Imperialism 7.2-7.3

post civil war expansion consisted of…

• annexing Midway Islands in Pacific

• Canal rights in Nicaragua

• Purchase of Alaska

  • $7.2 mill

  • “Seward’s Folly” (ppl saw no value in it)

• acquiring Hawaii

  • Significant trade routes and naval bases

  • Sugar and pineapples

  • Queen stepped down and a Republic was formed

reasons justifying imperialism

• Other nations had already carved up much of the world so we should too

• Economic Reasons

  • New markets and cheap resources

• Political and Military Power

  • Alfred Thayer Mahan presented argument for naval bases

    • Need for naval bases throughout the world and refueling stations

    • Ex. Jefferson didn’t support growth of fed gov’t (supported states’ rights), but was 1st prez to use navy bc Barbary pirates were taking Amer ships & holding Amers for ransom

• Economic Crisis and Labor Problems

  • new markets = more economic opportunity

• Darwinism and Religion

  • Josiah Strong

    • Anglo Saxons = fittest

  • Spread Christianity

  • It’s our duty to civilize others

expansionists

wanted to acquire territories overseas

opposition to imperialism

• Anti-Democratic

  • idea of self-determination → we fought for our country, so we should govern ourselves

  • true for all nations

  • imperialism = morally wrong

• Isolationism

  • We had enough problems at home

  • Washington’s Farewell Address

    • Avoid foreign entanglements 

• Racism

  • Did not want job competition

  • Do these ppl (from imperialised areas) come to US & are considered citizens?

• Expensive

  • Building a Navy & Controlling territory = more $ than it’s worth

Pan-American Conference

• Meeting in Washington D.C. in 1889

  • Organization to promote cooperation among Western Hemisphere

  • solving economic and political issues

  • Now known as the Organization of American States

• US were the leader of the hemisphere

  • Monroe Doctrine

  • Protector of Latin America

Venezuela and British Guiana 1895

• Boundary dispute w/ Brit

• US argued that if Brit didn’t arbitrate = went against Monroe Doctrine

• Britain agreed to arbitration

• turning pt for US & Brit relations

  • Led to friendly relations with Britain

what kind of interests did the US have in Cuba?

• Americans had economic interest in Cuba

• Sugar plantations/ Slave Trade

what were the causes of the Spanish-American war?

• jingoism

• economic interests

• moral concerns

jingoism

• intense nationalism calling for aggressive foreign policy

• swept US public opinion in 1890s

Cuba’s attempted revolt to Spain

• Cuba tries to revolt to push Spain out/pull US in as ally

• General Weyler “The Butcher” sent from Spain to put down revolt

• Civilians sent to concentration camps, where they died of starvation & disease

how did the yellow press change American public opinion?

• Exaggerated stories

• Crime, corruption and scandal

• Hearst and Pulitzer

  • Hearst prints that Cubans fed to sharks, gouging eyes out of prisoners… all kinds of horrendous acts, essentially committing a genocide

  • Pulitzer printing similar stories to compete w/ Hearst

  • Amers have no reason not to believe these stories

    • encouraged gov’t to intervene for humanitarian reasons

De Lome Letter

• Sent from Spanish Diplomat to US

• Intercepted letter that was critical of McKinley

• Published in news; ppl see it as Spain is insulting US for thinking that we’re weak

U.S.S. Maine

• Ship sent to protect American interests

  • “Spain, you see this ship? Well you don’t want to see more of it. So chill.”

• U.S.S. Maine ship exploded in Havana Harbor

• No evidence that this is a Spanish torpedo, even tho ppl thought it was; officials say withhold action until we get further details

• Butttt Yellow Press accused Spain → “This means war! Innocent lives lost!”

• Americans wanted revenge

how did the US react to the sinking of the Maine?

• McKinley says to Spain telling them to let go of Weyler, concentration camps, slowly let this whole thing go, etc… (esp nervous bc election coming up)

  • Spain says sure, but Amers still pissed & want revenge from Spain

• So Spain agreed to the ultimatum for a short while, but eventually went back to their old ways

McKinley’s War Message

• McKinley asked Congress for war

  • End the miseries in Cuba

  • Protect lives and property of Americans in Cuba

  • End injury to trade and commerce

  • End the menace to peace

• Congress was split

• Intense debates

Teller Amendment

• responding to McKinley’s war message

• stated that:

  • Cuba would gain independence

  • Not fighting for territorial gain

  • Cuban people would have autonomy

• Goals/intentions were:

  • War would liberate Cuba

  • Expel Spain from the hemisphere

why did the US go to the Philippines before Cuba?

