© Stephanie’s History Store 2018 Open Door Note Primary Source Analysis At the time when the [US] Government was informed by [Germany’s] that it had leased from His Majesty the Emperor of China the port of Kiao-chao and the adjacent territory in the province of Shantung, assurances were given to the ambassador of the United States at Berlin by the Imperial German minister for foreign affairs that the rights and privileges insured by treaties with China to citizens of the United States would not thereby suffer or be in anywise impaired within the area over which Germany had thus obtained control. More recently, however, the British Government recognized by a formal agreement with Germany the exclusive right of the latter country to enjoy in said leased area and the contiguous “sphere of influence or interest” certain privileges, more especially those relating to railroads and mining enterprises; but as the exact nature and extent of the rights thus recognized have not been clearly defined, it is possible that serious conflicts of interest may at any time arise not only between British and German subjects within said area, but that the interests of our citizens may also be jeopardized thereby. Earnestly desirous to remove any cause of irritation and to insure at the same time to the commerce of all nations in China the undoubted benefits which should accrue from a formal recognition by the various powers claiming “spheres of interest” that they shall enjoy perfect equality of treatment for their commerce and navigation within such “spheres,” the [US] Government would be pleased to see His German Majesty’s Government give formal assurances, and lend its cooperation in securing like assurances from the other interested powers, that each, within its respective sphere of whatever influence. First. Will in no way interfere with any treaty port or any vested interest within any so-called “sphere of interest” or leased territory it may have in China. Second. That the Chinese treaty tariff of the time being shall apply to all merchandise landed or shipped to all such ports as are within said “sphere of interest” (unless they be “free ports”), no matter to what nationality it may belong, and that duties so leviable shall be collected by the Chinese Government. Third. That it will levy no higher harbor dues on vessels of another nationality frequenting any port in such “sphere” than shall be levied on vessels of its own nationality, and no higher railroad charges over lines built, controlled, or operated within its “sphere” on merchandise belonging to citizens or subjects of other nationalities transported through such “sphere” than shall be levied on similar merchandise belonging to its own nationals transported over equal distances. The liberal policy pursued by His Imperial German Majesty in declaring Kiao-chao a free port and in aiding the Chinese Government in the establishment there of a customhouse are so clearly in line with the proposition which this Government is anxious to see recognized that it entertains the strongest hope that Germany will give its acceptance and hearty support. The recent statement of His Majesty the Emperor of Russia declaring the port of Ta-lien-wan open during the whole of the lease under which it is held from China to the merchant ships of all nations, coupled with the categorical assurances made to this Government by His Imperial Majesty's representative at this capital at the time and since repeated to me by the present Russian ambassador, seem to insure the support of the Emperor to the proposed measure. Our ambassador [in] St. Petersburg has…been instructed to submit it…and to request their early consideration of it… The commercial interests of Great Britain and Japan will be so clearly observed by the desired declaration of intentions, and the views of the Governments of these countries as to the desirability of the adoption of measures insuring the benefits of equality of treatment of all foreign trade throughout China are so similar to those entertained by the United States, that their acceptance of the propositions herein outlined and their cooperation in advocating their adoption by the other powers can be confidently expected. I inclose herewith copy of the instruction which I have sent to Mr. Choate on the subject. In view of the present favorable conditions, you are instructed to submit the above considerations to His Imperial German Majesty's Minister for Foreign Affairs, and to request his early consideration of the subject. © Stephanie’s History Store 2018 A B © Stephanie’s History Store 2018 C Name: __________________________________ Date: __________ Comprehension Questions/Tasks 1. Explain why it mattered to the United States that a port and territory in China was now controlled/leased by Germany. Inferring from prior knowledge, what name could you give the original treaty/policy this first paragraph is referring to? 2. Why was an assurance made to America that there wouldn’t be any negative impact from German control? 3. Identify the need for Germany to be able to use railroads and have access to mining enterprises rather than another aspect of foreign activity in China. 4. How might conflict arise between Germany and Britain and what would be a possible resolution? 