Becoming a World Power

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Becoming a World Power

• Ch 17 Notes

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17.1 The Pressure to Expand

• Imperialism stronger nations attempt to create
  empires by dominating weaker nations
  (economically, politically, culturally, and
  militarily)

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Factors the Led to the Growth of Imperialism

• Economic Factors
• Industrialization needed resources
• Nationalistic Factors
• Competition for large empire led to nationalism
• Military Factors
• Advances in military technology and growing
  navies led to need for bases around world for
  fuel and supplies
• Humanitarian Factors
• Duty to spread Western civilization (law,
  medicine, Christianity)

4
Europe Led the Way

• Great Britain, France, and Russia
• sun never sets on British Empire
• US wanted in by 1890
• Expansionists denied the US wanted to annex (join
  a new territory to existing country) but it
  happened

5
Monroe Doctrine

• 1820s
• US will not get involved with European affairs as
  long as Europe stays out of the Western Hemisphere

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US Expansion

• 1830s-1850s the size of the US more than doubled
  (the west) with manifest destiny
• After the Civil War William H. Seward advised
  president to send troops toward Mexico to make
  sure the new leader (under Frances control)
  didnt move into the US
• Pushed French out of Mexico

7

• 1867 Seward bought Alaska from Russia
• Sewards Folly (mistake)
• 2 an acre
• Hoped to push British out of Canada

8
Interest in the Pacific

• 1853 Commodore Matthew Perry went to Tokyo Bay
  in Japan to open up trade
• Pacific Islands of Midway in 1867
• Hawaii sell sugar in the US duty-free as long as
  dont sell/lease territory to other nations

9
Caribbean and Latin America

• 1870 President Grant announced that Monroe
  Doctrine applied to these areas
• US began playing an active role in diplomatic and
  military conflicts in Latin America

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Arguments FOR Expansion

• Promote economic growth
• Overproduction of food/goods led to financial
  panics and frequent depressions
• New markets abroad would fix this
• Some invested in foreign countries and even
  played roles in Central American governments
  banana republics
• Ex Minor C. Keiths United Fruit Co.

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• Protect Americas national security
• Protect overseas trade
• Naval Advisory Board 1881 pushed to increase
  navys budget
• 1883 3 new cruisers and 2 battleships
• Naval Act 1890 construction of more battleships,
  gunboats, torpedo boats, and cruisers
• By 1900 USA had one of most powerful navies in
  the world

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• Preserve the American Spirit
• People worried that the end of the frontiers
  would cause the nation to lose its pioneer
  spirit
• Building an empire would revive that
• Social Darwinism expansionism was not only a
  nations destiny but also a noble pursuit because
  it civilized heathens
• Gradually Americans supported
• More for new markets and good trade relations
• Soon found entanglements

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17.2 Spanish-American War

• 1890s Events that set the stage
• US saying were powerful and you better listen
• 1891 in Chile men attacked American soldiers
• Killed 2, hurt 17
• US forced Chile to pay 75,000 to soldiers
  families
• 1893 Brazilian dictator tried to take over
• US ordered Navy to protect American shipping
  interests

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• 1840s England and Venezuela disputed over land
• 1880s dispute resurfaced with rumors of mineral
  wealth there
• US said to listen to the Monroe Doctrine and go
  to arbitration
• British replied that they didnt have to follow
  but agreed later in order to stay friendly with
  the US

15
Cuban Rebellion

• Was Spanish colony
• Rebellion in 1868 and again in 1895
• Spain sent troops and Gen. Weyler
• Set up reconcentration policy and Cubans forced
  into guarded camps
• Many Cubans in the US wanted our gov to get
  involved
• Some Cubans there destroyed US businesses to push
  the US to get involved

16
Yellow Journalism

• Pulitzer and Hearst took advantage of stories
  coming from Cuba about the Butcher Weyler and
  the camps
• Some Cuban journalists wrote to get American
  opinion to support intervention
• Jose Martí
• Jingoism intense national pride and push for
  aggressive foreign policy that resulted in the US
  getting involved

17
Steps to War

• 1898 riots in Havana, Cuba
• President McKinley moved battleship USS Maine
  into the citys harbor to protect US interests
  and people there
• The de Lôme letter
• Early Feb. 1898 US newspapers published a letter
  stolen from Spanish ambassador to DC
• Ridiculed McKinley
• Intensified anti-Spanish sentiment