• Largest part of Spanish navy in Philippines -> if we could beat them, then beating them in Cuba = Light work

• Commodore Dewey was ordered to attack the Philippines

  • Dewey defeated the Spanish at Manila Bay

  • U.S. troops with Filipino rebels took the islands

invasion of Cuba

• Rough Riders = regiment of volunteers led by Teddy Roosevelt who fought & San Juan Hill

  • aided in victory by veteran regiments of Afr Amers

• Spain = Lack of preparation and supplies = they lost

results of the Spanish-Amer war

• annexation of Hawaii

• Philippine Question

• insular cases

• Cuba & Platt Amendment

• election of 1900

• recognition of US pwr

  • South more attached to Union after bitter 1860s

  • international pwrs see US as 1st-class pwr

Treaty of Paris

• Cuba recognized as independent (Spain lost Cuba)

• U.S. gained Puerto Rico and Guam

• U.S. got the Philippines for $20 million

the Philippine Question (pov of expansionists)

• To the victor go the spoils… we won so we can take the land

• We alr paid for it… We paid $20 million to Spain bc we felt bad

• We can get strategic naval bases and new markets

the Philippine Question (Anti-Imperialist League POV)

• Would bring more war

• Too expensive

• Inferior and would want citizenship

• Hypocritical… we didn’t want Britain to do that (e.g. Monroe Doctrine), so what gives us the right to?

Filipino revolt

• We occupied the Philippines → Filipino people wanted independence

• Emilio Aguinaldo led a three year insurrection

• More Americans died in the war trying to maintain control of Philippines than the one against Spain

  • Hundreds of thousand Filipinos died

• Philippines were conquered thru justification:

  • White Man’s Burden

    • “We don’t want to do this, it’s not easy… but we have to, to save these savages”

  • “Little Brown Brothers”

  • “Uplift, Christianize, and civilize”

• Millions for schools, hospitals and sanitation

insular cases

• Did provisions of US Constitution apply to wtvr territories fell under US control?

• Supreme Court ruled no

• Case by case basis to decide whether or not ppl would get citizenship → decided by Congress

Platt Amendment

• We will grant Cuban Independence… hwvr, some conditions

  • Can’t make treaties that could endanger independence (U.S. has to approve)

  • U.S. could intervene in Cuban affairs

  • U.S. still has permanent naval bases

• So… U.S. basically still controlled Cuba

election of 1900

• Republicans

  • McKinley and VP Roosevelt (war hero)

• Democrats

  • William Jennings Bryan

  • Unlimited silver

  • Anti-Imperialism

• McKinley was easily reelected

  • Europeans accepted American power

  • Amers happy w/ acquisition of new territory & gold standard seemed to be helping economy recover

why did the US est. the open door policy in China?

• China was weak bc failed to modernize → several Euro countries est. spheres of influence

• US didn’t want to lose lucrative trade in China

spheres of influence

areas in which a foreign nation can dominate trade & investment within a particular sphere (port or region) of another country

what was in the Open Door Notes (1899) and what was its impact?

• all nations have equal trading privileges in China

• responses to note were trying to be uncommitted to concept, but since no one rejected → Hay declares that all had accepted the Open Door Policy

• the press hailed Hay’s initiative as diplomatic triumph

Boxer Rebellion 1900

• Xenophobia on rise in China

• Society of Harmonious Fists attacked foreign settlements & murdered foreigners

• US troops participated in international force that crushed the rebellion

• countries forced China to pay huge indemnity → further weakened imperial regime

Hay’s Second Open Door Notes

• After defeating the Boxers 1900

• Hay feared that expeditionary forces in China might attempt to occupy US & destroy its independence

• notes promised:

  • Preserve China’s territorial integrity

  • safeguard “equal and impartial trade with China”

• European Rivals were kept from taking larger parts of China for the moment

• China was not asked what they wanted → Hard feelings would remain in Asia

Roosevelt’s Big Stick Diplomacy

• McKinley was assassinated in 1901

• VP Theodore Roosevelt became president

  • Expansionist

  • War hero

• Aggressive foreign policy

• Make the U.S. a world power

• imperialists applauded

• critics disliked breaking the tradition of staying out of foreign entanglements

the Panama Canal

• US desired canal to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

• 1850 Clayton-Bulwer Treaty had to be canceled

  • any canal in Central Amer was supposed to be under Amer-Brit joint control

• New agreement = 1901 Hay-Pauncefote Treaty

  • U.S. would build and operate the canal alone

• Panama Revolution

• Started in 1904 and completed in 1914

Revolution in Panama

• Panama was a colony of Colombia

• Colombia demanded control; refused to let US build canal

• Roosevelt orchestrated a revolution

• w/ US navy→ rebellion succeeded immediately w/ few casualties

• Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty 1903

Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty 1903

• result of Panama Revolution

  • U.S. got land for canal

  • Paid $10 million and $250,000 a year

  • Would control the canal in perpetuity

Amer reactions to Panama Canal

• most Amers approved building of canal

• ppl criticized heavy handed imperialism

• to compensate for their loss of Panama→ In 1921 we paid Colombia $25 million

the Roosevelt Corollary

• Latin American nations owed Europeans money

  • 1902 Venezuela

  • 1904 Santo Domingo

• violation of Monroe Doctrine → US decided it wanted to intervene whenever necessary

