USII Summer Homework Part II (Expansion & War)

What was America’s perspective on expansion?

America expanded for more land and US’s borders were defined through war, negotiation, & labor. Many wanted more expansion & some wanted it to go overseas for new markets & cheaper resources. Nationalists wanted colonies for prestige, but Europe already claimed lots of the Earth & Americans would have to compete against them or lose. Social Darwinists thought that America was superior & could diffuse benefits & Mahan wrote that those who controlled the seas controlled the world. So, America needed naval bases at strategic points.

How was America’s expansion at the end of WWI?

America was a global empire & ready to claim itself as a world power with the American Samoa & Hawaii being added & the Spanish-American War brought Puerto Rico, Guam, & the Philippines under the US. The Western hemisphere was America’s sphere of influence through the Monroe Doctrine & Roosevelt Corollary & the US opened the Panama Canal. The US fought for a democracy but with the economic & strategic benefits came struggles, as Filipinos struggled for independence and the US was in conflict to defend land claims. With Manifest Destiny, the Union being together again, & having industrialization, the US grew stronger.

Describe Seward’s Purchase of Alaska.

Seward proposed to buy Alaska, but people thought he was insane due to it being a frozen wasteland which was not worth $7.2M. “Seward’s Folly,” “Seward’s Icebox,” and the “Polar Bear Garden” purchase was approved by the Senate due to national resources, but the House stalled it because the US was too busy uniting the nation & going West.

What were the 4 wars that were threatening to erupt?

1. Britain, Germany, & the US almost fought for the Samoan Islands, as the US & Germany almost went to war before a settlement dividing the islands among these 3 countries was ratified.

2. The US approached a war state w/ Italy when 11 Italians were lynched in New Orleans.

3. The US also approached war w/ Chile where 2 American solders were killed in a bar, and the US forced Chileans to pay compensation.,

4. Britain thought that the boundary of the British Guinea colony included the forest land with gold that Venezuela claimed & there was a fight over seal hun rights in Alaska. Cleveland cited the Monroe Doctrine to keep Britain in the West and the US defended itself when they threatened war with Britain if Britain did not give up.

All these conflicts were small and didn’t seem to call for a massive outbreak, even though America wanted a war due to 50 years of not being in one.

Backstory to annexing Hawaii

Only a few territories remained free like Hawaii because most of the world was already claimed. Hawaii was led by a monarch and it was an independent state. Interest started when New England missionaries spread their faith, but keeping European powers out of Hawaii was a goal. Americans went into Hawaii through the Sugar trade when the US provided good terms to Hawaiian sugar growers. However, Congress approved the McKinley Tariff which raised imports on foreign sugar. Hawaiian sugar planters were being undersold in the US so a depression happened. Sugar growers knew that if Hawaii was annexed by the US, problems would go away. Queen Liliuokalani thought that foreign interference was why Hawaii had problems.

Annexing Hawaii

Planters did an uprising to overthrow the Queen & wanted US protection. Marines stormed Hawaii without approval & claimed dominance in Honolulu, so the Queen had to forfeit. Cleveland was sworn in and thought American embarrassed itself, so he withdrew the annexation treaty & investigated the affair. He wanted to restore Liliuokalani but the people wanted annexation. When war in Spain broke out, Hawaiian naval bases & their military significance skyrocketed. McKinley signed a joint resolution annexing the islands and Hawaii remained a territory until they were granted as the 50th state in 1959.

America and Cuba

Cuba revolted against the Spanish rule, but Span sent Weyler to calm rebels. Anyone supporting independence got sent to concentration camps which led to over 200,000 people dying due to disease & malnutrition. Yellow journalists reported on this in the US to sell papers (Hearst & Pulitzer) and Hearst sent Remington, a painter, to Cuba to expose Spain’s mistakes. America thought Spain was weak so they wanted to start small with Spain.

Relations between the US and Spain

Lome, the Spanish minister to the US, wrote a letter to McKinley, but it was stolen & Hearst published it. Lome was recalled to Spain & Spain apologized after public outcry. However, an explosion broke the “Maine,” an American battleship on patrol in Havana Harbor. 260 sailors died due to supposed Spanish treachery, so the US wanted war. Spain agreed to an armistice in Cuba & to end concentration camps, so a compromise happened. However, America wanted action and McKinley asked Congress to use force in Cuba, but Congress passed the Teller Amendment, promising that the US wouldn’t annex it. However, America declared war against Spain because McKinley wanted to send a message that the US was interested in Cuban independence, not colonization.

The Spanish American War & its Consequences

The navy was unprepared & understaffed but enthusiastic, the US had no military strength, was understaffed, underequipped, and undertrained, the army was already fighting Native Americans, US troops arrived with heavy woolen coats & pants to summer weather, & budget for food was paid by soldier provisions.

Battle of Manila Bay

Each nation required a 2 ocean navy before building the Panama Canal. Spain’s Pacific fleet was mainly in Manila Bay in the Philippines. Admiral Dewey went to the Philippines before declaring war and the wooden Spanish fleet was beaten by the American steel navy. The Spanish squadron was a disaster and the only US casualty was a sunstroke. Spain controlled the Philippines until the army was recruited, trained, & transported to the Pacific.

