America’s First Steps Toward
Global Superpower
Turn in Pictowords
Finders Keepers?
• Should you keep a wallet filled with money ?
• What if there is a name and address in the
wallet?
• Is it ever OK to take something by force?
Thank you State of Texas
• Expansion ism
– 1898 – 1920
• OR
• Imperialism?
– the policy of extending the rule or authority of an
empire or nation over foreign countries, or of
acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies.
I. Motivations for Intervention
• A. Economic: Industry Desires Resources and
Markets
How would the U.S. benefit from
controlling land in Latin America and
the Pacific? • Sandford Dole
and other
plantation
owners in Hawaii
overthrew the
Hawaiian
government in
1893
• Created their
own government
with Dole as the
president.
Dole and planters
requested that the US
annex Hawaii.
President Cleveland
(opposed Imperialisms)
refused to annex Hawaii
and tried to restore Queen
Liliuokalani to power.
Dole and leaders refused
and waited until Harrison
would annex Hawaii
What was the cost for people who
lived in Latin America and the Pacific?
B. Humanitarian: To Civilize and
Christianize
• Missionaries
tried to
convert
Pacific
Islanders to
Christianity
• Spread U.S.
civilization,
morals, and
ideals to “less
fortunate”
peoples
What arguments did Anti-Imperialists make
against the U.S. as a civilizing force?
C. Racial: “Little Brown Brothers”
What does this suggest about the reason
for white Americans helping people of
color?
D. National Pride & Global
Competition
• Alfred Thayer Mahan argued that U.S. needed a large,
powerful navy to become a world power.
• Also needed colonies to protect trade and provide resources.
• The Berlin Conference (1884-1885) split Africa between
European countries. Mahan argued that America needed to
take the Pacific in order to compete with Europe.
What does this say about how the U.S.
might see the new territories?
What were the significant events,
individuals and policies that
moved the United States into a
position of a World Power in the
years 1898-1920
You are the President
• Do you go along with the majority of the
American people?
• Do you do what you believe is right?
E. Politics & Yellow Journalism
Cause of the War
• The Maine was
accidentally sunk,
but reporters blamed
the Spanish
De Lome Letter
1898
• Remember the Main – to hell with Spain
• ‘Splendid Little War” – John Hay
• McKinley President
An American Puppet: Cuba & the Platt
Amendment
“The government of Cuba consents that the
United States may exercise the right to
intervene for the preservation of Cuban
independence, the maintenance of a
government adequate for the protection of
life, property, and individual liberty….”
III. The Philippine-American War
(1899-1902)
A. Spain Sells the Philippines
• Treaty of Paris gave
the Philippines to the
U.S. after the
Spanish-American
War.
B. Filipino Resistance & Guerilla
Warfare
• Filipinos fought against
the U.S. for
independence
C. “The Wolf by the Ears”:
50 Years Until Independence
The U.S. in Latin America: Good
Neighbor or Imperialist?
A. Puerto Rico as Permanent
Colony
• Given to U.S.
after SpanishAmerican War
• Annexed as
colony in 1900
• U.S. chooses
delegates for
one legislative
house, popular
vote chooses
the other.
B. The Roosevelt Corollary Allows
American Intervention in Latin America
• Monroe Doctrine
(1823): Europeans
cannot have new
colonies in the Western
Hemisphere
• Roosevelt Corollary
(1904): U.S. can act as
an “international police
power” in Latin
America to protect
countries against
Europe
• Also called the “Big
Stick Policy”
B. Panamanian Independence & The
Panama Canal
• U.S. needed a way to move
ships from the Pacific to the
Atlantic
• Easiest place to build a
canal was Panama (owned
by Colombia)
• Roosevelt supported
Panama’s independence if
the new country gave the
U.S. control of the Panama
Canal Zone (10 miles where
the canal would be built)
Move to groups
ENGAGE THE READER
Prepare a poster on how your topic
affected the ‘big picture’ (America is
now a World Power).
You will present your poster.
30 min
Title
Summary
Picture
2 other items from the list that show
how your topic affected America as a
World Power.
Poster Presentations
• 2 min
• Fill in the chart
Quick Write
• What were the significant events, policies and
individuals that moved the United States into
a position of a world power between 1898
and 1920?