7.2

Expansion after the civil war

William H. Seward

  • most influential secretary of state after John Quincy Adams, who wrote the Monroe Doctrine

  • helped prevent Britain and Francy from helping the Confederacy during the Civil war, helped lead up to the annexation of Midway Island in the Pacific, gained rights to build a canal in Nicaragua, and purchased the territory of Alaska

  • failed to get Congress to agree to annex Hawaii and purchase the Danish West Indies

Purchase of Alaska

  • Russia and Britain had fought over control of Alaska, and eventually, Russia won

  • Seward really wanted Alaska and we purchased it for 7.2 million

  • like no one liked this though

Hawaii

  • American missionaries and entrepreneurs settled in the Pacific islands

  • people heard of Pearl Harbor and thought it was important for trade

  • we agreed to have like all of Hawaii’s sugar first

  • we helped overthrow the monarchs in Hawaii

  • we wanted to annex Hawaii but President Grover Cleveland was anti-imperialism so he didn’t allow Republicans to do that

New Imperialism

  • Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Japan, Belgium, etc. got together to dig up Africa

  • growing industries were supporters of expanding US economic interest

    • came for new resources like oil rubber and raw materials

    • many republican party people were also related to industries so they enjoyed this

  • a book was made arguing that a strong navy would ensure a country would stay strong compared to others and such

    • congress finances the construction of modern steel ships and encourages the acquisition of overseas land bc of this

    • our navy became the 3rd largest in the world

  • people saw imperialism as an expansion of the idea of Manifest Destiny and social Darwinism moving on to other countries

    • expansionists wanted to acquire territories overseas

      wanted to spread Christianity and the benefits of their “superior nation”

  • popular press became a thing where newspaper learned more people would read their articles if they wrote about foreign, exotic adventure stories

Opposition to Imperialism

  • They believed in self-determination. One of the founding principles of the United States was that people should govern themselves. They believed that this principle applied to people everywhere, not just in the United States. They felt that imperialism was morally wrong.

  • They rejected imperialist racial theories. Some denied that Whites were biologically superior to people of Asia or Africa, and so Whites had no right to rule others. However, many Americans feared adding nonwhite people to the country.

  • They supported isolationism. George Washington had advised the country to avoid involvement in foreign affairs. Anti-imperialists argued that this was still good advice.

  • They opposed the expense of imperialism. Building a large navy and controlling foreign territories would cost more than they were worth.

Latin America

  • after the monroe doctrine we had like become the protecto of south america or whater

  • Pan-American Diplomacy: Secretary of State James Blaine worked to strengthen ties between the U.S. and Latin American nations, leading to the 1889 Pan-American Conference. The conference aimed to promote trade and cooperation, setting the groundwork for ongoing economic and political collaboration. Though Blaine failed to reduce tariffs, the Pan-American Union was created, which later became part of the Organization of American States (OAS) in 1948.

  • Cleveland, Olney, and the Monroe Doctrine: The U.S. invoked the Monroe Doctrine during a boundary dispute between Venezuela and British Guiana in the mid-1890s. President Cleveland and Secretary of State Richard Olney pressured Great Britain to arbitrate, threatening military action if necessary. The British ultimately agreed, and while the arbitration favored Britain, Latin America appreciated the U.S. stance. This marked a turning point in U.S.-British relations, fostering a lasting friendship.

  • Conflict over Imperialism: The Monroe Doctrine also served as a basis for U.S. expansionism. A political conflict arose between imperialists, advocating for territorial control and global influence, and anti-imperialists, who opposed foreign colonization based on America's anti-colonial heritage. This debate intensified around the Spanish-American War and the colonization of the Philippines.