Treaty of Paris

The US got Guam, Puerto Rico, & the Philippines. Cuba became independent & Spain got $20M compensation for its losses. However, Anti-Imperialists thought the US was hypocritical for hating on European empires while trying to be one because war was supposed to free Cuba, not get the Philippines. Criticism rose when Filipino rebels waged a 3 year insurrection against American colonizers. The Spanish American War had 400 deaths in 10 weeks but the Philippine Insurrection had 4000 American deaths & lasted 3 years.

Proclamation of 1823 + Monroe Doctrine

The Proclamation of 1823 declared the Western Hemisphere free from European expansion which helped imperial powers because they knew the US was too weak to enforce their claims. However, America was expanding and becoming bolder.

Platt Amendment

The US focused on Cuba because they were scared that Europe would colonize. It was banned from entering treaties that jeopardized independence in 1901’s Platt Amendment. They couldn’t get into large debt to prevent European gunboats from being in Cuba. It would allow the US to restore order if anything was violated and the US got a lease on Guantanamo Bay, a naval base. Cuba became a legal protectorate of the US.

Roosevelt Corollary

Roosevelt disregarded the Monroe Doctrine because Europe could attack all of Latin America. The Corollary made it so that if Latin American nations engaged in large debt & civil unrest, (chronic wrongdoing) the US military intervened. This blocked European expansion into the Western Hemisphere because America would take care of it & Europe was too far. When the Dominican Republic was susceptible to attack from debt collectors in Europe, this corollary came into effect. The US invaded the Dominican Republic, seized custom houses, & made it a protectorate.

Roosevelt’s Big Stick

The new navy became the big stick and the US could defend itself & avoid war through naval power to back US interests. Latin America didn’t like the corollary because they hated US involvement, naming it Yankee Imperialism, so hatred against Latin America rose. The US sent invasion troops into Latin America over 35 times, establishing a sphere of influence.

Reaching Asia

Commodore Perry opened Japan & trade with Asia earned millions for US merchants & manufacturers. The US got land holdings which needed defense and supply routes, so trading ports & naval bases became extremely important.

Open Door Policy

Europe was trying to get China which was controlled by foreign powers, even though it had a government system & emperor. Europe established spheres of influence although it didn’t have colonies and Russia, Japan, Germany, France, & Britain had privileges. Hay, the Secretary of State, was scared that they established trade practices that exiled other nations and US trade would suffer. Hay preserved open trade through circulating letters or open door notes among all the powers which agreed to free trade in China. Only Britain agreed but Hay said that all of them accepted, so the other powers had to admit publicly to their greed but stayed silent.

Boxer Rebellion

The Fists of Righteous Harmony (nationalists) attacked Western property due to foreign occupation. The Boxers (West) wrecked stuff until a multinational force invaded China to stop. It was the 1st time US forces invaded another continent without trying to get their land. The rebels were suppressed & China paid $330M.

Roosevelt’s Nobel Peace Prize

America had a problem: Japan. War broke out between Russia and Japan and Roosevelt wanted to mediate peace. Both nations met with Roosevelt & a treaty was arranged, but Japan though it should’ve had more benefits. Anti-American riots started and Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize, the first time a President got this offer.

Roosevelt vs. Japan

California’s Japanese immigrants were faced with discrimination like segregated schools and in the Gentleman’s Agreement, the US ended separate schooling in exchange for ending Japanese immigration. Roosevelt sent the flotilla or Great White Fleet (navy) around the world to show his big stick. It was meant to scare aggressors. Japan & the US agreed to mutual respect in Pacific Rim holdings in the Root-Takahira Agreement.

The Panama Canal

Building a canal is inevitable and a boat trip from NY to San Francisco forced a crew to sail around South America’s tip. The new empire had to move fast from the Atlantic to Pacific through naval squadrons and Roosevelt knew he had to take action for his legacy.

Obstacles while building the Panama Canal + Clayton-Bulwer Treaty + Hay-Pauncefote Treaty

Britain was a challenge. The US agreed in the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty (1850) that neither side would build the canal because both sides feared they would build a canal and use it for national advantage. The US wanted to nullify this deal and Britain wanted to be friends with the US because they were nervous about their South African Boer War & European relations weren’t good. The Hay-Pauncefote Treaty allowed the US to build & fortify a Central American canal if the US charged all nations the same fare.

Selecting Panama + Hay-Herran Treaty + Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty

Lesseps organized a French attempt in Panama, but disease & money problems left it partially built. The US bought its rights, but Panama had mountains. Locks were necessary to move things, even though Panama is narrow. Nicaragua was a possibility because it’s closer to the US & flatter with connected lakes, but it had volcanoes. Panama wasn’t independent so the Hay-Herran Treaty (1903) allowed the US to lease a 6 mile strip of land as an yearly fee which moved through the US Senate, but Colombia wanted more money. Roosevelt sent a US gunboat to Colombia. But, a group of revolutionaries declared Panama independent & Colombia didn’t have the power to stop thm. The US was the 1st to recognize Panama’s new government. The Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty awarded a 10 mile land to the US.

Making the canal

Construction was difficult and no one knew how to accomplish this. US civilians went through lots of mountain stone, but thanks to Reed and Gorgas, yellow fever & malaria cases reduced. Roosevelt became the 1st US President to go out the country to visit the blast area. The Panama Canal was finally open at the cost of $345 million.