AMERICA CLAIMS AN
EMPIRE
Chapter 10
IMPERIALISM &
AMERICA
Section 1
IMPERIALISM
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IMPERIALISM- The policy in which stronger
nations extend economic, political or military
control over weaker territories.
By the 1880’s, many American leaders thought
the U.S. should establish colonies overseas.
QUEEN LILIUOKALANI
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In 1893, Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii gave
up her throne.
Hawaii was about to be taken over by the U.S.
3 FACTORS FUELED AMERICAN
IMPERIALISM:
1)
2)
3)
Desire for military strength
Thirst for new markets
Belief in the superiority of American culture
NAVAL POWER
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Admiral Alfred T. Mahan of the U.S. Navy
Supported growing American naval power so
the U.S. could compete w/other nations
U.S.S. Maine & Oregon
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U.S. built modern battleships like the Maine &
the Oregon.
The new ships made the U.S. the world’s
largest naval power.
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U.S. was producing more than Americans
could consume…..
U.S. needed foreign trade.
American businesses needed markets for their
products & raw materials for their factories.
Superiority of American Culture:
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The 3rd root of American imperialism was a
belief that the people of the U.S. were better
than the people of other countries
Believed they had a duty to spread their
culture & Christian religion among other
people.
U.S. Acquires Alaska
& Hawaii:
ALASKA
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William Seward purchases Alaska , for the
U.S., from Russia in 1867.
The price? $7.2 million!!
HAWAII
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The Background…..
The Hawaiian islands had been important to
the U.S. since 1790’s.
Merchants stopped there on their way to China
& India.
In 1920’s, American missionaries founded
Christian schools & churches on the islands
Hawaiian sugar plantations…
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B/c of American owned sugar plantations, by
1900, foreign laborers outnumbered Hawaiians
3 to 1
This weakened the influence of native
Hawaiians.
Powerful Hawaiian sugar
growers called for the U.S. to
annex Hawaii to avoid the
tariffs.
In 1887, U.S. military forced Hawaii
to let it build a naval base at Pearl
Harbor….Hawaii’s best port.
HAWAIIANS LOSE
CONTROL OF THEIR
ISLANDS:
HOW?
American business groups organized
a revolt against Queen Liliuokalani:
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U.S. ambassador John L. Stevens helped them
revolt.
Planters took control of the island
They established a temporary government .
They established a temporary
government .
Made American businessman Sanford
B. Dole the president.
1898, HAWAII BECOMES A U.S.
TERRITORY
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Stevens urged U.S. government to annex
Hawaiian Islands.
President Grover Cleveland refused unless
majority of Hawaiians favored that.
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1897, William McKinley became president.
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McKinley favored annexation.
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1898, Hawaii became a U.S. territory.
THE SPANISHAMERICAN WAR
Section 2
CUBANS REBEL AGAINST
SPAIN
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B/w 1868 & 1878, Cubans fought their 1st war
for independence from Spain.
Rebels didn’t win, but forced Spain to abolish
slavery in 1886
U.S. CAPITALISTS INVEST…
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Invested heavily in sugar cane plantations in
Cuba.
Cuban economy collapsed in 1894 when a
tariff on sugar was imposed in the U.S.
JOSE MARTI
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1895, Cubans began 2nd war for independence.
Rebellion led by Jose Marti, a Cuban poet &
journalist who had been living in exile in N.Y.
The rebels wanted the U.S. to join their cause.
WAR FEVER ESCALATES!
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1896, Spain sent an army to Cuba to restore
order.
Army led by General Valeriano Weyler.
Weyler rounded up 300,000 people as
prisoners in Concentration camps.
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Stories of concentration camps widely reported
in U.S. newspapers.
Rival N.Y. newspapers exaggerated the
brutality to attract readers.(“yellow
journalism”)
William McKinley became
U.S. President in 1897.
Since many Americans wanted the U.S. to
help the rebels against Spain, McKinley
tried to find a peaceful solution.
McKinley’s efforts pay
off….
1) Spain sent General Weyler home
2) Changed the concentration camp
policy.
3) Gave Cuba limited self-government
But then, 2 events made
Americans very angry at
Spain….
1) The publication of a letter that insulted the
American president….The de Lome letter was
written by a Spanish diplomat. It criticized
McKinley for being weak.
U.S.S. MAINE..
