American Imperialism
FOREIGN POLICY, 1865-1919
Objective 1
• How did proponents of imperialism
justify colonization?
• Do Now: List the 3 main reasons
imperialists used based on the primary
source assignment you were working
on the past 2 days.
What is imperialism?
• The policy by which strong nations
extend their political, military, and
economic control over weaker
territories.
• With closing of western frontier, many felt
Manifest Destiny still had not been
achieved. This, along with increase in
population, wealth, and industry, caused
many to feel it was time to extend beyond
continental U.S.
Not a foreign concept…
• Imperialism not a new idea.
• European nations gathering new colonies in
Africa and Asia since mid-1800s. They
needed raw materials and natural resources.
• Extractive economies: imperial country extracts
raw materials from colony and ships them to home
country giving them advantage in competition for
global resources.
• This early expansion had led President
Monroe to deliver his Monroe Doctrine in
1823.
Reasons for American Imperialism
• With closing of western frontier, many
felt Manifest Destiny still had not been
achieved. This, along with increase in
population, wealth, and industry,
caused many to feel it was time to
extend beyond continental U.S.
• Jingoism: extreme nationalism that
encourages aggressive foreign policy
stance
• Desire for military strength
• Need to find new markets to sell American
goods
• Belief in cultural superiority/Social
Darwinism
Desire for Strong Military: Alfred T.
Mahan’s New Navy
• U.S. Naval Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan supported
overseas expansion in his book The Influence of Sea
Power Upon History (1890)
• Focused on idea that U.S. needed to build powerful navy to
become major world power.
• To do this, U.S. would need to occupy sites around world
to establish refueling stations and naval bases.
• Most logical areas were Hawaii and Cuba
• Also advocated building of canal across Isthmus of
Panama to provide quick route from Pacific to Atlantic
• Explains why focus of early expansion was on Pacific
islands and Central America.
U.S. Need for Markets
• Americans had plethora of natural
resources and raw materials.
• They were producing more goods than
America could buy
• Imperialism appealed to them because
it would provide new markets to sell
their goods.
• Experiencing surplus that needed to be
sold in order to prevent American factories
from closing and unemployment to rise.
Belief in Cultural Superiority/Social
Darwinism
• After successfully removing Native
American population from west,
seemed natural to remove other native
populations overseas from the way of
“progress”
• Social/cultural superiority and the
white man’s burden, Imperialism of
righteousness
• Moral (Christianity and democracy) and
technological improvement of “less
civilized” people
Objective 2
• Evaluate the economic, political, and
social impact the first steps the U.S.
took towards world power had on the
country.
First Steps Towards World Power
• 1853: Commodore Matthew Perry sailed fleet of
American warships into Tokyo Bay, Japan
• Prior to this Japan had denied the rest of the
world access to its ports.
• Perry negotiated a treaty that opened Japan to
trade with America. This set a precedent for further
expansion across Pacific Ocean.
• 1867: U.S. takes possession of Midway Islands
• Treaties in 1875 and 1887 increased trade with
Hawaiian Islands and earned right to build naval
base at Pearl Harbor.
The US & Alaska
• 1867-Seward’s
Folly/Seward’s
Ice Box
• Alaska-$7.2
million
• 2 cents an acre
• Seward’s purchase almost
doubled the country’s size and
turned out to be rich in timber,
oil, and other natural
resources. Alaska also greatly
expanded America’s reach
across Pacific.
The US & Hawaii
• Hawaiian Islands had been economically linked to U.S. for almost a
century
•
Merchant ships stopped at Hawaii on their way to East Asia, missionaries had
established Christian churches and schools, farmers established sugarcane
plantations there.
• In early 1890s, America planters in Hawaii faced 2 crises.
•
•
New U.S. tariff law imposed duties on Hawaiian sugar that made it more expensive
than sugar produced in U.S.
Queen Liliuokalani resented increasing power of white planters and abolished the
constitution that had given political power to whites in an attempt to expel them from
the island
• With backing of U.S. officials, American planters, led by Sanford B.
Dole, overthrew the queen in 1893.
• 1898: President McKinley proclaimed Hawaii an official U.S. territory
after outbreak of the Spanish-American war.
US Marines in
Overthrow of
Hawaiian Monarchy

Sanford B. Dole

Video Overview
THE SPANISH-AMERICAN
WAR
Objective 3
• Evaluate the causes, nature, and
effects of the Spanish-American War
on the United States.
