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Started with dueling
newspapers led by William
Randolph Hearst (New York
Journal) and Joseph Pulitzer
(New York World) in a
circulation battle – they
both used sensationalized
front page
headlines/pictures to sell
more papers & would
publish (largely untrue)
stories to excite public
The Yellow Kid, a popular comic strip
opinion.
character printed by both papers in the
Think Tabloid Headlines1890’s, when this Circulation battle was in full
swing…thus the term “yellow journalism”
Nasty little printer's devils spewing forth
from the Hoe press in this Puck
Magazine cartoon of 1888
Invented by American Richard Hoe
in 1860, the Hoe press was a high
speed printing press in the late 19th
century that made possible large
circulation newspapers and
magazines at low cost.
Can you think of any sensationalist headlines that
you have seen recently?
• Extreme patriotism in the
form of aggressive foreign
policy. In practice, it is a
country's advocation of the
use of threats or actual
force against other
countries in order to
safeguard what it perceives
as its national interests
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In 1898, this sense of aggressive nationalism was fueled by
America’s hurt pride over an insulting letter written by the
Spanish Ambassador (Dupuy de Lome), which called
President McKinley “weak and stupid”, and which was
leaked to the press by Cuban rebels (and published by
Hearst in the Journal).
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1895 Rebellion in Cuba for Independence was
met with atrocities by the Spanish general,
Valeriano Weyler (and 150,000 Spanish
soldiers) – Many Americans sympathized with
revolutionaries of Cuba (and many were very
worried about US economic interests in Cuba)
Yellow Press sensationalist reporting of
Spanish atrocities in Cuba and Jingoism (ie.
Spain’s ambassador’s letter) fueled the fire…
The Destruction of the USS Maine: Americans
thought the Spanish had blown it up….
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USS Maine explodes in
Havana Harbor on
February 15, 1898
Spanish mine (thus
Spain) is officially
blamed in March, 1898
Later investigations will
show the cause as an
accident on board the
ship.
Pulitzer's treatment in the World
emphasized a horrible explosion
Hearst's treatment in the Journal focused
on the enemy who set the bomb — and
offered a huge reward to readers
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President McKinley delivers a “War
Message to” Congress, urging The
Senate to okay US intervention in
Cuban rebellion…
Congress responds with the Teller
Amendment
What began as a war over Cuba,
however, turns into an American
campaign to strip Spain of its
overseas colonies…America takes
the Philippines from Spain in a huge
and swift victory.
Americans beat the Spanish in Cuba,
concluding, the “Splendid Little War”
Theodore Roosevelt organizes a company of cavalry,
the Rough Riders, who volunteer for the war.
 TR wins fame at a couple of famous battles and
becomes a war hero.
 Main reason that he
becomes the Vice President in 1900
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Ended the conflict with Spain.
Gave the US the Philippines as a territory for
20 million – but this led to a Filipino
insurrection vs. US to get independence- took
US 3 yrs and thousands of lives to put the
insurrection down.
Spain gave up control of Cuba (The US did
not claim Cuba, as per the Teller Amendment,
but did make Cuba a Sphere of Influence with
the Platt Amendment)
US got Puerto Rico and island of Guam as
territories.
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Teller Amendment: US will not take over Cuba
in the event of victory (actually signed by
Congress before the Spanish-American War,
as part of the US declaration of war)
Platt Amendment: in the post-war Cuban
Constitution:
◦ Cuba may not independently sign treaties - only
with US consent.
◦ The United States may interfere in Cuba’s politics
whenever they choose “to preserve Cuba’s law
and order.”
◦ Cuba may not build up excessive debt
◦ US may maintain naval bases in Cuba, including
Guantanamo Bay
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Why did the United States fight a war with
Spain in the 1890s?
Foreign Policy Under
T. Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson
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Spanish-American war ended in
1898; US purchased Philippines
from Spain; Filipino revolt
against American rule began in
1899
Led by Emilio Aguinaldo, a
Filipino leader who had fought
with the American’s against the
Spanish during the S-A War
American refusal to give up the
Philippines costs 5,000
American and 200,000 Filipino
lives (yep…we used
Concentration Camps)
US gives the Filipinos (very)
limited self rule in 1901.
The Philippines are given their
independence in 1946.
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Big and once wealthy, by 1899,
China had fallen into political,
economic and military disarray,
with a weak imperial family…a
perfect target for Imperialism.
Rather than fighting over the
area, European colonial powers
carved China up into special
trading zones- “Spheres of
Influence” In each zone, a
particular country had special
trade and investment privileges.
America had no zone.
So what did we do?
Queen Victoria (UK), William II (Germany),
Nicholas II (Russia), Marianne (France), and a
samurai (Japan) cutting up a Chine ("China" in
French) cake
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Riding high on our recent win in
the S-A War, we had gained some
confidence.
