During the early Gilded Age,
American interests largely remained
confined within its own borders.
However, the far reaching economic
changes of this time period, coupled
with the radically changing social
structure, prompted America to
compete abroad for international
possessions and prestige. By 1900, the
United States became an empire.

Seward’s Folly (1867)
› Purchase of Alaska

American Nationalism
› Shaped by sense of power—population growth,
wealth, and production

Interest in colonies and territories
› Access to markets
› “Yellow Press” –sensationalized stories of Pulitzer
and Hearst
› Ethnocentrism
 Belief in cultural superiority


Social Darwinism
Scramble for Africa—Berlin Conference
(1884)


Closing of the frontier
Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan
 Control of the sea—new steel navy

James G. Blaine
 “Big Sister” policy
 Pan-American Conference (1899)

Samoan Islands
 German-American conflict

British Guiana—Venezuelan border dispute
 GOLD!
 Monroe Doctrine—S.O.S. Richard Olney
 The Germans!
› The Great Rapprochement

American interests in Hawaii
› Way station—whalers
› Missionaries
› Sugar!
 Americans capitalize on
Japanese and Chinese labor
› 1887 treat—Pearl Harbor

American control
› Japanese intervention
› McKinley Tariff (1890)

Queen Liliuokalani
(lee-lee-oo-oh-kah-lah-nee)
› Insisted on native control!
› American troops

Annexation?
› Cleveland blocks

Cuba=Spanish colony
 Tariff cripples sugar industry—hurts American agricultural interests
 Insurrectos—scorched earth policy
› Stakes
 50 million invested—100 million annual trade
 Panama Canal
› Gas on the fire
 Valeriano “Butcher” Weyler
 Concentration camps
 “yellow journalism”
 de Lôme Letter
 Criticized McKinley for being soft
 USS Maine
 Explodes on 15 February 1898
 260 sailor die—Spanish to blame (not really)

McKinley declares war
› Teller Amendment

The Pacific Theater
› The Philippines
 Commodore George Dewey
 01 May 1898—obliterates Spanish fleet
 Spanish losses: 10 ships (out dated) and 400 men
 U.S. survives the engagement unscathed
 Manila captured 13 August 1898
› Hawaii
 Way station for troops in Philippines
 Fear of Japanese encroachment
 Annexation—7 July 1898
 Full territorial status—1900

Cuba
› Americans blockade
Santiago Harbor
 Spanish have rickety fleet
there
› American realities
 Army—unorganized and
outdated
 Rough Riders—American
cavalry
 Teddy Roosevelt and Leonard
Wood
 African Americans
 Aided by insurrectos

Puerto Rico
› Welcomed as liberators

American losses
› 400 from battle
› 5,000 from disease and
sickness

The Treaty of Paris 1898
› Guam, Puerto Rico, and Philippines (20 million
dollars)

The question of the Philippines
› Size and population?
› Imperial interests of the Old World?
› Acquisition after armistice—opposition?
support?
› Independence?
› Contiguous territories?
› White man’s burden?