History 368 / The Course of American Empire:
The United States in the West & in the Pacific, 1776-1919
"Mayou Volcano, and Old Glory, Philippines", stereopticon image
[1996.0009.KU24389], n.d., from Keystone-Mast Collection, UCR/California
Museum of Photography, University of California, Riverside
"As we came on deck we beheld rising before us on the edge of the water, the
volcano Mayou, which is nearly 10,000 feet height. This volcano is very
perfectly shaped, the cone culminating in a point, from which issues a large
column of smoke; streams of lava wend their way downward. To the left is the
city of Lagaspi, and there a regiment was landed. The gunboats shelled the
shore, driving the Filipinos back."
–Herbert Kohr, Around the World with Uncle Sam (1907), p. 112.
Westward the course of empire takes its way;
The four first Acts already past,
A fifth shall close the Drama with the day;
Time's noblest offspring is the last.
—Bishop Berkeley, "America: A Prophecy," 1726
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"[Imperialism is a] determination to expand geographically and economically,
imposing an alien will upon subject peoples and commandeering their resources".
––Daniel Walker Howe, What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America,
1815-1848 (Oxford 2007).
General Info
Instructor: Doug Sackman • Office: Wyatt 138 email: dsackman@ups.edu
phone: x3913 • Office Hours: Tuesdays: 10-11.30; Fridays 11-11.50am (I am
also available to meet with you at other times; just email me for an
appointment)
Introduction
In recent decades, American historians have reconsidered the relationship of
the United States to imperialism, and in the process questioned the longstanding belief that American national policy has normally been isolationist
until after World War II, interrupted only by brief departures during the
Spanish American War and World War I. Westward expansion has been
reconsidered as continental conquest, in which both Indian peoples and
Mexicans were conquered and colonized. U.S. foreign relations with Japan and
China in the 19th and early twentieth centuries, and its colonial policies in
Hawai’i and the Philippines, certainly undermine the notion that the United
States has historically been an exceptionally isolationist national power.
In this course, we will explore the politics and culture of United States
imperialism from the nation's founding until the 1910s. Focusing on westward
expansion and the projection of U.S. power into the Pacific, we will consider
how the ideas and policies supporting expansion and military conquest were
developed, expressed, manifested, and contested. We will also explore how
various peoples have confronted U.S. colonialism, including Indians, Mexicans,
Chinese, Hawaiians and Filipinos. Reading documents from the period as well
as differing interpretations by historians, we will also examine the economic
underpinnings of expansion, its environmental impact, and the racial ideas that
were paradoxically used both to justify and to criticize imperialism.
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While the course considers anti-imperialist ideas that were expressed at
various times by leaders and citizens, it is not meant to be a primer in antiimperialism. Rather, students should learn to situate expansionistic policies and
practices within their intellectual, political, cultural, military, and economic
contexts. The course will also allow for a close examination of the different
ways through which colonized peoples have resisted or accommodated U.S.
imperialism.
Major themes of the course include:
1. Empire and National Identity: We will explore the idea of empire as it
has been debated politically beginning with the nation's founding, looking at the
ways in which imperialism and democracy have been seen as opposing or
potentially complementary ideals.
2. Race: Changing ideas of race have undoubtedly played a key role in shaping
US encounters with foreign peoples. But while many historians have argued
that racism aided and abetted imperialism, others have posited that racial ideas
formed a strong basis of opposition to expansionism.
3. Gender: How has imperialism been represented in gendered terms? In
what ways have ideas of masculinity and femininity been used to explain and
justify conquest?
4. Confronting American Colonialism: How have the people who have
stood in the path of US expansionism reacted? What are the particular
dynamics under which US power has been resisted or accommodated? What
have been the particular colonial policies designed to incorporate conquered
peoples into the nation, as either equals or subordinate members?
Readings:
1. Walter Nugent, Habits of Empire: A History of American Expansion,
2. Miller and Patterson, eds. Major Problems in American Foreign Relations, Vol. 1,
6th edition.
