Unit 6: American Imperialism ( 1898-1919) People, Events, Etc.

Based on the reading guides and some materials from class

New Imperialism

Began in 1890, large empires wanted to dominate, including Japan, Britain, and Russia; justification was that it would bring modern civilization to backward people

American interests when exercising imperialism

Mostly wanted to expand TRADE; not interested in territory

Hawaiian relations with the US prior to annexation

Didn’t have tariffs on sugar b/c f treaties, US had naval base at Pearl Harbor; Hawaiian economy was dominated by Asian laborers

Depression of 1893 effects

Through social conflict and new immigration, the gov. and organization provided patriotism

Yellow press

Mixed accounts of crime and corruption with aggressive appeals to patriotic sentiments in the newspapers

US in the Spanish American War

Became involved because of depressing, Cuban struggle for independence won support in States —> lasted 4 months; battle at Manila Bay was most decisive, first US army units t fight outside western hemisphere; excavated int an imperial venture, ended w/ Us having a small empire

Platt Amendment

Authorized the US to intervene militarily if it saw wfit in Cuba; als gt a permanent lease on naval stations there, including Guantanamo Bay; Cuba hated it

Result of Spanish American War

US got the Philipines, Puerto Rico, and Guab before Cuba was even free

Open Door Policy

Demanded that European powers that had recently divided China into commercial spheres of influence give US access for exports; fr free movement of goods and money

Philippine War

During McKinley administration; Philippines were free and wanted a provincial government, US wanted to keep the Philippines —> they turned against the US; McKinley said the aim was t civilize and christianize Filipinos

Who tended to be served in US’s new possessions?

Land-based local alites, native-brn landowners in Philippines, US sugar planters in Hawaii and Puerto Rico

American racial attitudes in territories

Felt domination of non-whites was part of progress of civilization; US treated colored people aboard as badly as back home (aliens denied stated and citizenship)

Insular Cases

Supreme Court said Constitution didn’t apply to recently-acquired territories(limited US freedom); abandoned central US principles when dealing w foreigners

Anti-Imperialist League

Had writers and social reformers; felt US energy should be used at home, consisted of businessmen, racists; wanted “republic of freedom”; felt US should help Puerto Rico and the Philippines, not colonize them

liberal internationalism

Wilson’s policy; rested in the conviction that econ and poli progress went hand-in-hand; greater worldwide freedom would follow from increased US involvement abroad; often served as a mask for US power and self-interest; represented the shift from 19th-century tradition of promoting freedom by example —> active intervention

US and the Panama Canal

Roosevelt wanted naval development, soo helped Panama cede from Colombia to create the canal; gave US claim to sovreignty/ build the canal and the profits from taxes

Roosevelt Corollary to Monroe Doctrine

Said US had right to exercise international police power in West; expansion of Monroe’s pledge to defend the hemisphere

Dollar Diplomacy

Introduced by Taft because he wanted economic investment and loans, not military intervention (Roosevelt) to spread US influence

Moral Imperialism Definition

Wilsonian policy; felt US had responsibility to teach others the lesson of democracy; wanted t export US manufactured goods and investments; repudiated $ diplomacy, justified very frequent military intervention in LA

Wilson using Moral Imperialism

In 1915, Maries occupied Haiti b/c gov didn’t allow US banks t oversee Haitian finance; in 1916, established military gov in FR, Us controlled customs, debts; Once Mexican gove was overthrown, Wilson sent troops to “liberate”; greeted as invaders, Mexico still had chaos, US intervention didn’t work well

Great War Beginnings

Archduke Franz Ferdinand assassinated by Serbian nationalist; tons of secret alliances pulled in lots of countries: Allies were Britain, France, Russia and Japan; Central Powers were Germany, Austria Hungary, and the Ottoman empire

US involvement

originally stayed neutral; Lusitania was sunk, many outraged; Wilson was elected because of his program of preparedness reassured freedom on the high seas; “he kept us out of war”

Zimmerman Telegram

Message from Germany to Mexico, calling n them to jin in the war against the US and help Mexico get their land back; led to WIlson asking Congress for declaration of war against Germany

Wilson’s Fourteen Points

Wanted to assure the US that the war was being fought for a moral cause; clear statement of US war aims and his vision f a new internat order; self-determinatin for all, freedom f seas, free trade, open display, equal rights fr colonized ppl, creation of League of Nations

US involvement in war results

Put tons of economic resources and people into the fight; when arriving in Europe, helped in battles a lot, Germany eventually sued for peace b/c allies were strong

Progressives and WWI

Saw it as opportunity; wanted to reform US society, instill sense f national unity and self-sacrifice; supported WIlson, wanted to expand their views worldwide

SSA and WIB

SSA was selective service act, requires lots to register with the draft; WIB (war industries board) presided over elements of war production, standardized specifications for everything; both example of EXPANDING powers of the state

Wilson and propaganda

Created the CPi to explain that US was taking arms in defense of liberties and free institutions; dispatched 5-min men; gave standardized talks, used lots of forms of media, used Liberty bell, etc.

