Imperialism DBQ Help
The Documents
Document 1 – On French Colonial Expansion by Jules Ferry, latter half of 19th century
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Justifies imperialism on 3 sets of ideals:
o Economic – need markets & resources as result of industrialization; can’t lose out to neighboring
European powers taking over potential areas of exploitation or to America’s protectionist policies
o Civilization – superior races (Euro.) have duty to civilize the inferior races (Africans, Asians, etc.)
o Political & Patriotic – show great strength of France; create outposts for navy
POV – Ferry was twice Prime Minister of France. He clearly is biased in favor of white supremacy and French
power in the world at the expense of other states like Japan and China.
Context – Written during a time of colonial expansion for most European nations, carving up Africa and making
claims in Southeast Asia; France also had taken Indochina by this point, which is in close proximity to Japan and
China
Document 2 – First Open Door Note by John Hay to Andrew D White, 1899
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Secretary of State John Hay basically proposes free, open trade throughout China among European powers,
virtually eliminating spheres of influence
Desirable policy because US didn’t have strong sphere of influence & was comparatively less powerful than
other European powers who did in China (Britain, France, Germany, Russia)
Didn’t consult China about this – it was still an effort to economically dominate China
POV – Hay was the Secretary of State, thereby responsible for conducting international affairs on behalf of the
US. He would do anything in his power to project the might of the US, and during this time period that included
imperializing weaker nations like China
Context – European powers had established spheres of influence in China through the 19th century, in which
their citizens received favorable treatment and other Europeans were faced with different taxes or trade
restrictions in those ports. The United States wanted influence in China as well, so the government proposed the
Open Door Policy to level the playing field in China.
Document 3 – America’s Interests in China by General James H Wilson, 1898
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General Wilson explains the reasons why America should be more invested in China
o Mineral resources are underdeveloped, and therefore available for exploit by the US
o Other foreign powers are intruding into China, which would weaken the comparative power of the US
POV – Wilson is a General in the US military, so he would clearly support promoting and expanding US power
abroad, especially in the Age of Imperialism where it was acceptable to make claims and dominate other nations
Context – This was written before the Open Door Notes, during the time of spheres of influence in China. The US
didn’t have the best foothold in China in comparison to say Britain or France and wanted more power in the
area to exploit mineral deposits to increase their own wealth.
Document 4 – Open Door Policy Political Cartoon, 1900
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Cartoon portrays the US (Uncle Sam) as the gatekeeper of trade in China
Other world powers wait at the gate for admission to China for trade purposes as Uncle Sam holds the keys,
labeled American Diplomacy
Powers Represented: Germany, France, Great Britain, Russia
POV – Shows the US as superior to the other Western Powers, so the author was probably an American who
supported the Open Door Policy
Context – The US implemented the Open Door Policy in China, which mitigated the effects of spheres of
influence and opened trade among the western powers in China. Some viewed this as the US controlling
economic affairs in China and overpowering Europe.
Document 5 – Letter from President Fillmore to Emperor of Japan, 1852
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Letter was sent with Commodore Matthew C Perry on his trip to Japan
Explains good intentions of the US & proposes opening trade between the US and Japan
Assures that the US will not try to interfere with religion or political concerns in Japan
POV – the President would want to open trade with Japan to secure markets for its goods as a result of
industrialization and to augment its world power
Context – 1852 was pretty early in the efforts at economic imperialism in East Asia (Open Door not until 1900);
US had imperialized but Japan was not yet open to foreign trade. Japan was ruled by the Tokugawa Shogunate
until 1868, which was previously so threatened by the west that it banned missionaries from entrance, only
allowed very limited trade by certain states at certain times of the year, and attempted to eradicate Christians
from the country – that’s why Fillmore added the parts about not interfering with religion in the letter!
Following the arrival of Matthew Perry, Japan saw how far behind it was in terms of industrialization, so it
embarked on a path of modernization & westernization, culminating with the Meiji Restoration which began in
1868.