3. Paul VanDevelder, Savages and Scoundrels: The Untold Story of America’s Road
to Empire through Indian Territory
4. Mathew Frye Jacobson, Barbarian Virtues: The United States Encounters Foreign
Peoples at Home and Abroad, 1876-1917
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5. Noenoe Silva, Aloha Betrayed: Hawaiian Resistance to American Colonialism
6. History 368 Course Reader
Format and Objectives
In the above description, I have emphasized what “we” will do. I mean that:
the course is meant to be a collaborative investigation. Class time will be
devoted largely to discussions of the readings and the issues they touch upon.
I’ve designed the course to give you a range of opportunities to participate in
the class and contribute to its course. Of course, you are encouraged to
actively engage with discussions, raising questions, making points and
otherwise contributing to the flow of the conversation. Note that the reading
load for this course is heavy and in some cases involves material that is quite
dense. The readings for the course are extensive, and essential. Your reactions
to the content, ideas and evidence presented in the reading will be crucial to
what we do in class. Doing the reading in time for class is thus critical to the
success of the course.
In reading selections, you will find it useful to take notes and write down
particular questions you might have or topics you would like to discuss. As a
student, I found that underlining or highlighting passages, while helpful, was not
the best way to prepare me to participate in class discussions. I started to take
notes on a separate sheet of paper (or on my computer), listing the relevant
page number on the left and then some idea or quote that I found interesting
next to it. In class, then, I could use this as an index of my ideas, and then
point to a particular passage as a basis for a question or to present my
perspective on a particular issue. You may find that developing a note-taking
system will work for you. Please bring the readings to class on the day for
which they are assigned. If you do not do the readings, you will get little out of
the class. If you do the readings, but have nothing to say about them, then the
class as a whole will suffer. The more you get involved, the more you will get
out of the class, and the more exciting, engaging, and successful the class will
be as whole.
Ideally, students in this course:
• Will gain a basic knowledge of the major forces and events shaping US
expansion from 1776-1910s
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• Will deepen their understandings of the course themes through critical
analysis of the different phases of US expansion and the different peoples and
places conquered or occupied by the US.
• Will develop their skills of written and oral expression
• Will gain experience doing historical research and in reading and interpreting
primary and secondary sources
• Will draw connections among the political, economic, cultural, and social
dimensions of expansionism
Course Requirements
1. Participation, Attendance and short papers. This category includes
reading, attendance & participation in discussions. Students can participate in
class by making points and connections, raising questions, listening and
responding to the comments of other students, and otherwise engaging with
the flow of the discussion. Informal writing assignments, which will not be
given a letter grade but will be assigned a number from 0-4 that assesses their
general quality, include 5 1-2-page Discussion Papers and 2 historical news
reports (which will be explained in class). You may skip one of those 7
assignments, at your choosing (i.e. one of the discussion papers or one of the
historical news reports). A variety of other short assignments for class
preparation may also be required. Active listening and asking questions and
making comments are integral parts of class participation. Regular attendance
is expected (more than three unexcused absences will begin to severely
impact your participation grade, and further absences will eventually lead to a
withdrawal from class). (25%)
2. A short (@10 minute) in-class presentation, on a topic related to US
Expansion and Empire Building, to be selected by the student. Ideas for topic
include a president of your own choosing and his policies related to imperial
expansion; a particular Indian Nation and how it confronted US expansion or
how it built its own empire (e.g. Comanche or Sioux); an aspect of one of the
US Wars in the period; the views of particular anti- or pro-imperialist
Americans or non-American viewers of America; how some nation confronted
US imperialism or invasion; or some other topic in US history that relates to
empire building. Topics should fit somewhere within the central chronological
range of the course, from 1776-1919 (though I am willing to consider topics
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outside of these parameters; just talk with me). Guidelines for the
presentation will be distributed, and students should select a topic by the end
of the second week of classes. (5%)
3. An interpretive essay: a 5-6 page paper due in Week 7; guidelines will be
distributed in class. (22%)
4. A second interpretive essay, due in Week 12. (22%)
5. Final Project: research essay. A 7-10 page paper on a topic relevant to
the course, making use of both primary and secondary sources. A prospectus
for your final project is due in week 13 and the final project is due Wednesday
of Finals Week. Guidelines will be distributed in class after week 9. (26%)
Note on Quiz Possibilities: depending on the quality of class discussions and
the collective sense of how thoroughly and completely the reading is being
done, we may need to add quizzes or other assignments to the course itinerary
(in which case, the percentage weight of some of the above categories will be
reduced to make room for the quizzes, etc).
