The American Empire
Expansionism / Imperialism
US adds territories in the
Pacific Ocean and the
Caribbean Sea
Created by Mr. Steve Hauprich for the acceleration and remediation of US History Students.
Historical Context:
All world maps are distorted reflecting the bias of the
presenter…in an American Empire…North America
should be seen as the central focus
Here we can see the significance of the Panama Canal,
Hawaiian Islands, and Naval Supremacy in the larger
plan to develop the USA’s eventual Superpower status.
Hawaii
The supreme geographic advantage of a two ocean
border with all other powerful nations could be turned
into an advantage for commerce and dominance as
America created the foundation for maritime empire.
Alaska
Guam
Cuba P.R.
+ V.I.
Philippines
Samoa
Thesis Statement:
T
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Although the United States’ participation
in the “New Imperialism” was criticized
at home as betrayal of American ideals
of liberty and justice,
…the motives for new
expansionism were rooted in the context
of global rivalries, Social Darwinism,
and humanitarianism stigmatized by the
expression “white man’s burden”.
The United States
of America was
born in the raging
storm of global
rivalries among
European powers
Russia
France
Netherlands
Sweden
England
Spain
…America was
the feral child of
the wilderness
…asserting her
(natural) right to be left
alone (independent).
Courageous Americans
and a stealthy US
Government had
warded off foreign
threats and succeeded
by the late 1800’s…
Russia
Britain
…in controlling vast
coastlines …
Native
Americans
Mexico
… pacifying the frontier
Spain
…and building a
modern infrastructure.
American Admiral AT Mahan
offered a blueprint for empire
based on:
•need for a two ocean navy
•need for an isthmus canal
•Importance of Caribbean Is.
•importance of Hawaiian Is.
…if the old imperialism was
based on naval supremacy
…the new imperialism would
likewise thrive w/ naval power
Great civilizations and
empires of the past…
Greeks, Romans, Portugal,
Spain, Netherlands, France,
had succeeded one another
by virtue of their maritime
prowess and assertiveness
…in this era of Pax Britanica
emerging world powers
Germany and Japan also
read Mahan’s theories with
vested interest in their own
fortunes and aspirations
for global conquest.
The Imperialist view
of the Hawaiian
Monarchy was …
Queen Liliuokalani
was unfit to rule
…especially after
she attempted to
limit the power of
American planters
on her islands
American
planter
Sanford Dole
…led the coup
toppling the
Hawaiian
monarchy…
…however, President Grover Cleveland would not
allow the annexation of Hawaii…so the pineapple
tempted other world powers in the Pacific
…until the
1898
Spanish
American
War
finally
gave the
USA
Government
justification
for adding
Hawaii…
Mahan’s blueprint was being followed and encouraged
“We don’t want to fight, yet by JINGO!
…if we do,
We’ve got the ships, we’ve got the men,
…and got the money too.”
-British Song 1870’s
…a new American JINGOISM was emerging…
Yellow Journalism
helped persuade
Americans to go to
WAR with Spain.
…there was no
proof the Spanish
sank the Maine…
…just drawings in
newspapers…
“All the great masterful races
have been fighting races…”
Assistant Secretary of
the US Navy Roosevelt
was determined to help
the USA win a war with
Spain…
…evidenced by his
prescient orders to
Admiral Dewey to
steam his battle fleet
to the Philippines from
Hong Kong
…before the
Spanish fleet would be
expecting them…
Brilliant!
Winning the WAR
helped sell many
newspapers as
America learned
of heroic conquests
in distant lands.
The American Empire
was growing much
like manifest destiny
in an earlier time.
Roosevelt soon resigned
his desk job and helped
organize the Rough Riders
to gain glory as a genuine
war hero…
…leading the US charge
up Kettle Hill and San Juan
Hill in Cuba…
…in the most important
ground war action of the
entire Spanish-American
WAR
“Take up the White Man's burden-Send forth the best ye breed-Go bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives' need;
To wait in heavy harness,
On fluttered folk and wild-Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Half-devil and half-child.” -Rudyard Kipling
The USA would now have
to determine how best
to develop the lands we had
wrested from Spain…
…and the Hawaiian and Samoan Islanders
…our moral obligation was to “civilize” them.
Bringing American education, medicine, technology, etc…
was publicized as very altruistic…a benevolent empire…
…Now more
missions would
be built in Hawaii
the Philippines,
Guam, Samoa,
and the other
new frontiers…
Early Hawaiian Mission built in 1854
…Americans
could extend
their cultural
influence to
benefit humanity.
American battleships had
faced German battleships
in Manila Harbor in the
Philippines shortly after
the US Navy had defeated
Spain in 1898…
…but the Germans left
Peacefully…
…in 1899 the Germans and
Americans avoided naval
battle once again…
…as the two emerging world
powers agreed to divide the
Samoans Islands for their
respective empires.
…With over 7,000 islands
…500 of them inhabited…
…the Philippines presented
the greatest challenge for
the new American Empire…
…the Filipino people were
weary of Spanish rule…
…they didn’t necessarily
want American rulers either...
…the USA wanted to prove
its fitness to lead…and ensure
rivals Germany and Japan
were kept out of the islands.
In 1900 a large
US expeditionary
force was sent
to China to help
end the Chinese
Boxer Rebellion
…an uprising
against foreign
“Spheres of
Influence”…
…this was soon accompanied by more requests
by US Secretary of State John Hay for an
“OPEN DOOR” policy in China to permit greater
US commercial access to China and less tension
“Speak softly and carry a big stick;
you will go far.”
-African Proverb
Theodore Roosevelt builds his foreign policy…
1901-1909
…So a canal
through Central
America was
needed to help
a two ocean navy
move quickly to
protect the new
lands and people
who would live
beneath the
American Flag.
President Roosevelt helped Panamanians win their
independence from Columbia…and soon the canal
was under construction.
Bully!
“All that this country desires is to
see the neighboring countries
stable, orderly, and prosperous.”
“Chronic wrongdoing, or an impotence which results in a
general loosening of the ties of civilized society, may in
America, as elsewhere, ultimately require intervention by
some civilized nation, 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.”
1904 Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine
Teddy Roosevelt’s
the
“Big Stick” foreign policy turned
Caribbean Sea into a proverbial
“American Lake”.
Under T.R. America was assuming a new role as
the “World’s Policeman”…ready to help “lesser”
nations overcome their disagreements / shortcomings.
1905 Roosevelt
successfully
mediated the
Portsmouth Treaty
between
Russia + Japan
…his goal was to
create a
“Balance of Power”
in Asia
President Roosevelt sent the Great White Fleet
on a world-wide tour to impress our global rivals
with our new naval prowess…impressing the
Japanese was a high priority for this mission.
While many Americans were thrilled with our victory
over Spain and the expanding American possessions,
there was notable dissent from prominent Americans.
Especially troublesome for
their consciences was the
annexation of the
Philippine Islands…
…they felt this was a
betrayal of American
ideals of “liberty and
justice for all”…
…a betrayal of the ideals
of a right to independence
and self-government.
The Filipino
Question would
not go away…
America would
send many
soldiers to the
islands and
force their
people into
reconcentration
camps
President McKinley
and
President Roosevelt
had led America into
a new age where
American power
was a clear challenge
to other great nations
…our “new frontier”
was established and
the morality of our
foreign policy was
debated at home
and abroad.
Works Cited
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