American Interest in Cuba
• Americans had moved to Cuba after Civil
War to establish large sugar plantations on
lush, tropical island
Causes of the War
• Cubans rebel against Spanish rule
• Yellow Journalism inflames opinion
• USS Maine blows up
Cubans rebel…
• Spain controlled Cuba, and Cubans had been growing more and more
irritated by presence of foreigners and the fact that they amassed
huge fortunes while Cubans worked hard and subsisted from day-today
• Insurrectos adopted scorched-earth policy to drive out the
Spanish
• Spain undertook to crush the rebellion by herding civilians into
barbed-wire reconcentration camps where poor conditions caused
many to die
• Americans could relate to Cubans’ struggle for
independence
• This provided excellent material for journalists in U.S…
Yellow Journalism Inflames Opinion
• Yellow journalism: sensationalized stories written for the
purpose of selling more newspapers
• Competition between William Randolph Hearst (New York Journal) and
Joseph Pulitzer (New York World)
• Named after popular color comic strip called “Yellow Kid” ran exclusively in
Hearst’s paper
• Americans heard of the atrocities, real and sensationalized,
from popular press and as a result grew increasingly
concerned over events in Cuba.
• Drove many Americans and Cuban immigrants to support aiding the
Cubans in their revolt, however Presidents Cleveland and McKinley did not
favor this position and would not consider war an option until U.S. was
directly “threatened.”
U.S.S Maine Explodes
Before
•
•
•
After
•
•
1898-President McKinley
ordered the U.S.S. Maine to
Cuba
• Provide protection and
bring home American
citizens
February 15, 1898
• Maine exploded in Havana
harbor
• 260+ men were killed
U.S. blamed Spain, Spain
denied involvement,
investigation crew declared
submarine mine had sunk the
ship
Later concluded that it was
explosion in coal shaft
Pushed President McKinley to
declare war, however added
Teller Amendment to
declaration to assure Cuba and
rest of world that US intended
to grant Cuba her
independence once war ended
Remember the Maine
Fighting in the Spanish-American War
•
•
•
•
War officially began on April 11, 1898.
The Philippines
• Fighting did not begin in Cuba but in Spanish colony of the Philippines. U.S. Naval
Commodore George Dewey sent with his fleet to Manila Bay and opened fire on May
1. Naval battle short-lived but land battle more difficult. Many Filipinos fought to oust
both the Spanish and the American forces. U.S. able to convince Filipino
revolutionary Emilio Aguinaldo to assist in fight against Spanish in exchange for
independence after war’s end. As result, American and Filipino fighters were able to
take Manila by August.
Cuba
• Fight in Cuba much more difficult due to tropical diseases and inexperience of
American forces. Most American casualties were due to disease, only 10% casualties
due to actual combat. Most celebrated American battle was for high ground of San
Juan Hill. Theodore Roosevelt and volunteer force of college students, cowboys, and
adventurers called the Rough Riders were able to take hill with much assistance
from Fourteenth Regiment Colored Cavalry.
Puerto Rico
• After U.S. claimed victory in Cuba on July 1, it invaded Spanish colony of Puerto Rico.
Unable to fight any longer, Spanish signed ceasefire with U.S. in August 1898.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU5l4yQCpMM
The US Military in Cuba
• Rough Riders
• Segregated
regiments
Treaty of Paris: Territorial Acquisitions
• 4 months of war –
Spain relinquished:
• Cuba*
• Puerto Rico
• Guam
• Philippines
• US began imperialistic foreign
policy that caused them many
problems.
• Americans did not all agree
on expansionist policies
Controversy: What do we do with the
Philippines?
• President McKinley between rock and a hard place:
• He could give the Philippines their independence as promised and risk
either the possibility of radical dictator taking over islands or
European power taking control OR
• He could take the islands and face the court of world opinions.
• Decided that U.S. would take Philippines and deal with independence
issue at later date
• Led to intense guerilla warfare
• Filipinos under leadership of once-American ally Aguinaldo, broke
out into revolt against American presence. Horrible guerilla
warfare broke out between Filipino revolutionaries and Americans
in jungles of islands in 1899. Aguinaldo and his fighters were
finally subdued by U.S. in 1901, when leader was captured.
Philippines did not gain their independence until 1946.
Cuba after the war…
• As Cuba set to draft its constitution, U.S. grew
unsure of Teller Amendment and its promise to give
Cuba independence with no strings attached.
• Issued the Platt Amendment in 1902, which Cubans
would have to write into their Constitution to gain freedom.
