Chapter 27
Empire and Expansion
1890-1909
Summary
As the United States entered world affairs, it
had to deal with many new problems and
decisions. Starting as a country whose
philosophical ties were to isolationism, it
slowly became involved in foreign wars and
colonialism. This chapter traces the steps
toward becoming a world power from the
Spanish-American War to the start of World
War I
CCOT
"'Tis our true policy to steer clear of permanent
alliances with any portion of the foreign world.”
- George Washington’s Farwell Address
CCOT
•
•
•
•
Monroe Doctrine
Manifest Destiny
Isolationism
Industrial Revolution
• Others?
Seward’s Folly - 1867
President of Imperialism
• William McKinley (1897-1901)
– TR was his vice president
Clicker Question #1
Is the United States imperialistic or
nation builders?
Clicker Question #2
Are you okay with the United States being
involved in the affairs of other countries?
A. YES
B. NO
Clicker Question #3
Why should the U.S. get involved in
international affairs?
Clicker Question #4
Why should the U.S. NOT get involved in
international affairs?
In 1896 the Washington Post editorialized
“A new consciousness seems to have come upon
us—the consciousness of strength—and with it a
new appetite, the yearning to show our strength….
Ambition, interest, land hunger, pride, the mere
joy of fighting, whatever it may be, we are
animated by a new sensation. We are face to face
with a strange destiny. The taste of Empire is in the
mouth of the people even as the taste of blood is
in the jungle. It means an Imperial policy, the
Republic, renascent, taking her place with the
armed nations.”
Causes of Imperialism
• Imperialism
– Policy by which strong nations extend their
political, military, and economic control over
weaker territories
• Raw Materials to make goods
Economic Gain
• New Markets to sell goods
Militarism
Naval bases to protect trade
Nationalism and Social Darwinism
Moral duty to spread culture
Areas of Interest
Group Activity
What is your Foreign Policy?
America and Imperialism
• Mostly an isolationist country up until 1898
– Very resource rich
– Surplus of goods
“Today we are raising more [crops] than we can
consume. Today we are making more than we
can use…Therefore we must find new markets
for our produce, new occupation for our capital,
new work for our labor.”
- Senator Albert J. Beveridge, 1898
Alfred Thayer Mahan
• Supported US expansion
• “The Influence of Sea Power upon History”
– Believed US needed a navy to protect its economic
interests in foreign markets
• Necessary to have overseas bases
How would
a strong
navy help
the US
acquire and
control
colonies?
National Superiority
• Imperialism was justified by racial, national,
and cultural superiority
• Social Darwinism
– Only the fittest survive!
• Manifest Destiny
– Expanding beyond the western frontier
Clicker Question #5
Do you believe in the survival of the fittest?
A Change in Mood
• Big Sister Policy
– Open trade between the U.S. and Latin America
• U.S. Skirmishes:
– Germany
– Italy
– Chile
– Canada
– Great Britain
U.S Expansion
Alaska (1867)
- Timber
- Oil
- Doubled Size
Hawaii (1898)
- Sugar
- Naval Base
- Trade stop to China
Philippines (1899)
- Trade
Guam (1899)
- Trade
Puerto Rico (1899)
- Protect US investments
Eastern Samoa (1889)
- Naval Base
Debate the Issue
Should the United States get involved in foreign
affairs?
How has the United States imperialistic agenda
been both beneficial and problematic?
Relate past/contemporary information
to support your answer
Decline of Spain
• Spain was an imperial nation on the decline
– Controlled only a few countries:
• Philippine Islands in the Pacific
• Caribbean islands of Puerto Rico and Cuba
Rebellion in Cuba
• Cuba launched a war for independence from
Spain in 1895
– Cuba becomes unstable
• American entrepreneurs had invested “mucho dinero”
in Cuba
Yellow Journalism
• Newspapers want US to declare war on Spain
– William Randolph Hearst
– Joseph Pulitzer
• Yellow Journalism
– Exaggerated stories or sensational
headlines/pictures
“And shall our country let
it pass, this deed of foul
intent?
And shall our country dare
believe it was an
accident?...
Come arm, we all, and let
us teach a lesson to bold
Spain.
We will avenge, by more
than speech and
destruction of the Maine!”
H.W. Petrie
“The Wreck of the Maine”
1898
Activity
Flip through your newspaper and
highlight at least THREE examples of
“yellow journalism”
Reasons to Defend Cuba/Go To War
1. Intercepted Letter
– McKinley called “a weak and stupid politician”
•
Published by Hearst (Yellow Journalism)
2. USS Maine
– 250 U.S sailors were killed
•
“Remember the Maine,
to hell with Spain!”
3. Sympathy for Revolution
Spanish-American War
• Congress declared war on Spain April 25, 1898
• War in the Philippines
– First battle
– Naval battle in Manila Bay
• led by George Dewey
Dewey Poem
• Oh, dewy was the morning
Upon the first of May,
And Dewey was the Admiral,
Down in Manila Bay.
And dewy were the Spaniards' eyes,
Them orbs of black and blue;
And dew we feel discouraged?
I dew not think we dew!
