevolent Assimilation
 Aguinaldo captured in 1901
 “Little Brown Brothers” – William H. Taft
 “Benevolent assimilation”
 Improved roads, sanitation, health
 Economic ties
 School system
Open Door Policy - China
 Secretary of State – John Hay
 Stated all nations would allow trade and Chinese
independence
 Italy accepted, Russia did not
Boxer Rebellion
 Patriotic Chinese rebellion against foreigners in 1900
 Many nations came together to put rebellion down
Election of 1900
 William McKinley
 Republican
 Established gold standard
 Imperialism
 William Jennings Bryan
 Democrat
 Silver standard

Cross of gold speech
 Anti – imperialism
Teddy Roosevelt
 Takes over when McKinley assassinated (1901)
“Big Stick” Diplomacy
President as the supreme decision maker
“Speak softly and carry a big stick”
Panama Canal
 Originally meant to go through Nicarauga
 Panama Revolution against Columbia
 Led by Bunau-Varilla
 Signed Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty

US 10 mile around Panama region
 1904-1914: $400 million
Roosevelt Corollary to the
Monroe Doctrine
 “Preventive Intervention”
 Fear of European intervention in Latin America
 U.S. would pay off debts to European countries to keep
them out
 Negative relations with Latin America
Japanese in America
 Discrimination in California (mainly schools)
 “Gentleman’s Agreement”
 No discrimination against Japanese in U.S.
 No emigration of Japanese to U.S.
 Root-Takahira agreement

Respecting of possessions