2) The battleship U.S.S. Maine exploded on
February 15, 1898.
The ship had been stationed in Cuba to protect
American lives.
Cause of the explosion was not known….. But…
Newspapers blamed Spain.
WAR WITH SPAIN
ERUPTS!!!!
April 20, 1898, U.S. went to war
w/Spain.
THE PHILIPPINES
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1st battle took place in the Philippines.
Philippines had been a Spanish colony for 300
years.
In 1896, Philippines rebelled against Spanish.
George Dewey
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On May 1, 1898, American naval commander
George Dewey sailed into Manila Bay in the
Philippines.
His ships destroyed the Spanish fleet there.
For the next 2 months, U.S. soldiers fought on
the side of the Filipino rebels.
Spanish surrendered (in the Philippines) to
the U.S. in August.
Meanwhile, back in Cuba……
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American navy blocked off the harbor of
Santiago de Cuba.
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Spanish ships could not leave.
American troops then landed on the island in
June 1898.
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ROUGH RIDERS:
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Unit of volunteers
Theodore Roosevelt one of their leaders.
Rough Riders helped win the important battle
of San Juan Hill
American newspapers made Roosevelt a hero.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT
The Rough Riders
U.S. Army 1st Volunteer Cavalry
commanded by
Lt. Colonel Theodore Roosevelt
Spanish Surrender
July 25, 1898!
When the Spanish ships tried to leave the
harbor, their fleet was destroyed.
Spain then surrendered to U.S.
(The entire war only lasted 113 days!)
TREATY OF PARIS
Spain quickly agreed to a peace
treaty….
What were the terms?
1) Cuba is granted
independence!
2) Spain gave Puerto Rico & the
Pacific Island of Guam to the U.S.
3) U.S. paid Spain $20 mill. For
the annexation of the Philippine
Islands.
Debate in U.S. about
Imperialism:
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Treaty of Paris touched off debates in U.S. .
President McKinley was in favor of it.
Some Americans said annexing territories
violated the spirit of the Declaration of
Independence.
The U.S. Senate approved the treaty on
February 6, 1899.
http://www.historywiz.com/primarysources/treatyofparis1898.htm
ACQUIRING NEW
LANDS
Section 3
RULING PUERTO RICO:
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American forces landed in Puerto Rico in July
1898.
Many Puerto Ricans began to resent the
military government.
In 1900, Congress passed the Foraker Act
which ended military rule & set up a civil
government
IN 1917, PUERTO RICANS
BECOME U.S. CITIZENS!
Control over CUBA…
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Although Cuba was officially independent
after the war, the U.S. army remained there for
4 years
It punished Cubans who were against this
American occupation.
PLATT AMENDMENT:
http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=55
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When Cuba’s new government wrote a
constitution in 1900, the U.S. insisted they add
the “PLATT AMENDMENT”
This limited Cuba’s rights in dealing w/other
countries….gave the U.S. special privileges,
including the right to intervene to preserve
order.
PROTECTORATE….
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Cuba became a U.S. “protectorate”.
A “Protectorate” is a country whose affairs
are partially controlled by a stronger power.
The U.S. insisted on these rights b/c of its
economic interests in Cuba.
FILIPINOS REBEL
They were angry that the U.S. had
annexed their islands after years of
fighting for independence.
EMILIO AGUINALDO
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Filipino rebel leader who believed that the
U.S. had promised independence.
He felt the U.S. had betrayed the Filipinos
after helping them win independence.
1899, Aguinaldo started a rebellion that lasted
3 years. (Philippine-American War)
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Pictured below are Filipino P.O.W.’s
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U.S. won & set up a government similar to the
one it had set up in Cuba.
CHINA:
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By 1899, many countries had economic
interests in China
U.S. wanted to be able to trade with China too.
Secretary of State John Hay sent the “OPEN
DOOR NOTES” to these countries calling for
China’s port to be open to ALL countries.
BOXER REBELLION:
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In 1900, a secret society in China started a
rebellion to protest “western influence”.
Troops from countries (including U.S.) fought
the rebel, or “Boxers”.
After the Boxer Rebellion was defeated, U.S.
issued more Open Door notes to make sure
other countries didn’t make colonies out of
How did Americans feel about U.S.
imperialism?
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With the reelection of President William
McKinley in 1900, it seems that most
Americans agreed w/imperialism.