• 1904 Roosevelt Corollary

  • U.S. would occupy ports and collect customs

  • US would manage collection of customs would be used to pay Euros until Euros were satisfied

  • Haiti, Hondurus, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua

• Lasting impact = poor relations w/ Latin America

Russo-Japanese War

• imperialist rivalry btwn Russia & Japan led to war in 1904

• Japan was winning

• to end conflict, Roosevelt arranged diplomatic conference btwn two foes @ Portsmouth, NH

• Japanese nationalists blamed US for not giving their country all that they believed they deserved from Russia

“Gentleman’s Agreement” 1908

• California had segregated schools against Japanese

• Japan insulted

• Japan informally agreed to restrict emigration

• In return, Roosevelt got California to drop the laws

Great White Fleet 1907-1909

• to demonstrate naval pwr to other nations → US sent a fleet of battleships around the world

• Greeted warmly by Japan

Root-Takahira Agreement 1908

• US & Japan concluded mutual respect for each nation’s Pacific territory

• agreed to support Open Door policy in China

Peace Efforts by Roosevelt

• Russo-Japanese War

  • Treaty of Portsmouth 1905

  • Nobel Peace Prize 1906

• Algeciras Conference 1906

  • France and Germany

  • Roosevelt resolved dispute over Morocco

• International Peace Conference 1907

  • Roosevelt directed US participation in this

  • discussed rules for limiting warfare

• result → Roosevelt put the U.S. on the world stage

Dollar Diplomacy

• Taft’s work

• promoting US trade by supporting American enterprises abroad

Taft’s political stance

• didn’t carry “big stick”

• adopted mildly expansionist foreign policy

• depended more on investors’ $ than on navy’s battleships

• dollar diplomacy

Taft’s ideals for Amer investors, pros & cons

• Taft believed that priv Amer financial investment in China & Central Amer would lead to greater stability there

• promoting US business interests @ same time

• limitation → growing anti-imperialism in US & abroad

Railroads in China 1911

• US secured Amer participation to invest in railroads in China w/ Brit, French, German

• Hwvr, US excluded from agreement btwn Russia & Japan to build railroads in Manchuria

• in defiance of open-door policy → Russia & Japan help Manchuria jointly as sphere of influence

intervention in Nicaragua 1912

• to protect Amer investments→ US intervened in Nicaragua’s financial affairs & sent troops there when Civil War broke out

• Marines occupied until 1933

Wilson’s Moral Diplomacy

• he was a Dem, so → opposed imperialism & dollar diplomacy

  • Support rights and spread democracy

• first term → limited success applying high moral diplomacy to foreign relations

Jones Act 1916

• Wilson’s presidency

• terms:

  • granted full territorial status to Philippines

  • guaranteed bill of rights & universal male suffrage to Filipino citizens

  • promised independence for Philippines as soon as stable gov’t was est

• Philippine independence didn’t actually happen until 1940s

when was Puerto Rico granted US citizenship?

• act of Cong in 1917

• also provided for limited self-gov’t

Wilson & the Panama Canal

• Wilson persuaded Cong in 1914 to repeal act that had granted US ships exemption from paying standard canal tolls (so now they had to pay tolls like everyone else)

• angered Amer nationalists like Roosevelt & Lodge

• pleased Brits & other nations who had strongly opposed exemption

Conciliation Treaties

• William Jennings Bryan led this project

• Negotiated conciliation treaties w/ other nations

• terms:

  • submit disputes to international commissions

  • One year cooling off period

    • Before they fight, they take 1 year to try to reconcile 

• 30+ treaties approved

how did Wilson go against his anti-imperialist ideology?

• Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America

  • Kept Marines in Nicaragua, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic

  • Wilson argued it was necessary to protect region and stabilize canal zone

• Tampico Incident 1914

Tampico Incident 1914

• Civil War in Mexico

  • Refused to recognize the military government

  • Attempted to nationalize oil, mines, and railroads

• Wilson called for arms embargo against Mex gov’t to help revolutionaries

• Huerta returns Amer hostages, but refuses to apologize → US occupation of Veracruz

• Mediated by Argentina, Brazil, and Chile

Pancho Villa

• U.S. recognized new, more democratic Carranza gov’t

• Rebel Pancho Villa raided Texas and New Mexico

  • Killed Americans

• 1916 Wilson sent the military to hunt Villa

  • General John J. Pershing and Expeditionary Force

• Mex gov’t saw it as an act of war

• Troops were recalled without capturing Villa

• Troubles in Europe (WWI) turned focus elsewhere