American Imperialism – 1890-1914

Causes

  1. Settling of the American Frontier – Frederick J. Turner
  2. White Man’s Burden – Josiah Strong, Our Country, Its Possible Future and Present Crisis
  3. Expansion of Markets – Far East Trade (China)

D.Industrial Growth

  1. National Security and Protection of Trade Routes- Alfred T. Mahan, The Influence of Sea Power Upon American History

F.Social Darwinism on a global scale

Evidence of America’s Growing Interest in Overseas Expansion

  1. 1853- Commodore Matthew Perry and Japan
  2. 1867- Seward purchases Alaska from Russia, $7.2 mil.
  3. 1840-1898- Missionaries, planters, businessmen establish American presence on Hawaii- Queen Liliuokalani overthrown in 1893, Hawaii annexed in 1898.
  4. 1889- SamoanIslands divided with Germany

Spanish American War (1898) America becomes a colonial power

  1. Cuban Revolution (1895)– Jose Marti
  2. Yellow Journalism- (sensationalism) Hearst and Pulitzer depict Spanish (“Butcher” Weyler) as despotic rulers
  3. DeLome Letter
  4. “Remember the Maine” – HavanaHarbor
  5. Declaration of War (April 1898)- Teller Amendment – Cuba would be free and independent
  6. Battles-
  7. San Juan Hill, Santiago – T.R. and the Rough Riders
  8. Manila Bay, Philippines – Admiral Dewey
  9. San Juan, Puerto Rico
  10. Paris Peace Treaty 1898- America gets Philippines, Cuba,

Puerto Rico, and Guam

Imperialism – The Debate

  1. Pro-Imperialism (Sen. Beveridge, Teddy Roosevelt)
  2. White Man’s Burden
  3. Military Bases
  4. Far East Trade and Foreign Markets
  5. Anti-Imperialism (William J. Bryan, Andrew Carnegie)
  6. Un-democratic
  7. Cost of maintaining colonies
  8. Involve the U.S. in foreign wars
  9. Despotism abroad may lead to despotism at home

Spheres of Influence

  1. Caribbean and Latin America “Colossus of the North”
  2. Platt Amendment – Cuba (GuantanamoBay and American intervention)
  3. Panama Canal – Hay - Bunau-Varilla Treaty 1903
  4. Gunboat Diplomacy,
  5. Panama’s Revolt against Columbia
  6. Roosevelt Corollary and the Big Stick
  7. Dominican Republic 1905 – tax collection
  8. Cuba 1906 – Revolution
  9. Dollar Diplomacy (Taft) using U.S. investments to influence foreign nations
  10. Moral Diplomacy (Wilson) U.S. would respect the independence of foreign countries – Unable to follow through as U.S. troops were sent to Haiti, Dominican Republic and Mexico b/w 1914 and 1917
  11. Asia
  12. China and the Boxer Rebellion 1900
  13. Open Door Policy 1900 – Sec. of State, John Hay
  14. Philippine Rebellion 1899-1900 (Emilio Aguinaldo) – Philippine independence in 1946
  15. Russo-Japanese War 1904-05
  16. Portsmouth, NH Treaty – TR wins Nobel
  17. Gentlemen’s Agreement 1907– San Francisco segregation of Asian students ended with Japanese agreement to stop flow of workers to America.
  18. Great White Fleet 1907 (Root-Takahira Agreement)

U.S & Japan agree to respect each others territories in Asia