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• Explosion of the USS Maine
• Feb 15 explosion sank the ship, killed gt250
  American sailors
• Enraged Americans called for war
• Preparing in the Philippines
• Spains possession
• Could be a key base for US Navy
• TR told naval commanders in Pacific to prepare
  for military action which McKinley stopped except
  one Deweys
• Dewey told to attack if war broke out

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• McKinleys war message
• May 1, 1898, Dewey launched surprise attack on
  Philippines
• In Cuba US stopped Spains fleet in a harbor
• American army gathered in Tampa, FL to prepare
  for invasion of Cuba
• Most famous Rough Riders under TRs command
• Charged up San Juan Hill in war
• July 3 US sank all Spanish ships there
• 2,500 Americans died in war, lt400 in battle

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Treaty of Paris

• Dec 1898 US and Spain signed peace treaty
• Spanish gave Cuba independence
• Spain got 20 mill and US got Philippines, Puerto
  Rico, and Guam
• Became unincorporated territories of the US
  meaning they were not intended for eventual
  statehood
• Senate ratified in Feb 1899

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Challenges After the War

• How to create policy to run things?
• McKinley wanted to annex Philippines to prevent
  future wars with other countries
• Filipinos expected independence like Cubans
  received
• Leaders pushed for it like Emilio Aguinaldo
• Feb 1899 3 yr war began

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Independence for the Philippines?

• gt4,000 Americans killed and almost 3,000 wounded
• American forces killed 16,000 Filipino rebels and
  about 20,000 civilians
• Philippines didnt gain complete independence
  until 1946

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Fate of Cuba

• Teller Amendment attached to Congresss 1898 war
  resolution
• Promised US would not annex Cuba
• McKinley put a military gov in place that lasted
  3 years
• Organized school system and restored economic
  stability
• Est a commission that discovered cure for yellow
  fever

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Cubans Felt Lied To

• Many felt betrayed w/o independence
• 1900 US authorized Cubans to draft a constitution
• Modeled on US Constitution
• Did not allow US involvement in Cuba
• US agreed if Platt Amendment included
• Cuban gov could not enter any foreign agreements,
  would allow US to est naval bases as needed
  there, must give US right to intervene when
  necessary
• Cuba reluctantly agreed
• US only involved twice until 1934 when ended

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Puerto Rico

• Maintained military gov until 1900
• Foraker Act in 1900
• US removed military control and est a civil gov,
  under US control
• US ceded more freedom and control
• Jones Act in 1917
• US granted Puerto Ricans American citizenship
• Could elect own legislatures, US retained power
  to appoint key officials like governor

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In the Pacific

• Hawaii
• 1887 trade treaty for duty-free goods sold in US
• Leased Pearl Harbor to the US as fueling and
  repair station for naval vessels
• Hawaiian-born planters forced king Kalakuau to
  accept a new constitution that gave them control
  of the gov
• When he died, his sister Liliuokalani came to
  throne

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Liliuokalani

• Opposed US control and wanted to reduce the power
  of foreign merchants
• 1893 US Marines helped pineapple planter Sanford
  B. Dole remove Queen Liliuokalani
• Proclaimed Hawaii a republic and requested that
  it be annexed by the US
• McKinley supported annexation
• 1898 Congress approved annexation

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Samoa

• Polynesian islands were another stepping stone to
  growing trade with China
• 1878 the US had negotiated a treaty offering
  protection in return for a lease on Pago Pago
  (harbor)
• 1889 US, Britain, and Germany arranged a 3-way
  protectorate of Samoa
• By end of the year it was left to just the US

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China

• Huge population and vast markets were important
  to US trade
• Russia, Germany, Britain, France, and Japan were
  seeking Spheres of Influence (areas of political
  and economic control) in China
• 1899 John Hay, Sec. of State wrote notes to
  European powers trying to persuade them to keep
  and open door to China

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Open Door Policy

• Allow the countries equal access to Chinas
  millions of consumers
• Met with cool response from other countries

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Chinas Reaction

• Resented foreign influence of any kind
• Secret society the Righteous and Harmonious Fists
  (Boxers) began rebellion in 1900
• Led to massacre of 300 foreigners Christian
  Chinese
• European powers ended it
• Hays issued more open door notes reminded
  nations of US plan to preserve it

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17.3 A New Foreign Policy

• Panama Canal
• Americans needed shorter route between Atlantic
  and Pacific Oceans
• French attempted in 1879 through Panama when
  bought a 25 yr concession from Colombia to build
  canal
• Abandoned project after 10 yrs
• France offered US rights to project for 100
  million