An Anti-Imperialist League formed including
former president Grover Cleveland, Andrew
Carnegie, Jane Addams, & Mark Twain.
AMERICA AS A
WORLD POWER
Section 4
President McKinley Assassinated!
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Pres. McKinley assassinated in 1901.
Teddy Roosevelt becomes president &
continues policies of “imperialism”
TEDDY ROOSEVELT &
THE WORLD….
Roosevelt 1st used U.S. influence to
help settle the Russo-Japanese War
RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR
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Began in 1904 when both Russia & Japan
wanted to control Korea.
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Japan captured Korea & also invaded
Manchuria… which was controlled by Russia
Roosevelt mediates…
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1905, representatives of Russia & Japan met.
Roosevelt used his personal charm to help
them negotiate a compromise.
They signed a treaty, and Roosevelt received
the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.
The Nobel Institute in Oslo, Norway.
PANAMA CANAL
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Idea was to build a canal to connect the
Atlantic & Pacific Oceans.
Such a canal would cut travel time for ships
b/c they wouldn’t have to go all the way
around South America.
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Panama was a province of Columbia.
Columbia did not agree to the canal.
So, U.S. helped Panama rebel against
Colombia.
Panama became
independent…
Then, U.S. got Panama’s permission
to build the canal.
Construction of the Panama Canal:
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Work began in 1904 & took 10 years
In 1913, there were 43,400 workers on the
hard & dangerous project.
Canal officially opens Aug. 15, 1914
Over 1,000 ships passed through that 1st year
ROOSEVELT
COROLLARY
Roosevelt’s statement to Congress in 1904… He
wanted the U.S. to be the major power in the
Caribbean & Central America
Roosevelt Corollary was the logical
result of the Monroe Doctrine of 1823
Roosevelt now said that the U.S had the right to intervene in
Latin American countries to protect U.S. business interests.
(“Big Stick” policy)
NICARAGUA
In 1911, Pres. Taft used Roosevelt’s
policy in Nicaragua.
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A rebellion had left the country in debt.
Taft arranged for U.S. bankers to loan
Nicaragua $...
In exchange, American business took control
of the railroads & banks…also collected
Nicaragua’s custom duties
DOLLAR DIPLOMACY:
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Nicaraguans didn’t like this arrangement.
They rebelled. The U.S. sent in troops to
Nicaragua preserve peace.
Those who didn’t like this kind of intervention
called it “dollar diplomacy”.
WOODROW WILSON’S
MISSIONARY DIPLOMACY
Why did President Wilson send
troops to Mexico?
President Wilson took a step beyond
Presidents Monroe & Roosevelt…
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Wilson added a “moral” tone to Latin
American policy.
His “missionary diplomacy” meant that the
U.S. could not officially recognize
governments that were oppressive,
undemocratic, or opposed to U.S. business
interests.
A revolution in Mexico tested this policy…….
MEXICAN PEASANTS &
WORKERS REBEL:
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They rebelled in 1910 against their military
dictator.
The start of the Mexican Revolution:
the Serdán family opens a revolt in Puebla, Nov.18.1910
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2 new governments followed, the 2nd headed
by General Victoriano Huerta.
Wilson refused to support
the Huerta government b/c it
came to power through
violence.
When a new leader, Venustiano
Carranza, took power in Mexico, Wilson
withdrew the troops
THEN…..
Francisco “Pancho” Villa….
Leader of rebels who revolted against Carranza
Some American’s killed
by Villa’s followers…..
U.S. wanted to capture Villa.
Mexican government gave U.S.
permission to send in troops
Wilson sent General John J.
Pershing to Mexico with
15,000 soldiers
A year later, Villa was still free.
Wilson then stationed 150,000
Natl’Guardsmen along the border.
General John J. Pershing
PERSHING, JOHN J.
Brigadier General, U.S. Army
Commander
decorations U.S. Army, Supplement V, 1941
Home Town: Laclede, Missouri
Date of Action: June 15, 1913
Mexicans angered by
U.S. invasion.
1916, U.S. troops fought w/Carranza’s
army.
In 1917, Wilson withdrew U.S. troops b/c
U.S. was facing possible war in Europe.
Mexico finally adopted a
constitution, regained control of
their own resources & put limits
on foreign investment
American intervention in Mexico
showed how far the U.S. was willing
to go to protect its economic interests.
COMING NEXT…..
WORLD WAR I