The United States Becomes a World Power
What should I know by the end
of this unit?
Imperialism
Nationalism
Annex
Cuba
San Juan Hill
Treaty of Paris
China
Roosevelt
Corollary
 Great White
Fleet
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Hearst
Jingoism
McKinley
USS Maine
Rough Riders
Platt
Amendment
 Spheres of
influence
 Panama Canal
 De Lome
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Dollar diplomacy
Spain
Philippines
TR
George Dewey
“Splendid Little
War”
Hawaii
Open Door Policy
Concession
Anti-imperialists
What is Imperialism?

 “What do nations care about the cost of war, if by
spending a few hundred millions in steel and
gunpowder they can gain a thousand millions in
diamonds and cocoa?” – W.E.B. Du Bois
 “America…goes not abroad, in search of monsters to
destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and
independence of all.” – John Quincy Adams
Think-Pair-Share
 IMPERIALISM is
the
policy of extending
the power and
dominion of a nation
especially by direct
territorial
acquisitions or by
gaining indirect
control over the
political or economic
life of other areas;

Why Does Imperialism
Grow?

 1. Economic Factors
 Growth of industry = need for natural resources
 Need place to sell goods
 2. Nationalist Factors
 Nationalism = devotion to one’s nation
 3. Military Factors
 Advances in Military technology
 Military required bases around the world
 4. Humanitarian Factors
 Religious goals & “Westernize” including law and
medicine
What’s Up With That?

 Why would the strong U.S. want to create an empire
in small, weak areas?

Preserving the American Spirit

 Some feared the U.S. was losing power
 The quest for empire would restore the nation’s faith
 Justifications
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Darwinism
Christianity
Manifest Destiny
“civilizing the uncivilized”
What’s Up With That?

 What does it mean to “civilize the uncivilized?”
Imperialism Activity

 Get into groups of 5
 Your group is a nation, name it!
 (don’t name it after an already-existing nation)
 On your handout, draw a flag to represent your nation & write
your nation’s name.
This should take 5 minutes
Wait for further instructions
Imperialism Activity Cont.

 From now on, no one but the Premier may use the
post its or the marker
 Form a line with everyone in your country.
 The premier leader should be at the front of the line
(with the marker and post-its) followed by everyone
else in the country. Hook arms so that everyone in
the country, including the premier leader is in a line
with hooked arms. Stay in a line, not a circle.
This should take a maximum 2 minutes
Imperialism Activity
Mission

 You are an imperialist nation. There are other nations that are
competing against you for some desirable territories. It is your mission
to annex the most land. Once the music starts, your country may move
around the room and “claim territory.”
 To claim territory, the premier leader must draw your country’s
flag on a post-it. Detach the post-it, and pass it through his/her
country until it reaches the last person. The last person may then
stick the post-it on whatever territory your country is claiming.
 The Premier leader MAY NOT “pre-draw” flags on post-its.
He/She may only draw one flag at a time, when the county
decides to what territory it is claiming.
 Your country and its citizens must stay hooked! If any arms
become unhooked, those people are no longer part of the country.
 Territory OFF LIMITS:
 Anything on teachers desk
 You may claim cabinets, but not the individual contents in the cabinets
 Once the music stops, you must stop claiming territory! Find a
group of desks for your country to sit and work together.
Exit Slip (aka You Cannot Leave the
Room Until You Turn This Paper In!)

 Reflect on the activity
 What was difficult? Why?
 How does the activity relate to imperialism?
Throw away your Post-it
Notes!!!
Which countries are
represented
in this picture?
April 1898 – August 1898
Click on the newspaper for a video!
Where, Oh Where, to Expand?