Grading Policies
The work in all of the above categories will be taken into account to
determine your final grade. In general, the writing asks you to go far beyond
the recitation of facts and information. You will be formulating your own ideas
and arguments, gathering and organizing evidence to support your positions,
and putting it all together in finished essays that are at their best polished,
engaging, original, creative, and/or provocative. I will distribute more specific
criteria that I use in evaluating your longer papers. The Discussion Papers are
more informal in orientation, and one of their purposes is to allow you to
pursue your ideas and hone your writing talents without the pressure of
grades. The following statements will give you some idea what level of work
and participation constitutes what kind of grade in this course:
Work that is of D-level or below does not rise to the standards of
expectations in the class, which are reflected in the description of C-level
work.
C-level work is considered both average and respectable in this course.
Work that merits a C represents a serious engagement with the class and the
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course materials by the student. For papers, this means that the paper deals
with its topic, makes use of the proper number and type of sources, shows
that the student has grappled with the readings and issues, and advances a
central idea or thesis. Yet, the thesis may be vague and there may be problems
with the mechanics, organization or clarity of the paper. In terms of
participation, the C-level student regularly attends, is attentive to what is going
on in the classroom, occasionally offers ideas and perspectives in class,
completes the Prep Papers in satisfactory fashion, and willingly contributes to
small group discussions.
B-level work is very good. It represents both serious engagement with and
reasonable mastery of the course material. The B-level student maintains their
degree of engagement throughout the course, and usually their work shows
improvement. Papers that merit a B are well-crafted and organized, advance a
central thesis that addresses the paper’s topic in an interesting or
illuminating fashion, are mostly free from mechanical and grammatical errors,
draw effectively on a range of materials, and are generally persuasive and
cogent in their argument. B-level participation involves regular attendance and
participation in class discussions. Comments and contributions are often
based on a careful consideration of the readings. For example, such a student
may sometimes point to a specific passage in the text to back up or develop
their comment or question.
A-level work is exceptional. Not only do A-level papers display all of the
good qualities of a B-paper, their central argument is advanced with an
exceptionally impressive degree of sophistication, originality or insight. The
paper’s organization, craft and use of evidence are all excellent. In terms of
participation, contributions to class discussions are both frequent and
particularly insightful.
Late Policy: Assignments that are up to 24 hours late will receive a 1/3 grade
reduction (e.g. a B would become a B-); assignments turned in more than one
but less than two days late will be lowered 2/3 of a grade; work turned in
three days late will be lowered a full grade; work turned in beyond three-days
late will be lowered a 1 and 1/3rd grade.
Academic Honesty
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Faith in your academic integrity is vital to all we do at UPS. It should go
without saying that the college expects that all work submitted for evaluation
in courses will be the product of the student’s own labor and imagination. Of
course, you are free to speak with others about your work and share ideas
and perspectives. In writing your papers, though, you are developing your own
ideas and arguments. You can incorporate the ideas or words of others in
your own paper, but to do so you must properly cite your sources. Turning in
a paper that attempts to pass off the words or ideas of others as your own
constitutes plagiarism (see The Logger for more information). Like other forms
of cheating, plagiarism is a contamination that pollutes our environment.
Students who knowingly turn in work that involves plagiarism or is marred by
other forms of cheating will not pass the course, though more severe penalties
may be recommended for egregious cases.
One can understand the temptation to turn in illegitimate work: students
working under intense pressures may turn to cheating as an easy way out. But
to do so, you not only steal the work of others, you cheat yourself and your
fellow students as well. A real degree from UPS cannot be obtained through
looting. If you are worried about your grade or completing an assignment,
please come and talk to me. I can work with you to help you get over the
hurdles and make it possible for you to get something positive out of the
course.
Discussion Papers
The class is divided into 5 “groups”—A, B. C, D & E. (This is basically for the
purpose of dividing up the class—you will be writing your discussion papers
individually, not in groups). Discussion Papers for your group are due on the
days indicated in the course schedule with your group's letter in brackets next
to the date (see below). Under no circumstances, including computer failure,
may Discussion Papers be turned in late, since their purpose is to be available
for use in the class discussion on the day on which they are due. (In certain
circumstances, I may allow you to switch the day for which you write a
discussion paper, but you must ask me about this at least 24-hours in advance).
