America Claims an Empire

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America Claims an Empire
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Imperialism Goals

• Imperialism
• Policy in which stronger nations extend their
  economic, political, or military control over
  weaker territories
• Three Goals
• Desire for military strength
• Thirst for new markets (money)
• Belief in cultural superiority

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Military Strength

• Leaders in America pushed for a stronger military
  in order to compete
• America concentrates on developing a stronger
  navy
• U.S.A. develops 9 steel cruiser warships between
  1883-1890 including the U.S.S. Maine

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Thirst for New Markets

• New technology produced goods at a much faster
  rate than Americans could consume such goods.
• Pursuing foreign trade would satisfy the want to
  continue to sell these goods

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Cultural Superiority

• Social Darwinism
• Belief that free market competition would lead to
  the survival of the fittest
• Belief in racial superiority of Anglo-Saxons
• Belief that the United States had a
  responsibility to spread Christianity and
  civilization to the worlds inferior people.

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U.S.A. Acquires Alaska

• In 1867 United States buys Alaska from Russia for
  7.2 million
• Created a lot of argument over its usefulness
• Alaska proved to be very rich in timber, mineral,
  and OIL.

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U.S.A. Takes Hawaii

• Hawaii was first used as a break point on the way
  to China and East India
• Merchants set up schools and churches on the
  Islands
• Sugar planters on the islands sold most of their
  crops to the United States.

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U.S.A. Takes Hawaii continued

• America builds a naval base at Pearl Harbor
• Sugar plantations accounted for a ¾ of the
  islands wealth
• A tariff threatens to create competition for
  Hawaiian sugar farmers
• Imperialist President McKinley allowed congress
  to proclaim it an American Territory.

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Spanish-American War
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U.S. Wants what Spain has

• Spain has control over the Philippine, Island of
  Guam, Cuba, and Puerto Rico
• Cubans rebel against Spain
• Continually fight against slavery
• U.S.A. interested in Cuba
• Geographically close to U.S.A.
• Provides rich resources especially sugar crops

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War Fever Escalates

• Yellow Journalism
• Type of writing that exaggerates news to lure and
  enrage readers
• Cuban children thrown to the sharks was an
  example of the type of reporting that brought
  sympathy for the Cuban rebels.
• The De Lome Letter
• A letter written by Spanish leaders criticizing
  President McKinley
• Americans grew angry over the insult of their
  President
• U.S.S. Maine Explodes
• Days after the letter, McKinley ordered the ship
  to return from Cuba in order to protect American
  property, but it suddenly explodes
• Still a mystery on why it exploded, the
  newspapers claimed the the Spanish were
  responsible.

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War Begins

• Despite Spanish concessions, War begins
• U.S.A. invades Philippines
• Surprise attack because the Spanish thought
  America would invade Cuba
• Easily wins, and the Philippines claim
  independence from Spain
• War in the Caribbean
• The naval forces formed a blockade of Cuba and
  sealed up the Spanish fleet
• Rough Riders
• While the naval forces proved superior, the
  ground forces lacked adequate training, supplies,
  and leaders
• One group, the Rough Riders, were lead by Teddy
  Roosevelt, and were responsible for taking a
  strategically important location known as San
  Juan Hill.

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Treaty of Paris

• The war only lasted 15 weeks
• Terms of war
• Spain freed Cuba
• Spain turned over Guam and Puerto Rico to the
  United States
• Spain sold Philippines to the United States for
  20 million.

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Acquiring New Lands
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Puerto Rico

• America contemplated statehood for Puerto Rico,
  but decided to make them a commonwealth, which
  makes them citizens, but denies them the right to
  vote in presidential elections
• America needed Puerto Rico for future access to a
  canal and to maintain a presence in the Caribbean.

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U.S.A. in Cuba

• American soldiers occupied Cuba even though they
  were considered independent
• U.S.A. Army would not withdraw unless they adopt
  the Platt Amendment
• Platt Amendment
• Cuba could not make treaties
• America reserved the right to intervene in Cuba
• Cuba was not to go into debt that it could not
  repay
• United States could buy or lease land on the
  island for naval stations and refueling stations

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Philippine-American War

• Filipinos revolt because they felt United States
  assumed the same role as Spain
• Filipinos resort to guerrilla tactics, and
  American military forced them to live in
  designated zones where they were thousands were
  killed by starvation, disease, and sanitation
• It took 3 years, 20,000 Filipion lives, 4,000
  american lives, and 400 million to bring down
  the rebellion.

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Foreign influence in China

• Open Door Notes
• A policy created by then Secretary of State John
  Hay, to ensure trading rights with China.
• China had been weakened by war, and America was
  worried they would be taken over by European
  powers
• Boxer Rebellion
• Angered by a strong European presence in China,
  secret societies such as the Boxers formed and
  killed hundreds of foreigners
• Combined infantry from Britain, France, Germany,
  Japan, and the U.S.A. shut down the rebellion
  within months.

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America as a World Power
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The Panama Canal

• Greatly reduced travel time for commercial and
  military ships by providing a shortcut between
  the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
• In order to build it, the United States had to
  get permission from Colombia, which controlled
  Panama at the time.
• The United States helped Panama gain independence
  with a a dozen U.S. warships present the day
  Panama declared independence.
• United States paid 25 million to Colombia for
  compensation of lost territory

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Construction of Canal

• Ranks as one of the worlds greatest engineering
  accomplishments.
• At the height of construction 43,400 workers were
  employed, with 5,600 of them dying from accidents
  or disease.
• Total cost 380 million
• Construction ran from 1904-1914
• More than 1,000 merchant ships passed through in
  its first year

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Roosevelts Big Stick Policy

• The use of military threat to protect Americas
  interest
• Roosevelt was worried that European nations might
  intervene on Latin American countries because
  they would not be able to pay their loan back
• In attempt to protect the control of Latin
  American countries, Roosevelt reminded European
  nations of the Monroe Doctrine, and stated that
  the U.S. would use force to protect Latin America.

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Dollar Diplomacy

• Initiated by Taft
• Essentially was a tactic that involved the U.S.
  paying the debt of Latin American countries
• In return the U.S. would gain control of their
  national banks, infrastructure, and most
  importantly would keep out European influence.

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Wilsons Missionary Diplomacy

• Another expansion of the Monroe Doctrine
• The act of denying recognition of a government
  based on their hostility towards American
  interests.
• The American government denied recognition to
  governments that were oppressive, or
  undemocratic.

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Revolution in Mexico

• Wilsons policy was put to the test when a
  revolution in Mexico threatened to American
  business in Mexico
• With a series of governmental changes, the two
  countries almost came to war until the revolution
  ended.
• Finally Wilson withdrew troops and recognized
  Mexicos government