• Made Cuba a protectorate of the U.S.
• Cuba had to have all treaties approved by U.S. before signing
• U.S. had right to interfere in Cuban political and military affairs
• U.S. would be given access to naval bases on the island
• In essence, Cubans had not gained their independence at all.
Part 3
America as a World Power
The Panama Canal
• U.S. had interests in Caribbean and Pacific and wanted to cut down
travel time between the seas (traveling around South America took
several weeks)
• 1901: U.S. tried to negotiate treaty with Columbia but Columbia
didn’t accept the terms
• Panamanians revolted against Columbia
• Head of revolution met privately with TR to plan
• November 2: U.S. gunboat arrives in Panama and following day
Panamanians begin their rebellion
• U.S. marines prevented Columbian forces from reaching the rebels
• Rebels set up new govt. and declared Panama an independent nation;
U.S. recognized Panama and negotiated new canal treaty
• Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty: gave U.S. complete and unending
control over 10-mile wide Canal Zone.
• Construction of Canal began in 1904 and was completed in 1914
Panama Canal
How the locks system works...
The Panafdgfdgfdgdfgma Canal
• The Panama Canal…click link below
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoQ7R
HyG-EA
The Roosevelt Corollary
• President Roosevelt growing increasingly concerned
over problems with nation of Venezuela and
attempts by Britain and Germany to collect debts
from country
• Amended Monroe Doctrine by adding the Roosevelt
Corollary, which stated that U.S. would come to
aid of any Latin American nation experiencing
financial trouble.
• In essence, U.S. became police officer of Latin America
• This changes relations abroad
• U.S. used force to protect the Dominican Republic and Cuba
from political chaos
The U.S. and China
• China was another area of concern for Americans, especially
investors.
• Japan and other European nations had already carved up “spheres of
influence” in China
• Regions where a particular country has exclusive rights over mines, railroads, and trade.
• Wanting in on the action, Secretary of State John Hay issued his solution,
the Open Door Policy in 1899
• China and her surrounding regions would be open and free to trade with any nation
• Received cold shoulder abroad
• China did not like the influence that westerners were having on
their country
• 1900, young group of Chinese nationalists revolted against Open Door
Policy and foreign intervention in Boxer Rebellion
• Killed more than 200 whites and attacked foreign settlement in Beijing.
• Sought to remove all foreigners from China by force
• Multinational force, including U.S. forces, sent to Peking to end rebellion
The U.S. and Japan
• The Russo-Japanese War
•
War broke out between Russia and Japan in 1904 over land in China, Korea, and
Manchuria. Japan was first serious military setback to European power by nonEuropean force since 1500s. But Japan began to run short of men and yen and asked
TR in secret to help sponsor peace negotiations.
• TR did not want either nation to win control over the region
•
TR guided warring parties to settlement (Treaty of Portsmouth) that ended war
but satisfied neither and ruined U.S. friendships with two foreign countries.
• Russians accused Roosevelt of robbing them of military victory
• Japanese felt cheated out of its due compensation and Japan and U.S. now became rivals in
Asia as fear and jealousy between them grew.
• The Gentleman’s Agreement
•
War in Japan caused new wave of Japanese immigrants to come to California,
angering white Californians.
• 1906: San Francisco school board tried to segregate schools which angered the Japanese
• TR invited school board to Washington and got them to agree to repeal offensive school order
if Tokyo agreed to stop the flow of laborers to the American mainland by withholding
passports.
• The Great White Fleet
•
TR did not want Japanese to think that U.S. had given in to wishes as show of
weakness, so he sent the U.S. navy around the world as a show of power.
• From this point on, relations with Japan were strained.
Imperialistic Presidents
• Theodore Roosevelt: Big Stick Diplomacy
• William Howard Taft: Dollar Diplomacy
• Encouraged Wall Street investors to send their dollars to
foreign countries to weaken European bonds and
strengthen ties with U.S.
• However, when these American investments were
endangered, sent U.S. forces to protect American
investments.
• Woodrow Wilson: Moral Diplomacy
• Believed imperialism was immoral, but believed in
superiority of American democracy and thought it was his
duty to spread that ideal to protect nations under threats of
totalitarianism
• Wilson invaded Nicaragua and Dominican Republic and
purchased Virgin Islands
Anti-Imperialism
• Reasons
• Moral
• Political
• Racial
• Economic
• William Jennings Bryan speech
Crash Course American History
• American Imperialism