Ch. 27 NotesEmpire and Expansion

The Age of Imperialism

1. During the late 1800’s, the U.S. is going to expand by acquiring new territories.

2. Reasons for this expansion include:1. The need for new markets/raw materials.2. The desire for new military bases to protect our commercial

interests abroad – Alfred Thayer Mahan claims that the control of the seas is the key to world domination.

3. The need to acquire new lands because our frontier is closed.

4. The belief that our culture should be spread (Social Darwinism).

5. The belief that we had to “catch up” to other nations who were practicing empire building.

U.S. Diplomatic Crises in the late 1800’s

1. The U.S. and Germany competed over the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific – they divided the islands between themselves in 1899.

2. The lynching of Italian immigrants in New Orleans in 1891 almost led to war between the U.S. and Italy.

3. The death of two U.S. sailors in Chile in 1892 almost led to war between the two nations.

4. A border dispute in Venezuela almost led to war between the U.S. and Great Britain – it eventually led to a growing diplomatic reconciliation between the two nations.

Trade with Asia

1. The acquisition of California and Oregon in the mid 1800’s caused many U.S. businessmen to turn their eyes on Asia as a trading partner.

2. In 1844, Caleb Cushing negotiated the Treaty of Wanghia with China (the first formal diplomatic agreement between the U.S. and China) allowing the U.S. the right to trade with the nation.

3. In 1854, Matthew C. Perry negotiated the Treaty of Kanagawa with Japan, giving the U.S. it’s first opportunity to trade with Japan.

4. With the completion of the transcontinental railroads, this trade became even more lucrative and the U.S. wanted to protect it.

Hawaii1. Hawaii had always been a

way station for U.S. sailors and whalers – as trade with Asia increased, it became even more important.

2. In the early 1800’s U.S. missionaries began going to Hawaii to try to convert the Hawaiians to Christianity.

3. The development of sugar cane plantations eventually led to more U.S. settlers going to Hawaii.

4. In 1877, the Hawaiian government gave the U.S. permission to build a naval station at Pearl Harbor.

Queen Liliuokalani1. In 1890, the McKinley Tariff

removed Hawaiian sugar from the list of free trade goods.

2. This led U.S. sugar manufactures in Hawaii (led by Sanford Dole) to seize control of the government (with the help of U.S. sailors), depose Queen Lil and to ask the U.S. government to annex Hawaii (Cleveland refused).

3. Hawaii will later be annexed during the Spanish American War in order to help protect U.S. possessions in the Pacific.

Cuba

1. Cuba was a colony of Spain but was always pushing for their independence.

2. In 1895, Cuban rebels again tried to seize control of Cuba and failed again.

3. In response, the Spanish government began rounding up Cubans they believed to be sympathetic to the rebels and placing them in reconcentration camps.

4. Conditions in these camps were appalling - disease and starvation were problems, as was the treatment of women in the camps.

The U.S.’s Attitude Towards Cuba

1. The U.S. favored providing aid to the Cuban revolutionaries because:

1. they were sympathetic to the Cuban fight for freedom.2. they were afraid of losing their commercial interests in

Cuba if Spain tightened its control over the island.3. they wanted to build a canal across the Isthmus of

Panama and were afraid Spanish control of Cuba might interfere with it.

4. the stories of atrocities in Cuba in the “yellow press”.

Yellow Journalism and the Spanish American War

1. Publishers William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer used the conditions in Cuba to sell newspapers – their stories also caused many U.S. citizens to support going to war with Spain in an effort to free Cuba.

2. In 1898, Hearst published the De Lome Letter – De Lome was a Spanish diplomat working with the U.S. to develop a diplomatic solution to the problems in Cuba – he was very critical of President McKinley, claiming he supported war even as he talked of peace.

The Sinking of the Maine

1. In 1898, McKinley sent the U.S.S. Maine to Cuba to protect U.S. business interests and to evacuate American citizens if necessary.

2. On Feb. 15, 1898, the Maine exploded in Havana Bay, killing 266 crewmen.

3. The “yellow press” in the U.S. blamed the Spanish and the desire for war with Spain reached a fever pitch in the U.S.

The Spanish-American War

1. McKinley eventually asked Congress to declare war because his party (the Republicans) and the American public wanted it – along with the businessmen of the U.S. who had lucrative holdings in Cuba.