Women’s suffrage

Nat women’s party pressed for suffrage with militant tactics; country had to give its own women suffrage to truly advocate for democracy; 19th amendment ratified in 1920

18th amendment

ppl felt that national prohibition under this would create a better city environment, protect ppl from drunk ppl, and create more disciplined labor force

Espionage Act and Sedition Acts

Examples of the debate regarding the balance between security and freedom during war; Espionage prohibited spying, interfering with the draft, and false statements that might impede military success; Sedition made it a crime t make spoken or printed statements that casted contempt, scorn, or disrepute n the government

Coercive patriotism

Was super extreme repression; people practically worshipped the flag; couldn’t insult it or own symbols of communism or anarchy; there were investigations of those who didn’t subscribe to Liberty Loans; APL spied o n neighbors and carried out slacker raids to make sure people registered for draft, IWW leader was lynched

Eugenics

“Science” f studying alleged mental characteristics of different groups of people; gave an air of scientific expertise to anti-immigrant sentiment; obsessed w racial purity, wanted to control reproduction; SCOTUS supported

Examples of diversity in US

Merged over their identity into an existing American nationality; groups Americanized immigrants by controlling clothes, food, furniture, Loyalty Day

WWI effects on German treatment in America

Usage of German language was targeted, Iowa required lots of things to be in English, German-derived words were changed, music was banned, less newspapers, “liberty sandwich”

Lewis Terman claims about IQ

Claimed a single # could measure an individual’s mental capacity, IQ tests were used by the army to confirm that ethnic groups were less smart than white people

Discrimination against Mexicans, Puerto RIcans, and Asians when it came to Americanizing

Mexicans were “legally white” but still faced discrimination, Puerto Ricans were citizens but didn’t vote, could fight; Asians were segregated

Gentlemen’s Agreement

Issued by Roosevelt in 1907, where Japan agreed to end migrating t the US except for wives and children of those there; in 1913, Cali banned all Asians from owning and leasing land

Color Line

Blacks were excluded from Progressive definitions f freedom; couldn’t all vote, didn’t have industrial freedom; woman’s hour during WWI excluded black women

Examples of Wilson and his administration’s racist beliefs

Wilson’s gov had segregation and dismissed tons of black people, als allowed a film glorifying the KKK to premiere at the White House

WEB Dubois and Niagara Movement

Dubois wanted to reconcile the contradiction between freedom for whites and treatment of blacks, called for black to press for equal rights, advocate for education; Niagara movement wanted to reinvigorate the abolitionist tradition, wanted suffrage and no segregation

NAACP

Started by DuBois, launched struggle for enforcement of 14th and 15th amendments

Great Migration

Between 1910 and 1920, ½ mil blacks left the south for the north (whites left too); wanted higher wages, Ed, less lynching, prospect of voting; were headed toward the “promised land”

Marcus Garvey

Was a recent Jamaican immigrant, believed freedom meant national self-determination; wanted blacks to have the same post-war identity as others - “common standard of all men”

Wilson’s policies toward the Soviet Union

Revealed the contradictions within the liberal internationalist vision

1919 Flu epidemic

More than 20 mil dead worldwide, “spanish” influenza

Great Steel Strike

United tons f migrant workers, demanded union recognition, better wages, 8-hr workday; steel magnate launched counterattack with anti-immigrant campaign and propaganda

Red Scare 1919-1920

Short =-lived; tense period f political intolerance, inspired by post-war strikes wave and social tensions/fear from Russian Revolution; worried that strikes meant communism

Versailles Peace Conference

Got Versailles Treaty, made League of Nations (part of 14 pts), applied self-determination to eastern Europe, created new European nations

WWI and WWII

German resentment over peace terms —> rise of Hitler; caused tons of violence in the Middle East

US and League of Nations

Wilson wanted to join, but Americans feared membership —> commit the US to an open-ended involvement in there countries’ affairs; in middle of debate, Wilson suffered stroke