Discussion Papers should be typed and between 1 and 2 pages long. The
Discussion Papers involve two components: a topic discussion and an issue
identification:
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Topic Discussion: For the topic discussion, I would like you to write 2-3
paragraphs or so about some aspect of the reading for that day that grabs your
attention and you would like to discuss. I am not looking for you to
summarize the reading. Instead, I would like you to identify some theme or
issue raised in the reading and interpret its significance. You need not deal
with the reading as a whole; in fact, you may want to focus on a small part of
the larger reading. You may wish to draw comparisons between the readings
of the day, or between the reading of the day and previous readings. You may
wish to discuss how the reading relates to some larger issue in the class. You
must include at least one quotation from the reading in your paper (normally,
stronger papers use such citations). Please provide the page number in a
footnote or in parentheses for your quotations. I will on occasion ask you to
summarize or read your topic discussion for the class.
Issue ID: The second component of the Discussion Paper is the identification
of some issue that can be suitable for class discussion. This can be one or two
sentences long, and it can be as simple as identifying a quote from one of the
readings that you find illuminating and interesting or questionable and briefly
stating what important issue you see in the quote. You might also raise a point
of comparison between readings. The issue may be related to your topic
discussion, though it need not be. Be prepared with these: I will on occasion
ask you to present your issue id in class as a way to start discussion.
Course Schedule
Note: Readings with a number are from the History 368 Reader, the photocopied packet
of readings; bulleted readings are from the books. Groups that have a discussion paper
due on the readings for that day are noted in the brackets after the date.
Part I: Genesis of Empire?
Expansionism from the City on a Hill to the
Declaration of Independence and the New Nation
Week 1 (week of August 30-)
1.1 Introduction: Stars and Stripes over time
1.2 [Groups A and B]:
1. Charles Maier, excerpt from Among Empires
2. Niall Ferguson, excerpt from Colossus
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• Major Problems in American Foreign Relations, ch 1. Explaining American Foreign
Relations * / William Appleman Williams, The Open Door Policy: Economic
Expansion and the Remaking of Societies/ Andrew Rotter, Gender,
Expansionism, and Imperialism / Mary A. Renda, Paternalism and Imperial
Culture
Week 2 (Sept. 6-)
2.1 [Group C]
• Nugent, Habits of Empire, foreword + ch. 1
• Major Problems in American Foreign Relations, ch 2 . The Origins of American
Foreign Policy in the Revolutionary Era [* Documents /1. Governor John
Winthrop Envisions a City Upon a Hill, 1630 / 4. The Declaration of
Independence, 1776. 7. President George Washington Cautions Against
Factionalism and Permanent Alliances in His Farewell Address, 1796
• Major Problems, ch. 1: Bradford Perkins, "The Unique American Prism" (p. 27)
2.2 [Group D]
• Nugent, ch. 2
• Major Problems, ch. 4. The Louisiana Purchase [ * Documents 1. President
Thomas Jefferson Assesses the French Threat in New Orleans, 1802 / 2.
Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of France, Explains the Need to Sell
Louisiana to the United States, 1803 / 3. Robert R. Livingston, American
Minister to France, Recounts the Paris Negotiations, 1803 / 4. Federalist
Alexander Hamilton Debunks Jefferson's Diplomacy, 1803 / 5. Jefferson
Instructs Captain Meriwether Lewis on Exploration, 1803 /* Essays / Joyce
Appleby, Jefferson's Resolute Leadership and Drive Toward Empire
Week 3 (Sep. 13-)
3.1 [Group E]
• Nugent, ch. 3
• Major Problems, from ch. 5 [5. Shawnee Chief Tecumseh Condemns US Land
Grabs and Plays the British Card; 8. Former President Thomas Jefferson
Predicts the Easy Conquest of Canada, 1812
• Major Problems, ch. 6 The Monroe Doctrine [ * Documents / 1. Secretary of
State John Quincy Adams Warns Against the Search for "Monsters to
Destroy," 1821/ 5. The Monroe Doctrine Declares the Western Hemisphere
Closed to European Intervention, 1823 / 6. Colombia Requests an Explanation
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of U.S. Intentions, 1824 / 7. Juan Bautista Alberdi of Argentina Warns Against
the Threat of "Monroism" to the Independence of Spanish America, n.d./ *
Essays //William E. Weeks, The Age of Manifest Destiny Begins
Part II: United States Colonialism in Indian Country
3.2 Film: We Shall Remain: Tecumseh’s Vision
Week 4 (Sept. 20-)
4.1 [Groups A and B (note, group A please write in connection to
Lepore and Group B please tie into any of the other readings]
3. Jill Lepore, "Remembering American Frontiers"
Consult website on Indian Removal and on William Apess on the revolt at
Mashpee: http://www.teachushistory.org/indian-removal/resources
•Nugent, 222-230
• Major Problems in American Foreign Relations, ch. 7, * Essays/ Theda Perdue,
The Origins of Removal and the Fate of the Southeastern Indians // Robert V.