US Secretary of State John Hay
wrote a series of Open Door
Notes to the major Imperial
powers. In his Open Door Policy,
Hay asked the imperial powers to
accept all nations having equal
trading privileges in China…most
of the nations evaded a response,
so Hay took this as a general
acceptance of his Open Door
Policy, and declared it so, and the
US began trading freely in China.
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In 1900 a secret society of
Chinese nationalists, tired of
European influence in China,
started a rebellion.
They targeted Western
settlements and Christian
missionaries.
(Called themselves “The
Righteous and Harmonious
Fists”…thus “Boxer
Rebellion”)
US troops joined an
international force that
quickly succeeded in putting
down the Rebellion
US Foreign Policy
Under
T. Roosevelt, Taft, and
Wilson
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The Japanese begin to create their own empire
around the same time as the US, so naturally
competitive.
Tensions begin to rise between the Japanese and
the US, first after T. Roosevelt brokered the treaty
between Russia and Japan ending the RussJapanese War...
Then tensions rose further when the San
Francisco School Board segregated their schools,
making the Japanese very angry…a national insult
Gentleman’s Agreement: Japanese agreed to limit
Japanese emigration to the US, while the San
Francisco school board ended its discriminatory
policy.
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Term comes from the
saying “speak softly and
carry a big stick, and you
will go far.”
Roosevelt relied on
having a strong military
and aggressive foreign
policy to build America’s
reputation and achieve
American goals.
Aggressive Foreign Policy
– we can intervene
wherever we want,
because we can
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Now that the US had and empire from Puerto
Rico to the Philippines, we wanted a canal
through Central America to connect our farflung Empire. (cut the trip in ½)
The narrowest path was through modern-day
Panama, but Colombia controlled the Isthmus
and would not allow US access to dig the canal.
A Panamanian rebellion was engineered and
militarily supported by the US…and in 1903, the
newly independent Panama gave the use of the
land to the US in return for 10 million dollars
and 250,000 dollars a year.
First started (in 1881) by a French company and abandoned in
1889, The French Panama Canal construction equipment and
excavations were purchased for $40 million, and the 48-mile
Canal construction was completed from 1904 to 1914. When
finished, the canal would cut the trip between the Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans in half.
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Added to the Monroe Doctrine
Instead of allowing a
European nation to intervene
in a Latin American nation to
enforce debt repayment, the
US would send military force
to any Latin American country
that was delinquent in paying
their European debts…US
would then monitor customs
tax collections until European
debts were satisfied.
Corollary used as a
justification for sending US
troops to Haiti, Honduras, DR,
Nicaragua
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Flagship Connecticut: one of a set of
commemorative postcards of the ships of the
Great White Fleet
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The popular nickname for
the US Navy battle fleet
that completed a
“goodwill”
circumnavigation of the
globe from December 16,
1907 to February 22,
1909 by order of
President Theodore
Roosevelt.
16 Brand-Spankin’ new
all-steel American
Battleships (painted bright
white) went on a (naval
muscle-flexing) tour
around the world…Now
that is a Big Stick!
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Substitute “Dollars for bullets”
Instead of having a big stick
(strong military/aggressive
foreign policy), concentrate on
increasing private American
trade and financial
investments in foreign nations
and tie the economies of the
smaller/weaker countries to
the economy of the United
States.
Sometimes Taft still had to use
the Big American Stick to
enforce issues and protect
American interests (ex.
Nicaragua civil war, 1912)
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Example of $ Diplomacy:
◦ Private American
Investment in Railroads in
China (1911)
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Wilson (Democrat) proclaimed he would
“never again seek one additional foot of
territory by conquest” (as had his
Republican predecessors)
Instead he would promote “human
rights, national integrity and
opportunity” and work on righting past
wrongs:
◦ US citizenship to Puerto Ricans and
limited self-rule
◦ Full territorial status, bill of rights,
universal male suffrage, and promise
of independence for Filipinos
But sometimes Moral Diplomacy
translated into him using the US military
to guide countries in the direction the
US (Wilson) wanted them to go…
US determined to only deal with
Democratic states.
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1914- US (Wilson)Interfered in the Mexican
Revolution against new dictatorial regime,
calling it a “government of butchers”.
US sent ships and occupied the port of
Veracruz in order to enforce an arms embargo
against the Mexican dictatorial government,
which soon collapsed.
But new, US-backed government was slow to
reform, so yet another Mexican rebellion, led
by Pancho Villa
Considering Pancho Villa an outlaw, Wilson sent
General John Pershing (and 10,000 US troops)
chasing after Mexican Revolutionary Hero
Pancho Villa around the Southwest and
Northern Mexico…We gave up the hunt in
1917, as WWI became a much bigger issue.
Pancho Villa was assassinated in 1917, but not
by the US.
Discuss with the people next to you and write
the answer into your writing notebook.
ENTRY # 29
 Which of the three diplomacy policies (Big
Stick, Moral, Dollar) was of the largest benefit
to the United States during the period of
Imperialism? How about over the long term?
What do we practice now? Explain.
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