American Imperialism

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American Imperialism

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• snyder

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• The United States had a long tradition of
  expansion across the continent now America
  embarked on building an overseas empire.
• Some Americans favored acquiring and exploiting
  colonies others wanted an empire based on trade
  and investments.
• Still others advocated the United States
  exporting its ideas and institutions.
• Social Darwinism, Protestant evangelism, and
  naval expansion were all rationales for America
  becoming a world power.

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The Spanish-American War 

• By the end of the 19th century, Spainonce the
  most powerful colonial nation on earthhad lost
  most of its colonies.

It retained only the Philippines and the island
of Guam in the Pacific, a few outposts in
Africa, and the Caribbean islands of Cuba and
Puerto Rico in the Americas.
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AMERICAN INTEREST IN CUBA

• The United States had long held an interest in
  Cuba, which lies only 90 miles south of Florida.
  In 1854, diplomats recommended to President
  Franklin Pierce that the United States buy Cuba
  from Spain. The Spanish responded by saying that
  they would rather see Cuba sunk in the ocean.

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Cubans rebelled against Spain between 1868 and
1878, American sympathieswent out to the Cuban
people.

• After the emancipation of Cuba's slaves, American
  capitalists began investing millions of dollars
  in large sugar cane plantations on the island.

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• José Martí, a Cuban poet and journalist in exile
  in New York, launched a revolution in 1895.

Using an active guerrilla campaign and
deliberately destroying property, especially
American-owned sugar mills and plantations. Martí
counted on provoking U.S. intervention to help
the rebels achieve Cuba Libre!a free Cuba
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• Public opinion in the United States was split.
• Many business people wanted the government to
  support Spain in order to protect their
  investments. Other Americans were enthusiastic
  about the rebel cause.
• The cry "Cuba Libre!" was, after all, similar in
  sentiment to Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or
  give me death!"

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ENTER STAGE LEFT

• GENERAL Valeriano Weyler
• Entire rural population of central and western
  Cuba were herded into barbed-wire concentration
  camps.
• An estimated 300,000 Cubans filled these camps,
  where thousands died from hunger and disease.

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Enter the Media!!
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• Weyler's actions fueled a war over newspaper
  circulation that had developed between the
  American newspaper tycoons William Randolph
  Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer.

• To sell papers Hearsts NY Journal and Pulitzers
  NY World the papers printed exaggerations!

Children were fed to the Sharks, Wells were being
poisoned
Hearst and Pulitzer fanned war fever.
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You furnish the pictures and I'll furnish the
war. Hearst
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THE DE LOME LETTER

• When President William McKinley took office in
  1897, demands for American intervention in Cuba
  were on the rise

The de LÔme letter criticized President McKinley,
calling him "weak" and "a bidder for the
admiration of the crowd. The embarrassed Spanish
government apologized, and the minister resigned.
Americans were angered over the insult
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McKinley is weak and catering to the rabble,
and, besides, a low politician, who desires to
leave a door open to me and to stand well with
the jingoes of his party.
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Enter the MAINE

• Early in 1898, President McKinley had ordered the
  U.S.S. Maine to Cuba to bring home American
  citizens in danger from the fighting and to
  protect American property. On February 15, 1898,
  the ship blew up in the harbor of Havana. More
  than 260 men were killed.

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Remember the Main
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On April 11, McKinley asked Congress for
authority to use force against Spain. After a
week of debate, Congress agreed, and on April 20
the United States declared war.
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The Teller Amendment

• was an amendment to a joint resolution of the
  United States Congress, enacted on April 19,
  1898, in reply to President William McKinley's
  War Message. It placed a condition of the United
  States military in Cuba. According to the clause,
  the U.S. could not annex Cuba but only leave
  "control of the island to its people."

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• "... to authorize and empower the President to
  take measures to secure a full and final
  termination of hostilities between the government
  of Spain and the people of Cuba, and to secure in
  the island the establishment of a stable
  government, capable of maintaining order and
  observing its international obligations, insuring
  peace and tranquility and the security of its
  citizens as well as our own, and to use the
  military and naval forces of the United States as
  may be necessary for these purposes."

Teller Amendment 4/11 1898
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Slight of Hand!

• The Spanish thought the Americans would invade
  Cuba. But the first battle of the war took place
  in a Spanish colony on the other side of the
  worldthe Philippine Islands. 4/30/1898

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• Commodore George Dewey gave the command to open
  fire on the Spanish fleet at Manila,
• Dewey's men had destroyed every Spanish ship
  there. Dewey's victory allowed U.S. troops to
  land in the Philippines.
• Dewey had the support of the Filipinos who,
  like the Cubans, also wanted freedom from Spain.
• Over the next two months, 11,000 Americans
  joined forces with Filipino rebels led by Emilio
  Aguinaldo. In August, Spanish troops in Manila
  surrendered to the United States

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Emilio Aguinaldo

• Chinese mestizo
• Allied with USA against Spain
• Fought USA to get them out!

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The Treaty of Paris

• The Treaty of Paris gave America Puerto Rico and
  Guam and set the stage for the acquisition of the
  Philippines anti-imperialists questioned
  national goals and Americas commitment to
  liberty and freedom.

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• This Treaty will make us a vulgar, commonplace
  empire, controlling subject races and vassal
  states, in which one class must forever rule and
  other classes must forever obey.
• Senator George Frisbie Hoar
• Anti- expansionist

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• Providence has given the United States the duty
  of extending Christian civilization. We come as
  ministering angels, not despots.
• Senator Knute Nelson
• Expansionist

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The Platt Amendment

• 1901, the United States insisted that Cuba add to
  its constitution several provisions, known as the
  Platt Amendment, stating that
• Cuba could not make treaties that might limit
  its independence or permit a foreign power to
  control any part of its territory
• the United States reserved the right to
  intervene in Cuba
• Cuba was not to go into debt
• the United States could buy or lease land on
  the island for naval stations and refueling
  stations

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• Some protestors even called for a return to arms
  to defend their national honor against this
  American insult. The U.S. government stood firm,
  though, and Cubans reluctantly ratified the new
  constitution. In 1903, the Platt Amendment became
  part of a treaty between the two nations, and it
  remained in effect for 31 years. Under the terms
  of the treaty, Cuba became a U.S. protectorate, a
  country whose affairs are partially controlled by
  a stronger power.

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