Spanish-American War
• Congress declared war on Spain April 25, 1898
• War in Cuba
– Combo of Army and Navy
– Rough Riders
•
Led by TR
Rough Riders
A Young TR
“Splendid Little War”
- Secretary of State John Hay
PROS
• US gains:
–
–
–
–
Cuba
Puerto Rico
Guam
Philippines (paid $20 million)
• US becomes one of the
imperialist world powers
• Helped heal North/South
relations
CONS
• 3,000 soldiers died
– 400 in battle
– 5,000 from disease
• Malaria
• Yellow Fever
• Control over distant island
eventually caused
bitterness/future wars
Governing
Puerto Rico
The Foraker Act
established a
territorial government
in Puerto Rico
The Jones Act
granted Puerto Ricans
U.S citizenship and the
right to elect both houses
of the legislature
1952- Puerto Rico
became a self-governing
commonwealth
Cuba
Teller Amendment
After U.S. overthrew the
Spanish, they would give the
Cubans their freedom
The Platt Amendment
Made Cuba a protectorate
1934- The U.S renounced
the right to interfere in
Cuban affairs
Devil’s Dilemma
• What to do with the Philippines?
– Questioned their national identity
• Can’t give back to Spain
• Can’t just leave and allow anarchy
• Can’t let another country seize it
• Created two camps in the U.S.
– Imperialists vs. Anti-Imperialists
In the words of McKinley
“When next I realized that the Philippines had
dropped into our laps, I confess I did not know
what to do with them…. I went down on my knees
and prayed Almighty God for light and guidance….
And one night late it came to me this way…. That
there was nothing left for us to do but to take
them all, and to educate the Filipinos, and uplift
and civilize and Christianize them and by God's
grace do the very best we could by them, as our
fellow men, for whom Christ also died. And then I
went to bed and went to sleep, and slept soundly.”
Jingoism
• Extreme Patriotism
– Especially in the form of aggressive or warlike
foreign policy
• Imperialists
The White Man’s Burden
Take up the White Man's burden
Ye dare not stoop to less
Nor call too loud on Freedom
To cloak your weariness.
Rudyard Kipling
War in the Philippines
• Exit Spain, Enter the US
– Philippine rebels didn’t like the US possessing them
• Why did we do it?
– Philippines were a valuable stepping stone to trade
in China
– If we didn’t, someone else would
– To “civilize” the people
U.S Involvement in China
• China opened up trade with the U.S and Europe
– In 1895 Japan attacked and defeated China
– With China weak, US and Europe carved out
spheres of influence
• Regions where a particular country has exclusive rights
over mines, railroads, and trade
• Open Door Policy
• All nations were given equal access
to trade and investment in China
The Boxer Rebellion
• The Chinese resented foreigners
– Created a secret society called the Fists of
Righteous Harmony
• Known as the Boxers by westerners
• 1900- Boxers attacked and killed about 300
Western missionaries and traders
– Foreign countries sent troops
• China had to pay $333 million for damages
Imperialism or Bryanism in 1900?
McKinley
• Won a war
• Acquired tons of real-estate
• Safeguarded the gold
standard
• American prosperity
• McKinley won
Bryan
• Focused on Republican
overseas imperialism and
linked it to slavery
McKinley Assassinated
• Mark Hanna feared that TR was “one
heartbeat away” from the presidency
– His worse nightmare came true
• Teddy becomes president in 1901
– “Speak softly and carry a big stick, you will go far”
– Believed in leading boldly
• Took any action that the Constitution didn’t specifically
forbid
Diplomacy
• Teddy Roosevelt
– Big Stick Diplomacy
• Strong military to achieve America’s goals
• William Howard Taft
– Dollar Diplomacy
• “substituting dollars for bullets”
– economic influence over military force
• Woodrow Wilson
What are the
advantages and
disadvantages of
adopting TR’s
“big stick policy?
– Moral Diplomacy
• Promote human rights rather than conquer territory
Panama Canal
• Panama was originally part of Colombia
– U.S wanted the canal to cut travel time
– Offered $$$
• Colombia didn’t want to deal. Panama did
– U.S aided Panama rebels to help Panama become an
independent nation in 1903
» HAY-Bunau-Varilla Treaty (U.S gets 10 mile Canal Zone)
» Canal opened in 1914
Activity- DBQ
Did the United States aid Panama during the
Panamanian Revolution against Colombia?
TR’s Monroe Doctrine
• Roosevelt Corollary (1904)
– Updated the Monroe Doctrine for an age of
economic imperialism
– U.S would be an international police power in the
Western Hemisphere
• Ex. Dominican Republic/Venezuela were unable to pay
loans owed to Europe
– U.S solved the problem
• U.S. was responsible of keeping the world safe
Russo – Japanese War
• Japan had industrialized and became a threat
to the U.S
• War between Russia and Japan
– U.S was against this war
– Feared being cut off from trade by winner
• US helps make peace
The Great White Fleet
• Roosevelt sent four destroyers and 16
battleships to ports around the world to show
off our military strength
What impact do you
think the sight of
these battleships
had at ports around
the world?
Activity
• The United States continues to conduct a
great deal of trade with other nations.
Research American exports and create a table
that shows the 10 countries that receive the
most American goods, the types of those
goods, and their total value over the past 10
years.