A. Rationales for Imperialism:
1. Ideological Arguments –
a. Social Darwinism: survival of the fittest
was the law of nations as well as a law of
nature.
b. “White Man’s Burden” – responsibility to
extend the blessings of western rule to
less able people
c. Missionaries – attempt to evangelize the
world
2. Strategic Concerns:
a. Mahanism: stressed U.S. Naval, economic,
and territorial expansion
1) Alfred Mahan – The Influence of Sea Power
2) Large navy policy = demanded strategic
naval bases & cooling stations
3. Economic expansion through foreign trade
a.
Create larger markets for America
A. Late 1800’s: U.S. takes a more aggressive role
in world affairs
1. commercial opportunities (new markets
for growing industrial production)
2. strategic necessities (desire for greater
military strength)
3. national destiny (belief in cultural
superiority)
* Monroe Doctrine: U.S. to control of the
western hemisphere
1. 1887 – U.S. control of Pearl Harbor
2. 1893 – U.S. Marines used to overthrow
Hawaiian government and establish a
protectorate
3. 1898 – U.S. annexed Hawaii as a result of the
Spanish-American War
a. strategic stepping stone to
the Philippines
A. Cuban Revolution, 1895
1. Cubans revolted against oppressive
Spanish rule – “reconcentration camps”
2. American economic interest threatened
B. Yellow Press – sensationalized news that
used exaggerated headlines & stories to
stimulate interest
a. Increased American interest in Cuba
C. U.S. battleship Maine
1. blew up in the harbor of Havana, Cuba
2. U.S. declared war against Spain
3. Teller Amendment – U.S. had no
intention of annexing Cuba
D. War in the Philippines
1. U.S. Asiatic fleet led by
Commodore Dewey
a. destroyed the Spanish fleet
at Manila Bay
2. U.S. wanted the Philippines
for its strategic location
in Asia
a. economic opportunities
in China
E. War in Cuba
1. U.S. poor handling of the war
a. 5,000 American soldiers died from
spoiled food and disease
b. Teddy Roosevelt’s “Rough Riders”
c. U.S. took Puerto Rico with little
opposition
F. Treaty of Paris
1. Ended Spanish-American War
a. Spain forced to accept Cuban independence, cede
Puerto Rico, Guam, and Philippines to U.S.
2. Debate over ratification:
a. Expansionist favored acquisition of
Philippines for economic reasons
b. Anti-Imperialist opposed based on moral
and political traditions
3. Treaty was ratified 1899
A. Filipino-American War, 1899
1. Emilio Aguinaldo – issued declaration
of independence
2. Treaty of Paris – est. U.S. control
3. Brutal war between U.S. & Filipino
nationalist until 1902
B. China & the Open Door Policy
1. foreign “spheres of influence” in
China
2. U.S. “Open Door Policy” – wanted
European imperial powers to allow
commercial and financial activities
all nations within their spheres of
influence
a. Russia & Japan opposed the
policy
C. Russo-Japanese War, 1904
1. Japanese victory marked its emergence as
an imperial power
2. Gentlemen’s Agreement- Japanese
immigration to the U.S.
A. Cuba as a Protectorate
1. Platt Amendment – restricted Cuba’s
autonomy in diplomatic relations with
other countries and in internal financial
policies
B. Panama Canal
1. Treaty of Hay-Bunau-Varilla, 1904:
a. Panama Canal Zone became a U.S.
Protectorate
b. Cut shipping cost, travel time, and
increased U.S. military presence
C. Roosevelt Corollary, 1904 – attempted to
justify U.S. intervention and authority in
the region
D. Dollar Diplomacy – President Taft
1. “substitution of dollars for bullets”
a. encouraged American investments in
Latin America
b. tied underdeveloped countries to U.S.
economically & strategically