Remini, Jackson's Good Intentions and the Inevitability of the Indian Removal
Act
4.2 [Group C; Historical News Reports, Group E]
• VanDevelder, Savages and Scoundrels, xi-19; 26-27; 44-68
• Major Problems in American Foreign Relations, ch. 7, documents: / documents:
[Westward Expansion and Indian Removal // * Documents/ 1. Senator
Theodore Frelinghuysen Protests Removal, 1830/ 2. The Indian Removal Act
Authorizes Transfer of Eastern Tribes to the West, 1830/ 3. The Cherokee
Nation Protests the Removal Policy, 1830 /4. President Andrew Jackson
Defends Removal, 1830/ 5. Cherokee Nation v. the State of Georgia: The
Supreme Court Refuses Jurisdiction over Indian Affairs, 1831/ 6. Cherokee
Chief John Ross Denounces U.S. Removal Policy, 1836 /
Week 5 (Sept. 27-)
5.1 [Group D]
• VanDevelder, Savages and Scoundrels, chs. 3-4,
4. Chief Joseph, "An Indian's View of Indian Affairs"
5.2 [Group E; Historical News Reports, Group B]
• VanDevelder, Savages and Scoundrels, chs. 5-6, appendix. “Treaty of Fort
Laramie”
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Part III:
The Mexican War and Manifest Destiny
Week 6 (Oct. 4-)
6.1 [Group A]
• Nugent, chs. 5 and 7.
• Major Problems: ch. 8. Manifest Destiny, Texas, and the War with Mexico
[*Documents /1. Commander Sam Houston's Battle Cry for Texan
Independence from Mexico, 1835/ 2. General Antonio López de Santa Anna
Defends Mexican Sovereignty over Texas, 1837. 3/. Democratic Publicist John
L. O'Sullivan Proclaims America's Manifest Destiny, 1839/
6.2 [Group B; Historical News Reports, Group D]
The Mexican War
• Major Problems: ch. 8. Manifest Destiny, Texas, and the War with Mexico
[*Documents 4. President James K. Polk Lays Claim to Texas and Oregon,
1845/ 5. Polk Asks Congress to Declare War on Mexico, 1846/ 6. The
Wilmot Proviso Raises the Issue of Slavery in New Territories, 1846/ 7.
Massachusetts Senator Daniel Webster Protests the War with Mexico and the
Admission of New States to the Union, 1848/ 8. Mexican Patriots Condemn
U.S. Aggression, 1850 // * Essays/ Anders Stephanson, The Ideology and Spirit
of Manifest Destiny //Thomas R. Hietala, Empire by Design, Not Destiny//
David M. Pletcher, Polk's Aggressive Leadership
[Friday 3.30: History Department Forum and Introduction
(optional)]
Week 7 (Oct. 11-)
7.1 [Group C; Historical News Reports, Group A]
• Nugent, ch. 6, 230-36.
5. Michael Adas, "Machines and Manifest Destiny," excerpt from Dominance by
Design: Technological Imperatives and America's Civilizing Mission
7.2 No Class; I am away at the Western History Association
Conference
<<Paper Due Friday by 4pm; Please turn papers in to the folder next to my
office door, Wyatt 138]
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Week 8 (Oct 18-)
8.1 fall break
Part IV:
Into the Pacific: China, Japan
and the Case of Hawai'i
8.2 [Group D]
• Nugent, ch. 9
8. Documents and Essays on Colonization, Pacific Markets, and Asian Labor
Migration: Please read documents 1, 2, and 3.