 The U.S. looked to three main areas
 Latin America
 Islands of the Pacific
 China
 Conflicts already existed between Latin America &
Spain
 Spain was an “Old World” power & claimed
territories in Latin America.
Newspaper articles

 Editorial –
 Newstory -
The Cuban Rebellion
 Cuba was a colony of Spain
 Sugarcane plantations
 1868 – Cuban rebels declared
independence and launched
a guerrilla war against
Spanish authorities, but
failed by 1878
 Americans wanted to
intervene

 Already linked economically
through trade
McKinley

 Wanted to remain neutral in Cuban/Spanish conflict
 Hoped Spain & Cuba would negotiate
Reasons US declared war

 1. Loss of money in Cuba
(1895 – Cubans rebelled –
burned canefields and mills)
50 million invested and
100million in trade
 2. Reconcentration camps –
crush rebellion –
-victims died like dogs
Reasons (cont)

 3. Yellow journalism –
 4. de Lome letters
de Lome Disses McKinley

 “McKinley is weak
and a bidder for the
admiration of the
crowd, besides being
a would-be politician
who tries to leave a
door open behind
himself while
keeping on good
terms with the
jingoes of his party.”
 Yo, McKinley is so
WEAK! He just
wants to be
popular. The guy
shouldn’t even be
the President! He is
such a people
pleaser. Dude will
do anything to get
a vote.
Reasons (Cont)

 5. February 15, 1898 – USS Maine is docked in Havana, Cuba –
for friendly visit ??
 EXPLODES
McKinley cont.

 Spain offered Cubans autonomy, the right to their
own government, but only if Cuba agreed to remain
part of the Spanish empire
 Cubans refused because they wanted complete
independence
 McKinley worried that American citizens in Cuba
would be harmed if the Spanish attacked
 Congress put $50million toward war preparations
 McKinley would not declare war
You’re Such a Jingo!

 Jingoism was an attitude of aggressive nationalism
 They were furious at McKinley for not declaring war
 TR, who was Asst. Secretary of the Navy, was outraged at
McKinley and said
McKinley had “no more backbone
than a chocolate éclair.”
Basically, Jingoes fueled the fire
for war
Declaration of War

 April 11, 1898 – McKinley authorized the use of force
to end the conflict in Cuba
 April 19 – Congress declared Cuba independent
from Spain & demanded Spain withdraw from Cuba
 April 24 – Spain declared war on the U.S.
 For the first time, since the Civil War, the U.S. was at
war
What does this
picture represent?
Answer:
The uniting of the
Union &
Confederate
soldiers for the
Spanish-American
War
War in Pacific
 1 action was actually in the
Philippines May 1 1898

st
 Admiral George Dewey
(click for video) launched a
surprise attack on Spanish
ships, destroying Spain’s
entire fleet

Brief Timeline of Events

 1st Volunteer Cavalry, aka the
Rough Riders, prepared to
invade Cuba
 Led by TR
 July 1, 1898 – TR led RR in a
charge up San Juan Hill
 Most famous battle of
Spanish-American War
 July 3 – Spanish desperately
attempt to escape Santiago
 U.S. Navy sank every Spanish
ship
 What U.S. holiday is
celebrated the next day?
Treaty of Paris

 Signed in December 1898
 Spanish government recognized Cuba’s
independence
 Gave up the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam
 Is Puerto Rico independent today?
http://app.discoveryeducation.com/player/view/assetGui
d/1F59368F-023A-46B6-81FA-881342A909B2
Platt Amendment

 In 1900, Cuba begins drafting their Constitution
 U.S. government insisted that the Cubans include
provisions outlined in the Platt Amendment
 Cuban gov. could not enter foreign agreements
 Must allow U.S. to establish 2 naval bases
 Guantanamo Bay
 Give U.S. right to intervene when necessary
 Remained in force until 1934
What’s Up With That?

 Why would the U.S. push the Platt Amendment onto
the Cubans? Does this seem like independence?
Gains in the Pacific

 Hawaii was becoming important to the U.S.
 Trade treaty – sugar
 Leased Pearl Harbor to U.S. as fueling and repair station for
naval vessels
 Liliuokalani ascended to the throne as Queen
 Opposed U.S. control of the islands
 Marines & pineapple planter
Sanford B. Dole removed
Lili from power and
McKinley annexed Hawaii in
1898
Jigsaw Activity
2
Anti-Imperialists Platform
1
White Man’s Burden
de Lome Letter
The Strenuous Life
4
3