US History: Goal 6
The Emergence of the United
States in World Affairs
(1890-1914)
Imperialism
• Policy by which strong nations extend their
political, military and economic control
over weaker territories/nations.
• Powers: GB, Portugal, Spain, France,
Germany, Russia, Japan, US
• Powerless: Africa, Asia (Pacific Rim) and
South/Latin America
Foundation of US Imperialist
Foreign Policy
1. Americans believed that growth of US
economy depended on exports.
(Economic extraction)
2. US had a right to intervene to keep
foreign markets open.
3. Closing an area to US products, citizens
or ideas threatens US survival.
Roots of Imperialism
• Alfred T. Mahan: Admiral Mahan urged the US to strengthen the
navy to compete with other nations, would be a key component of
US imperialism
• Josiah Strong: religious missionary, argued that Americans had a
responsibility to spread Western values…”Christianize and civilize”
• Social Darwinism: the belief that life consists of competitive
struggles in which only the fittest survive.
• “White Man’s Burden”: Title of poem by Rudyard Kipling, which
essentially says that the white man has the burden of helping others
to become civilized
• Anglo-Saxon superiority: Belief that the Anglo-Saxon people were
a superior race and thus could impose its beliefs on others
• “Jingoism”: Aggressive Nationalism, US Foreign Policy that was
backed by its military strength
• Seward’s “Icebox/Folly”: Name given to Alaska when Seward
attempted to purchase it by swaying the House of Representatives.
US eventually purchased it and became a key point towards the US
being a World Power
The First Steps…
• Commodore Matthew Perry sails warships
into present day Tokyo Bay, setting a
precedent for further expansion across the
Pacific.
– 1867 U.S. gained possession of Midway
Islands
– 1875 & 1887 treaties increased trade with
Hawaii
Seward Purchases Alaska
• 1867, Secretary of State William Seward
buys Alaska from Russia for $17.2 million
• Journalists called it “Seward’s Folly” or
“Seward’s Icebox”
• Doubled the U.S. land size, and the
“icebox” turned out to be rich with natural
resources.
The Annexation of Hawaii
• Hawaii and the U.S. had been
economically linked for a century.
– Merchant ships stopped on way to Asia
– Missionaries established Christian churches
– Americans had established sugarcane
plantations.
Annexation of Hawaii
• 1890s new U.S. Tariff imposed on Hawaiian Sugar
– Hawaiian sugar is now more expensive, planters fear
sales and profits will decrease.
– American Planters and Officials overthrow Queen
Liliuokalani (Hawaiian nationalist) with help from the
Marines.
– New government was led by wealthy planter, Sanford
B. Dole
– 1897 new president William McKinley was in favor of
annexation, 1898 Congress proclaimed Hawaii official
U.S. territory.
The Spanish American War
• Cuba was a colony of Spain
• American planters were investing millions of dollars into
sugarcane plantations.
• Cuba was very unstable, Cubans constantly rebelled
against the Spanish rule.
• In 1895, Jose Marti launched a revolution using guerilla
warfare.
• The media played a major role in American opinion of
the fighting in Cuba (Pulitzer and Hearst)
– Yellow Journalism: newspapers that used headlines
and exaggerated stories in order to promote
readership.
President McKinley orders U.S.S. Maine to Havana harbor
to protect American citizens in Cuba
Enrique Dupuy de Lome- Spanish minister to the U.S.
wrote a private letter that described McKinley as a weak
and stupid politician.
Jingoism: aggressive nationalism
“REMEMBER THE MAINE”
The Spanish American War
• The U.S. naval board found that a mine
destroyed the Maine
• The Yellow Press quickly accused Spain
of blowing up the Maine
• On April 20, Congress declares war on
Spain.
Spanish American War (1898)
• Commodore George Dewey: Defeats the
Spanish fleet in Manila Bay and leads to Spain’s
surrender of the Philippines. Teddy Roosevelt
and the Rough Riders: Famous regiment of
former cowboys and college athletes that
successfully charged up San Juan Hill. Became
immortalized in the newspapers and gained
Teddy Roosevelt lots of fame before his
presidency.
• “Splendid Little War”: John Hay’s name for this
war and what it did for the US’s power.
After the War
• Teller Amendment: Passed when war was declared on
Spain. Essentially kept the US from taking possession of
Cuba but said nothing about the Philippines.
• Platt Amendment: Amendment to Cuba’s constitution
that restricted the rights of the newly formed nation.
Cuba could not sign a treaty without US consent. It
allowed for US navy base in Cuba (Gitmo). Gave US
right to intervene in affairs to keep control.
• Treaty of Paris (1898): Ends Sp-Am War. Spain gives up
Cuba, Puerto Rico and Guam. Sells the Philippines for
$20 million
Anti-Imperialist League
• Group of Americans that opposed US
imperialist policies.
• Included prominent Americans such as
Grover Cleveland, Andrew Carnegie, Jane
Addams and leading writers like Mark
Twain.