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• Spooner Act in 1902 Congress authorized purchase
  of French assets when price got down to 40 mill
• Required the US work out treaty for Colombia for
  lease on land
• Treaty negotiations went nowhere
• TR made it clear to Philippe Bunau-Varilla that
  US would not interfere if French co organized a
  Panamanian revolution

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• Revolt in Nov 1903 with US warships waiting
  offshore to provide support for rebels
• US immediately recognized Panamas independence
  and became its protector
• Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty signed in Nov 1903
• US got 10 mile wide strip of land for canal and
  Panama got 10 mill
• Construction began in 1904 and ended in 1914, 6
  mos ahead of time and 23 mill under budget

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Reaction to the Canal

• People didnt like the way TR went about getting
  the Canal Zone
• Most Americans approved because they thought it
  was necessary for national security and
  prosperity
• Some ill will left between Latin Americans and US
• 1921 Congress voted to pay 25 mill to Colombia
  to make up for this (2 yrs after TR died)

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Roosevelts Big Stick Diplomacy

• Dec 1904 and 05 TR issued messages to Congress
  known as the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe
  Doctrine TR denied that US wanted any more
  territory
• Only wanted to see neighboring countries become
  stable, orderly, and prosperous
• US would use international police power if
  needed

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Tests of the Corollary

• Santo Domingo (now Dominican Republic)
• Island went bankrupt and European nations
  threatened to intervene to collect money owed
• TR est American supervision of customs money and
  US bankers took over the countrys finances to
  repay debts
• Under TR intervention in Latin America become
  common
• Angered many Latin Americans and Congress

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TR as Peacemaker

• TRs chief concern in Asia was keeping open door
  policy with China
• Russo-Japanese War in 1904 threatened this
• TR was concerned about growing power of Japanese
• Part of reason for Gentlemans Agreement
• Aug 1905 TR mediated a peace agreement in
  Russo-Japanese War
• Kept trade in China open to all nations
• Won him the Nobel Peace Prize

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Foreign Policy After TR

• William Howard Taft (Pres in 1908)
• Not as aggressive at pursuing foreign policy
• Dollar Diplomacy substituting dollars for
  bullets
• Maintaining orderly societies through US
  investment in other countries
• Not too successful
• Results were not always profitable

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Woodrow Wilson

• Moral Diplomacy US applied moral and legalistic
  standards to foreign policy
• Mexico new president that promised democratic
  reforms and was overthrown and killed in 1913 by
  Gen Huerta
• Wilson refused to recognize him
• Wilson supported Carranza and sent in American
  navy (April 1914)
• July 1914 Huerta resigned and Carranza took over

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More involvement in Mexico

• Pancho Villa peasant rebel leader
• March 9, 1916 led men into Columbus, NM and
  burned town, killing gt15
• Wilson sent American troops into Mexico to find
  Pancho Villa
• Carranza demanded they leave
• Gen Pershing (US) failed to find him and Wilson
  withdrew his troops in 1917

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• Moral Diplomacy was not successful
• Mexico adopted constitution that curbed foreign
  ownership of Mexicos resources
• Many American and Mexican lives were lost
• American financial interests there had lost ground

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17.4 Debating Americas New Role

• Anti-Imperialists
• 1898 formed Anti-Imperialist League
• Moral and Political Arguments
• Expansionist behavior was a rejection of liberty
  for all
• Others said the Constitution must follow the
  flag and should apply to all US territories
• Imperialism threatened the nations democratic
  foundations

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• Racial Arguments
• Imperialism encouraged racism
• Some feared the mixing that would occur in the US
  with these territories
• Economic Arguments
• Involved too many costs
• Maintaining the military would require more
  taxation, debt, and possibly compulsory military
  service
• Laborers coming into the US competed with
  Americans for jobs

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Imperialists Views

• Imperialism kept hold on American imagination
• Keep us from losing our competitive edge
• Celebration of American tradition and creative
  spirit
• Frontier mentality with the Boy Scout movement
• Some said the people of the territories were not
  ready for their own democracy
• Practical advantages
• Economic arguments about foreign markets
• Strategic military reasons
• The Great White Fleet TR sent part of US Navy
  around the world in Dec 1907
• Showed benefits of having powerful navy

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Views of US Imperialism Abroad

• Often had to defend govs that were unpopular with
  local inhabitants
• Panamanians began to complain that they suffered
  from discrimination
• Other countries began to turn to US for help
  maintaining their independence
• US spent rest of century trying to decide best
  way to reconcile its growing power and national
  interests with its relationships with other
  nations