2. Before the war was started though, Congress passed the Teller Amendment, claiming that the U.S.’s goal in Cuba was to free them from Spanish control – not to seize Cuba for ourselves.

The Spanish American War

1. The Spanish American War only lasts about three months.

2. The U.S. army was not ready for war but the U.S. navy is – George Dewey takes the Philippines and Henry Glass takes Guam.

3. More American lives were lost to disease and bad food than to actual fighting.

The Treaty of Paris

1. Cuba gains their independence from Spain.2. The U.S. gets Guam and Puerto Rico.3. The U.S. “buys” the Philippines (and Manila)

for $20 million.4. The U.S. is now and empire.5. The new Cuban government was forced to add

the Platt Amendment to its constitution, which gave the U.S. the right to step into Cuba militarily if it deemed it necessary.

The U.S. as an Empire

Anti-Imperialism Leagues

1. Several anti-imperialist leagues formed in the U.S. during this time, mainly over the issue of the Philippines.

2. Many anti-imperialists felt that control of the Philippines violated the “consent of the governed” policy of the Declaration of Independence – and it could lead to problems at home as well – the Insular Cases seemed to bring this point home when the Supreme Court decided that U.S. laws don’t apply to U.S. colonies.

3. They also believed that imperialism would be too expensive to maintain, especially in East Asia, which was very unstable politically.

Anti-Imperialism

The Philippines

1. The people of the Philippines had actually helped Dewey gain control of the islands, believing they would be given their independence after the war.

2. When they didn’t receive their independence, they rebelled against the U.S. leaders there.

3. The U.S. brutally put the rebellion down.4. The Philippines didn’t get their independence

until 1946.

China

1. China was divided into “spheres of influence” by Japan, Russia and several other European nations.

2. In 1899, Secretary of State John Hay issued the first Open Door Note to these nations, asking that they keep these spheres of influence open for trade for all nations.

3. Most of the nations (not Russia) agreed to it.

The Boxer Rebellion

1. There were secret societies in China opposed to the foreign occupation of China.

2. In 1900, one group, the Boxers, staged a rebellion.3. They killed over 200 foreigners (mostly traders and

missionaries) and thousands of Chinese who had converted to Christianity.

4. In response, a multinational force was put together and the rebellion was brutally put down – thousands of Chinese were killed.

The Second Open Door Note

1. In response to the Boxer Rebellion and its aftermath, John Hay issued another Open Door Notes.

2. In this note, he once again requested that China remain open to trade for all nations and he also requested that the nations controlling the spheres of influence respect China’s territorial integrity.

Teddy Roosevelt

1. In 1900, Teddy Roosevelt will be put on the Republican ticket as vice president.

2. He had become incredibly popular because of his participation in the Rough Riders and their attack on San Juan Hill during the Spanish American War.

3. When McKinley is assassinated, Roosevelt will become president and use his charismatic leadership skills to assert the authority of the president like never before.

The Panama Canal

1. One goal of TR’s was to build a canal across the isthmus of Panama – mainly for military purposes but also for trade.

2. The area he wanted was controlled by Columbia and Columbia refused to give him permission to build.

3. When the people of Panama rebelled against Columbia, he used U.S. warships to make sure the Columbian government could send in reinforcements.

4. When the people of Panama won their independence, he immediately recognized their nation and gained their permission to build the canal.

TR and Latin America

1. Because of the financial instability of many of the Latin American countries, TR announces the Roosevelt Corollary in 1904.

2. An addition to the Monroe Doctrine, it claims that the U.S. will protect the entire Western Hemisphere and the Caribbean from foreign interference.

3. Also known as the Big Stick Policy or gunboat diplomacy, TR will use this policy to frequently intervene in Latin America – leading to a legacy of ill will and mistrust between Latin America and the U.S.

The Big Stick Policy

The Russo-Japanese War

1. In 1904 war broke out between Russia and Japan over Manchuria.

2. Roosevelt will intervene and arbitrate between the two nations.

3. The issue will be resolved (although neither really likes the outcome) and TR will receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.

4. What it mainly did was create tensions between the U.S. and Japan and Russia for years to come.

5. Things with Japan got so bad that through the Gentlemen’s Agreement, TR will get Japan to stop allowing its citizens to immigrate to the U.S.