• Group had differing views, but all agreed
that “it was wrong to rule others without
their consent”
The U.S. and East Asia
• The Filipinos rebelled against U.S. rule, they thought that
the U.S. understood their desire to be independent.
• Filipino rebels were led by Emilio Aquinaldo
– 5,000 dead Americans
– 200,000 dead Filipinos
– War cost $400,000,000 (purchased $20 mil.)
• 1901 William Taft became governor, rebuilt the nation’s
infrastructure.
• 1916 congress passed the Jones Act, declared over time
that the Philippines would eventually gain its
independence.
U.S. and China
• 1899 the once mighty China had fallen into
political, economic, and military disarray.
• Powerful world nations were looking to
profit from Chinese resources and trade.
• “Rather than compete for Chinese trade,
Britain, France, Germany, and Russia
carved China into spheres of influence.
• In China, Boxer Rebellion occurs, as the
Boxers wanted to dispel all “foreign
devils,” but the rebellion is put down.
• Open Door Policy- American statement
that the government did not want colonies
in China, but favored free trade there.
U.S. & Latin America
• Puerto Rico
Foraker Act (1900)- established a civil government, the President of
the U.S. could appoint a governor and part of the legislature. The
citizens would vote on the rest in a general election.
• Cuba
Though independent, U.S. army did not withdraw until 1902. Upon
withdrawal, the U.S. required Cuba to include the Platt Amendment
to its constitution.
1. prevented Cuba from signing a treaty with another nation without
American approval.
2. Lease naval stations to the U.S.
3. Gave the U.S. the “right to intervene” to preserve order in Cuba.
Group Activity
• Define the following: Military Diplomacy (a.k.a.
Gunboat or “Big Stick” diplomacy), Dollar Diplomacy
and Moral/Missionary Diplomacy.
• 4 different groups will create a chart of the following 4
presidents: McKinley (1897-1901), Roosevelt (19011909), Taft (1909-1913) and Wilson (1913-1921).
• On your chart, list what kind of diplomacy they used (can
be more than one), where they used it and what were
the results of the use of diplomacy including treaties,
amendments, intervention, etc.
• Your charts should be very detailed as you are working
in a group and you are only doing 1 president each.
Diplomacies
• Military (“Big Stick”/Gunboat): use of
military force to achieve political and
economic foreign policy goals
• Dollar: use of investment of US dollars in a
country to achieve foreign policy goals
• Moral/Missionary: use of integrity, morals
and protection of rights to promote foreign
policy goals
McKinley (1896-1901)
• Military Diplomacy and also “Open Door Policy” (notes
John Hay sent to powers in China to “share” equally in
the rich trade there)
• Used it in Hawaii (Marine intervention in overthrow of
Queen Liliuokalani) and in the Spanish-American War
(in Cuba and the Philippines). “Open Door” used in
China so US would not get shut out of China’s market.
• Results: US annexes HI. The Philippines, Puerto Rico
and Guam are gained after the Spanish American War.
The US also protects over Cuba as a result of the war.
Roosevelt (1901-1909)
• Big Stick Diplomacy and Dollar Diplomacy (also assisted in Treaty of
Portsmouth, which ended Russo-Japanese War)
• Used “Big Stick” Diplomacy in Columbia to assist Panamanian
Revolution to insure Panama Canal would be built,
• Used “Big Stick” in the Filipino-American War to put down Filipino
Revolution
• Used Dollar Diplomacy in areas of Latin America by referencing the
Monroe Doctrine with the Roosevelt Corollary (US would intervene
and “police” Latin America upon Europe’s behalf to ensure
repayment of debts).
• Results: Panama Canal is constructed and US leases Panama
Canal Zone. Philippines is annexed and controlled. Latin America is
watched over by the Roosevelt Corollary.
Taft (1909-1913)
• Dollar Diplomacy but also had to use Military
• Used first in Nicaragua and later other parts of
Caribbean. Meant to keep these nations out of
debt to Europe, but made the US intervene
when they couldn’t pay their bills
• Results: Created resentment in Latin America
because US is now heavily meddling into their
affairs
Wilson (1913-1921)
• Moral/Missionary Diplomacy and Military Diplomacy
• Used in Mexico. Mexico had series of revolutions. Revolutions were
not in best interests of US business interests there.
• Wilson sent troops to Mexico to support a Mexican gov’t favorable to
US business.
• Pancho Villa rebels against this action and begins guerilla raids
into US. John J. Pershing is sent to stop Villa. Pershing eventually
recalled by Wilson for use in WWI and Mexico eventually writes new
Constitution with limited foreign investment allowed.
• Tried to improve relations elsewhere in Latin America by attempting
to use moral diplomacy.
• Results: US showed that it would take far reaching steps to ensure it
got what it wanted politically and economically. Leads to much
resentment in the LA and Caribbean because of constant US
intervention.
Impact of Imperialism
• The race of the world powers for control of
colonies leads to growing resentment
• The growing resentment leads to mistrust
• The mistrust leads to a build of military
power to protect interests
• Military build up leads to secret alliances
between nations
• Eventually this will spill over and cause
WWI.