5. Citing from the text first, and then in your own words, as per the 3rd paragraph, what is a main goal of the document? 6. What purpose did spheres of influence in China serve Western powers? © Stephanie’s History Store 2018 7. Summarize the 3 main points Hay outlines in one sentence each. 8. Write synonyms for, or define the following words, then write a historically appropriate sentence with them in the context of Imperialism. levy— tariff— vested interest— 9. Explain how declaring Giao-chao a “free port” was considered a “liberal” policy. 10. Why does Hay feel confident that the Emperor is supporting the policy being proposed? 11. What desire did the US, British, Japanese, Russian, German, etc governments share as per the last paragraph? How feasible do you think sticking to such an agreement was or was not, and why? © Stephanie’s History Store 2018 12. This is referred to as the Open Door Note/Open Door Policy. Cite evidence from the text that most supports that name for this policy. Write another historically plausible title for this text and explain why you chose that title. 13. Inferring from prior knowledge and the text, was John Hay for or against Imperialism and why? Image Analysis 14. Write a caption for each image showing how it portrays Western activity/intentions/actions in China. A: B: C: © Stephanie’s History Store 2018 15. Identify who or what is represented by each figure in the images, then identify the point of view of each political cartoon. A: B: C: 16. Compare and contrast how the three images convey the same message. Which image do you think most effectively gets its message across and why? © Stephanie’s History Store 2018 Answers 1. an additional power was now involved in China, what if they chose down the road that an Open Door wasn’t the way to go, what if they took too many resources, etc…..spheres of influence (or something along those lines) 2. so that America would go along with German control of the port, not question the move, show that we’re all on the same side/working towards the same goal, etc 3. equality of access to resources and the ability to move said resources without building different railroad lines for each European country…less competition, fewer opportunities for violence to break out in China or on the European continent (as imperialism was gaining speed hand in hand with nationalism and militarism) 4. possible answers can include which country had more or less access to the mines, when the RRs could be used, not “playing by the rules,” etc…answers will vary 5. answers can include: “to remove irritation…to ensure the commerce of all nations in China…perfect equality of treatment…” etc…to allow all nations to engage economically in China without competing and coming to blows 6. the ability to increase their wealth/access to natural resources/having equal shares/stakes so there’s one less aspect within Imperialism to fight over, etc 7. answers should be along the lines of not interfering with said spheres/territories, unless it’s a free port tariffs will apply and will be paid to China, no nationality will pay higher tariffs than had previously been agreed upon 8. levy—to pass, tariff—tax, vested interest—personal stake/involvement in a financial venture 9. answers will vary but many students may point to how it was on the opposite end of the spectrum than previously, it was more open minded, etc 10. answers should refer to the last paragraph on the first page where it discusses Russia declaring the port of Ta-lien-wan open and not being opposed by the Emperor 11. positive commercial relations and interests between the countries involved, for all parties involved to accept this proposition…answers will vary 12. answers will vary 13. Against, because this ensures all countries have equal access, equal opportunity for profit/trade, avoid exploitation of China, etc the rest of the answers are based on student creativity/interpretation © Stephanie’s History Store 2018 Thank you for your purchase and support! Please consider leaving feedback on this resource to get TpT Credits towards future purchases. “Follow me” to find out when I post new resources and am having a sale! If you notice a typo, or want clarification on a resource, please contact me via my Q&A before leaving feedback. Need an activity that you can use for any topic? Click HERE Need a Bundle? Click HERE! TERMS OF USE This item is a paid digital download from my TpT store https:// www.teacherspayteacher s.com/Store/StephaniesHistory-Store. As such, it is for use in one classroom only This item is also bound by copyright laws and redistributing, editing, selling, or posting this item (or any part thereof) on the Internet are all strictly prohibited, including sites like Amazon Inspire or public class websites/blogs Violations are subject to the penalties of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, stephanieshistorystore@gmail.com Visit stephanieshistorystore.com for teaching ideas and stories about teaching history © Stephanie’s History Store 2018 All images are from public domain. This includes images taken by employees of various US Government agencies; images published prior to 1923; or images that have otherwise been released to public domain.