Week 9 (Oct. 25-)
9.1 [Group E; Historical News Reports, Group B]
• Major Problems, ch. 9. Expansion to the Pacific and Asia [ * Documents 1. S.
Wells Williams Remembers Protestant Missionary Work in China, 1883 / 2.
American Merchants in Canton Plead for Protection During the Opium Crisis,
1839 / 3. A Chinese Official Recommends Pitting American Barbarians Against
British Barbarians, 1841 / 4. Secretary of State Daniel Webster Instructs
Caleb Cushing on Negotiating with China, 1843 / 5. Webster Warns European
Powers Away from Hawai'i, 1851 / 6. Instructions to Commodore Matthew C.
Perry for His Expedition to Japan, 1852 / 7. Ii Naosuke, Feudal Lord of Hikone,
Advocates Accommodation with the United States, 1853 / 8. Tokugawa
Nariaki, Feudal Lord of Mito, Argues Against Peace, 1853 //* Essays / Walter
LaFeber, The Origins of the U.S.-Japanese Clash / Paul W. Harris, Protestant
Missionaries and Cultural Imperialism in China
9.2 [Group A]
6. Amy Greenberg, "Manifest Destiny and Manly Missionaries: Expansionism in
the Pacific"
• Noenoe Silva, Aloha Betrayed: Hawaiian Resistance to American Colonialism, pp.
30-43
7. Richard Tucker, "Lords of the Pacific: Sugar barons in the Hawaiian and
Philippine Islands"
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8. Documents and Essays on Colonization, Pacific Markets, and Asian Labor
Migration: read documents 4, "Hawaiians Petition" and 5, "A Foreigner
Speculates on Hawaiian Land Acquisition" and the essay by Ronald Takaki,
"Native and Asian Labor in the Colonization of Hawai'i"
Race and Pedagogy National Conference, October 28-30
Week 10 (Nov. 1-)
10.1 [Group B; Historical News Reports Groups C]
• Noenoe Silva, Aloha Betrayed: Hawaiian Resistance to American Colonialism,
introduction, chs. 2 and 3
10.2 [Group C]
9. Eric Love, excerpt from Race Over Empire
• Noenoe Silva, Aloha Betrayed, ch. 4
10. Excerpt from the Blount Report: Message from President Cleveland
Week 11 (Nov. 8-)
11.1
• Major Problems, ch. 11, document 6. Queen Lili'uokalani Protests U.S.
Intervention in Hawai'i, 1893, 1897
11.2 [Group D]
• Silva, Aloha Betrayed, ch. 5.
11. Huanani-Kay Trask, excerpts from From a Native Daughter.
Part V:
Race, Economics, Immigration and the Domestic
Culture of Empire, 1870s-1910s
Week 12 (Nov. 15-)
12.1 : Crucible of Empire
<Paper Due in Class>
12.2 [Group E; Historical News Reports Groups B]
• Jacobson, Barbarian Virtues:, 3-38, 49-97
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• Major Problems, ch 11: 1. Future Secretary of State William H. Seward
Dreams of Hemispheric Empire, 1860 / 4. Captain Alfred T. Mahan Advocates
a Naval Buildup, 1890
• Major Problems, ch. 12, document 7: McKinley Preaches his Imperial Gospel
Week 13 (Nov. 22-)
13.1 [Group A: Historical News Reports Groups C and D]
• Jacobson, Barbarian Virtues:, 105-121, 127-172
• Major Problems, ch 11: 5. Designers Rave About a Gentleman's GloballyInspired Décor, 1892; essay by Kristin Hoganson, "Cosmopolitan Domesticity"
<Prospectus Due Tuesday by 5pm: Please turn them in to the folder next to
my office door, Wyatt 138>
13.2 Thanksgiving
Part VI:
The Spanish-American War and the “Open Door”:
The Philippines, China and the Renewal of Manifest
Destiny in the New Century
Week 14 (Nov. 29-)
14.1 [Group B; Historical News Reports Group E]
12. Kristin Hoganson, excerpt from Fighting for American Manhood
13. Theodore Roosevelt, "The Strenuous Life"
15. Documents on the debate over the Philippines
16. "Aguinaldo's Case"
17. Mark Twain, "To the Person Sitting in Darkness"
22. Theodore Roosevelt on Philippine Colonization
Recommended: • Major Problems, ch. 14: Emily Rosenberg, "Tr's Civilizing
Message: Race, Gender, and Dollar Diplomacy"/ and 14. (in reader) Michael
Adas, “Improving on the Civilizing Mission”
14.2 [Group C; Historical News Reports Group A]
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• Jacobson, Barbarian Virtues, 190-201
• Major Problems, ch. 13. The Open Door Policy and China [* Documents /1.
