Chapter 7 (Appleby 260-285)

Becoming a World Power

Today’s Agenda• 7.1 slide show• Teddy Roosevelt PresentationHomework• Test Thursday on Progressive Era

Define Imperialism. •Economic and political domination of a strong nation over a weaker nation

British Empire

What were the causes of American Imperialism?• Social Darwinism

– Belief in superiority of White Races– Believed nations were in competition &

that the strongest survived• Military bases

– Alfred T. Mahan’s The Influence of Sea Power upon History

• Said that nations must build strong navies & have bases or risk being destroyed by others

• Overseas Markets– Believed that nation needed overseas

markets to sell industrialized products– High tariffs shut off European markets

Take up the White Man's burden--

Send forth the best ye breed--

Go bind your sons to exileTo serve your captives'

need;To wait in heavy harness,

On fluttered folk and wild--Your new-caught, sullen

peoples,Half-devil and half-child

Rudyard Kipling

• Spanish Atrocities– Spanish Gen. Weyler put 300 thousand

Cubans in concentration camps• American Investments in Cuba

– 100 million in yearly trade• Yellow Journalism

– US Press used emotional & dramatic stories to exaggerate Spanish atrocities in order to sell papers

• USS Maine (2/1898) – US ship exploded near Cuba

• Resulted in America acquiring territory (Imperialism) (Philippines, Puerto Rico)

What were the causes of the Spanish American War?

What was the “Big Stick” policy?• TR’s foreign policy• “Speak softly and carry

a big stick”– Don’t brag about power,

show it• Sent Great White

Fleet around world• Made America a world

power

How can the US navy get more powerful?

Begin at 7:00

Panama Canal Presentation

What is the significance of the Panama Canal?• Greatly reduced travel

time • Shrunk distance between

NY and San Francisco from 13 thousand to 5 thousand miles– Cut traveling time by

60 days• Save millions $$• Allow US to protect both

coasts• Announced US power to

world• Major Engineering

marvel

Suez Canal Panamanian Jungle

Describe TR’s methods of getting the right to build the Canal.

• Shady• TR tried to buy rights to construct

canal from Columbia– Hay-Herran Treaty (1903)

• Offered $10 million, $250 thousand annually for “rent”

• Columbia declined• Panamanian revolution

– Rebels declared independence from Columbia

• TR supports Rebels• Panama agreed to US deal

How did the Canal work?

Panama Canal

What was the Roosevelt Corollary?• Expanded Monroe Doctrine

(MD) with military force– Monroe Doctrine had

warned European powers not to acquire any more colonies in western hemisphere

• Dominican Republic– Owed Germany $ and

threatened to send troops• TR seized island and had debt

paid• Made US policeman of

western hemisphere

What impact did this new foreign policy have on America?

• Made it a world player

• “Entangled” US into European affairs