Imperialism

Imperialism and Expansion

Imperialism and Expansion

• Extending America’s power globally - Philippines, Guam, Hawaii, Cuba, etc. 

  • Very quickly took many territories internationally during 

    • Roosevelt, Taft, Wilson

  • Spurred debates on whether or not to imperialize

    • PRO: $$$, power, military, trade, racial theory, spread Christianity, 

    • ANTI: isolationists (George Washington Farewell Speech), racism, self-determination 

Industrialization Resources and Markets

• The US wanted to expand for more natural resources for industrialization.

• Metals, minerals, raw materials, agricultural opportunities abroad

• Increased markets/reach 

International Darwinism

Americans are better than others because they are inherently superior

Closing of the Frontier & Turner’s Thesis

• Turner thesis: “safety valve” - gives people somewhere to channel their energy instead of taking it out internally in America

• New frontiers → spreads democracy!

“White Man’s Burden”

• Poem by Kipling

• White men spend energy helping “wild” and “untame” people from other countries, which is the white man’s burden

• Although they are “helping”, people get angry with them for bettering their society

Roosevelt: Big Stick Diplomacy

the idea of threatening using power/military force to scare and intimidate other countries

Panama Canal

• Interested in getting the canal, but failed due to military reasons and international trade

• Roosevelt negotiated - treaty that would grant the US a lease on land for a payment of $10 million and an additional $250,000 annual rental fee

• People were outraged, Roosevelt used big stick diplomacy to get people on his side

Roosevelt Corollary

• extension of the Monroe Doctrine, stating that the United States has the right to protect its economic interests in South And Central America by using military force

• used to justified imperialism

Taft: Dollar Diplomacy

• Gave out loans to make other countries dependent on US

• basically, if we give you money, you have to let us control you

• less aggressive way to exert power 

Wilson: Moral Diplomacy

• did not recognize “immoral governments” that weren’t democracies

• imperializing is beneficial for citizens of that country

Mexico Imperialism

• Tampico & Vera Cruz

  • Wilson applied pressure to Huerta when Mexican soldiers mistakenly arrested US citizens in the city of Tampico 

  • Wilson asked Congress for approval to use force

    • But he did it anyways before even getting approval

• Poncho Villa

  • Huerta’s government fell →Venustiano Carranza and Poncho Villa

  • Wilson supported Carranza over Villa

  • Villa took supporters and attacked US interests in Columbia, Mexico killing a dozen Americans 

  • Wilson ordered thousands of soldiers to Mexico but Villa escaped and evaded capture

Mark Twain

created anti-imperialist league

Jane Adams

• hull house

• sees imperialism as a violation of self-determination

Anti-Imperialist League

Organization established to battle imperialization (especially the annexation of the Philippines)

Isolationism

The idea (introduced by Washington in his farewell address) that the US should stay out of all foreign affairs

Cuba Libre

cuba revolting against Spain’s control, America respected and sympathized with this - wanted to help

USS Maine

US ship that blew up accidentaly, but that the newspapers said was blown up by spain

Yellow Journalism

 exaggerated journalism that encouraged the war with Spain

DeLome Letter

intercepted letter from Spanish ambassador calling McKinley weak

Teller Amendment

Amendment to declaration of war against Spain saying that the United States could not assert control over Cuba to get more people on board with the war

Platt Amendment

Basically allowing the United States to have almost full control over Cuba without actually having full control due to the Teller amendment

Teddy Roosevelt, the Rough Riders, and San Juan Hill

• TR Begins the war as assistant secretary of the navy 

  • Resigns to go fight with the Rough Riders

• Bands together with Ivy league friends that had no military experience

• San Juan Hill

  • biggest battle

  • really stupid battle Strat

  • won because they were lucky

  • basically ends Spanish American War

Countries Annexed from Spanish-American War

• Guam

• Puerto Rico

• Philippines

Filipino-American War

• US navy shows up in the Philippines trying to take control after helping them lose Spanish control at Manilla Bay

• At first the filipinos think the Americans are there for liberation and they help them to remove the Spanish

• They quickly realize america wants to take them over the same ways spain had

• series of bloody battles - gorilla style warfare

• America won 

• Got Philippines as a territory

• Later became a US Commonwealth

Hawaii

• Reasons for imperializing:

  • Sugar plantations  +  geographical location between NA and Asia

• Overthrew their government, declared it a republic

China, Open Door Note & Boxer Rebellion

• Markets were threatened in China →prompted US intervention

• Open Door Note - Western powers to have equal access to Chinese markets 

• Feared other imperial powers - Japan, Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Russia - planned to carve China into spheres of influence 

• Boxer Rebellion (1900)  - Movement in China opposed to foreign businesses and missionaries operating in China 

  • Pres McKinely sent US Army w/o consulting Congress → precedent for US presidents to order US troops to action around the world under their executive powers 

jingoism

extreme patriotism in the form of foreign policy

Guano Islands Act

• allowed Americans to claim islands with guano deposits for US

• offered precedent for future US imperialism x

Tampico

• Mexican forces mistakenly arrest sailors

• Wilson applies force to Mexico —> refuses to make amends —> Wilson asks congress to deploy forces

• Wilson invades before congress responds

gunboat diplomacy

• US puts navy near capital to protect itself —> temporary government takeover —> make policies good for US

• EX: Dominican Republic

Anglo-Saxon Manliness

TR says its US’s manly duty to police Caribbean waters and spread Anglo-Saxon civilization

hierarchal stages of civilization

• only europeans + Americans reach highest status

• marked by economy and gender