Document 6 – Charter Oath of the Meiji Restoration, 1868
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Charter Oath was a decree made by the new Meiji government after the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate
Establishes major points of the new government regime:
o New assemblies to settle matters based on public discussion
o Effort to unite all classes in support of the government
o More rights for common people, not just civil & military officials
o Base laws on the laws of nature, not the ‘evil customs of the past’
o Increase knowledge of world affairs to make own imperial rule stronger
POV – Written by group of young samurai who led the overthrow of the Tokugawa & re-imposed imperial rule;
the samurai needed to establish security in Japan and gain support for the new regime, so they wrote the
document in order to make their aims clear
Context – Meiji Restoration occurred after the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate and attempted to westernize and
modernize to maintain status alongside, or above, the European and American powers. The Meiji wanted to
avoid being dominated by the West and recognized that they would need to mimic their ways (government,
culture, etc.) in order to be seen as powerful enough to withstand the western attempts at intrusion, so they
sent advisors to Europe and the United States to study their education systems and government, and then
implemented reforms to make their system like those of the West. While the West was successful in limiting the
Japanese economy for a while, the Meiji industrialized, furthered its military, increased government stability and
power, and was able to overcome that domination and emerge pretty powerful in Asia. The West still saw Japan
as inferior, however, due to racist ideology.
Document 7 – Excerpts from the Autobiographyof Bukuzawa Yukichi, Late 1800s
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Shows pride in Japan’s accomplishments at modernization
o Steamship [1853 – NOTE Matthew Perry / the West arrived 1852…]
o Studied navigation from the Dutch [1855]
o Sailed across the Pacific [1860]
o Quick modernization & admirable speed of progress
Explains that the Japanese were not dependent on the Americans for these innovations & developments, rather
they occurred alongside one another
States that no other nation has the ability or courage to embark on trips across the Pacific after such a short
period of time
POV – Fukuzawa Yukichi studied the West & encouraged Japan to reform & westernize in the early Meiji period;
studied in America – biased towards modernization & westernization, but still proud of Japan & shows
nationalist sentiment
Context – Meiji Restoration [see info @ Document 6]
Document 8 – Spheres of Influence Political Cartoon
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Portrays western powers making claims in China [Great Britain, Germany, Russia, and France]
Japan is at the table, but seems unable to make any claims, as his sword is laid down and not even in his hand
The Chinese emperor is represented in the background, furious but unable to stop the Europeans from making
claims in his land
POV – The cartoonist shows the European powers as greedy and aggressive by portraying them with knives. The
lack of a weapon in the Chinese emperor’s hand also demonstrates the relative weakness of the Chinese in
contrast to the West.
Context – Spheres of influence were areas claimed by European powers that gave special privileges to their
citizens & manipulated and exploited the Chinese economy. Great Britain, Germany, Russia, and France had
several spheres of influence that gained them great wealth and power; however, the United States did not have
such a firm grasp in China, but did desire it [later writing Open Door Policy to secure it], and Japan’s efforts at
imperialism in China were always thwarted by European nations.
Structuring Tips
This essay requires you to answer: Why did Japan and China fare so differently when faced with the West? And also
include information regarding:
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Explain why the West was interested in asserting its power in Japan and China
o Put this information in the introduction paragraph. This should come from your head and can be reiterated
through the body paragraphs.
Describe how Japan and China each interacted with the West
o Body Paragraph 1 – Theme = how Japan interacted with the West. Documents 5, 6, and 7 are possible ; you do not
have to use ALL of them in this paragraph, but do have to use all of them in the body paragraphs
o Body Paragraph 2 – Theme = how China interacted with the West. Documents 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8 are possible ; you do
not have to use ALL of them in this paragraph, but do have to use all of them in the body paragraphs
Explain why Japan and China acted in the ways they did
o Body Paragraph 3 – set up as a comparison – Theme = Japan (acted in this way…) because ____ whereas China
(Acted in such a way…) because ______.
o Documents 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 are possible ; you do not have to use ALL of them in this paragraph, but do have to use all
of them in the body paragraphs
Evaluate the actions of Japan and China – why did one country have a better outcome than the other by the turn of the
century?
o Put this in your conclusion. If it’s in your conclusion, any documents you use to support the ideas won’t count
towards rubric points; however, you should have used them all in the body paragraphs too, so you can use them
again here just to strengthen your response.
Remember to meet all requirements of the rubric as well:
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Thesis statement that answers the prompt
Understand basic meaning of all documents – use them in your body paragraphs; explain what each one says & mention its
title and author’s name if available.
Use documents to support the thesis – have to directly state what the evidence you’re taking from the document proves
about why Japan and China fared differently. At least relate it back to your topic sentence (group theme) which should
directly correlate to the thesis.
Explain POV in at least 2 documents – say how the author’s background affected the way the document was written
Group Documents in 3 ways – need 3 clear themes made evident in the topic sentences of your body paragraphs
Expanded Core – if you meet all the requirements above, you’re eligible for more points based on – more
context/background information, additional groupings, POV in all documents, making links between the documents [use
comparison words]