The First Open Door Note Calls for Equal Trade Opportunity in China, 1899 /
2. The British Communicate a Friendly but Noncommittal Reply, 1899 / 3. The
Russians Provide a Friendly but Noncommittal Reply, 1899 / 4. The Second
Open Door Note Calls for Preservation of Chinese Independence, 1900 / 5.
Missionary Evelyn Sites Describes the Emotional Conversion of a Chinese
Woman, n.d. / 6. Missionary Anna Hartwell Discusses "Soul Winning," 1919 /
7. The Boxers Lash Out at Christian Missionaries and Converts, 1900 / *
Essays / Michael H. Hunt, The Open Door Constituency's Pressure for U.S.
Activism / Arnold Xiangze Jiang, U.S. Economic Expansion and the Defense of
Imperialism at China's Expense / Jane Hunter, Women Missionaries and
Cultural Conquest
Week 15 (Dec. 6-)
15.1 (5/5) [Groups D and E]
• Jacobson, Barbarian Virtues:, 175-177, 221-265
19. Rudyard Kipling, "The White Man's Burden"
20. "The White Man's Duty" in The American Missionary
21. Thomas Fortune, "The White Man's Burden," in New York Age
• Major Problems, ch. 12; Document 6: American Anti-Imperialist League
Platform
• Nugent, Postscript
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other definitions of “Imperialism” (a selection, from LatinLibrary.com)
Imperialism may be defined as the effective domination by a relatively strong
state over a weaker people whom it does not control as it does its home
population, or as the effort to secure such domination. . . . [On] a political
level, imperialism may be said to exist when a weaker people cannot act with
respect to what it regards as fundamental domestic or foreign concerns for
fear of foreign reprisals that it believes itself unable to counter. . . . When
imperialism manifests itself directly its presence is unambiguous enough: A
political authority emanating from a foreign land sets itself up as locally
sovereign, claiming the final right to determine and enforce the law over a
people recognized as distinct from that of the imperial homeland. Tony Smith,
The Pattern of Imperialism: the United States, Great Britain, and the LateIndustrializing World Since 1815 (Cambridge University Press, 1981).
Empire, then, is a relationship, formal or informal, in which one state controls
the effective political sovereignty of another political society. It can be achieved
by force, by political collaboration, by economic, social, or cultural
dependence. Imperialism is simply the process or policy of establishing or
maintaining an empire. Michael W. Doyle, Empires (Cornell 1986) p. 45.
[Imperialism is] something more general than just direct colonial rule; it will
encompass informal domination as well, including relations of domination
within the industrially advanced world. At the same time, it will mean
something more specific than mere inequality of power between different
nations and the effects of that inequality. Effective control will remain an
essential quality for the notion of imperialism. Schwabe, Klaus. "The Global
Role of the United States and its Imperial Consequences, 1898-1973."
Imperialism and After: Continuities and Discontinuities. Eds. Wolfgang Mommsen
and Jurgen Osterhammel (London 1986).
I define 'Imperialism' as a system devised by elites to keep the poor and
powerless poor and powerless. Imperialism is a system which will mutate as
often as required by changing circumstances to make sure the poor and
powerless remain poor and powerless. To do so, the elites of imperialism use
all means to undermine, bypass or destroy any counter-systems which have
been invented by the poor and powerless to give themselves more power. Jim
Wingate, Saviour of Linguistic Imperialism? A Counterblast to Corpus
Linguistics (Plymouth 2000).
17
"Men with guns looking for money". David Cooper (2006).
18