The Path of Empire / America On The World Stage

1890 - 1899

1. Imperialist Stirrings

1890s – A new wave of expansion will overtake the United States – but this time it will be international expansion

Imperialism – when a stronger country takes over a weaker one and extends power and influence over them

What made America an imperialistic nation? 1) Overseas markets – opened up new opportunities for Americans 2) Yellow press – journalists sparked curiosity about the outside world 3) Missionary impulse – missionaries inspired many to share the gospel

with the world 4) Racism/Darwinism – a feeling of American superiority was in the air 5) New Steel Navy – bye-bye wooden boats; ships are made of steel

2. Venezuela and Hawaii

1895 – 1896 – Britain again shows up at the Western Hemisphere; which houses a much more powerful and assertive United States

President Grover Cleveland and Secretary of State Richard Olney invokes the Monroe Doctrine when British in the colony of British Guiana enter into conflict with Venezuela when gold is discovered in an area near their borders

We came close to a third war with Britain but it was averted when Britain became distracted by a more ominous threat – Germany

The U.S. as a protector of Latin America, however, had begun… Meanwhile, the U.S. also has its eyes out in the Pacific, and eventually

annexes the small Pacific islands of Hawaii in 1898.

Venezuela

Hawaii

3. Cuba and War With Spain

Cuba; small island country 90 miles south of Florida In 1895 – it is under ownership of Spain and eventually revolts When Spanish General “Butcher” Weyler cruelly begins suppressing the

rebellion, Americans begin to sympathize with the Cubans Soon the media got a hold of the story Yellow journalists such as William R. Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer wrote

sensational stories about the cruel Spanish oppression and soon, American citizens were calling for action

February 1898 – The U.S.S. Maine, an American ship that was monitoring the situation in Cuba, mysteriously explodes

Congress declares war on Spain and passes the Teller Amendment which would forbid the United States to annex Cuba after the war

Cuba

Wreckage of the U.S.S. Maine

4. Spanish-American War of 1898

At the time, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy was a young Theodore Roosevelt

Roosevelt orders American naval leader George Dewey to attack Spanish outposts in the Manila (the Philippines), even though Spain’s holdings in the Philippines had nothing to do with the conflict in Cuba

Americans were aided by Emilio Aguinaldo, a Filipino revolutionary against Spanish rule

Meanwhile, Theodore Roosevelt resigns as Assistant Secretary of the Navy and forms a military unit called the Rough Riders that fought the Spanish in Cuba

They captured San Juan Hill near the city of Santiago, leading to an American naval victory

Most American casualties in the S-A War died of disease than bullets, and the war was won by the U.S. in just 4 months

TR and the Rough Riders during the S-A War

5. Annexing the Philippines – Imperialism or No?

In the Treaty of Paris (1898) – the United States gains Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines

President McKinley faces a dilemma – should he let the Philippines go like he did Cuba or should he annex them?

Imperialist arguments: 1) The U.S. can’t turn their back on the newly freed Filipinos 2) The Filipinos may fall into anarchy if left to themselves 3) Germany may take the islands Non-imperialist arguments: 1) To annex them would be to violate American democratic philosophy 2) They were worried the U.S. would become totalitarian 3) Owning the Philippines means the U.S. is involved in Far Eastern

affairs

Philippines

6. Problems of Empire

The U.S. gives self-rule to Puerto Rico in 1917 The U.S. governs Cuba until 1902 then gives them independence as

required by the Teller Amendment Cuba, however, was required to add what is known as the Platt

Amendment to their constitution which is still present in their constitution today:

1) They cannot enter into an agreement that would impair their independence

2) The U.S. is allowed to intervene in Cuban affairs to restore order 3) Cuba sells the island of Guantanamo to the U.S. as a powerful naval

station

7. Philippine Insurrection

McKinley decides to keep the Philippines Soon, a revolution breaks out against the American government there Led by Emilio Aguinaldo; who helped the U.S. against the Spanish during

the Spanish-American War A brutal three year war was fought against Filipino revolutionaries and the

United States; the U.S. won The first American governor of the Philippines was future president William

Howard Taft The Philippines would be granted independence however, in 1946.

8. China and the “Open Door”

China’s rich foreign products were much desired by the world’s powers In the late 1800s / early 1900s, China was in a weak state They have been isolated in a world that is quickly modernizing and

industrializing As nations begin carving China up, the U.S. gets in it Secretary of State John Hay Announces an “Open Door” Policy in China China, already weak and defeated after losing a recent war with Britain

(Opium War), has to accept China’s markets are now open

9. The Rise of Teddy Roosevelt

The Election of 1900 William McKinley, riding on the popularity of leading a victorious and

economically prospering America, is easily re-nominated by the Republicans His VP – the young and robust Theodore Roosevelt The Democrats again nominate William Jennings Bryan McKinley wins re-election September 1901 – McKinley is assassinated at a fair in Buffalo, NY Theodore Roosevelt becomes the 26th President of the United States Roosevelt was a man who loved a good fight, a champion of military

and naval preparedness, impatient, outspoken, determined, a master politician, and most importantly a direct actionist.

Roosevelt believed first and foremost the president should lead, and though he made some mistakes, he kept the country moving, and mostly forward…

President William McKinley

President Theodore Roosevelt

10. Panama Canal

1) In order to travel between the oceans, you had to go around South America; this would reduce travel distance

2) It would make it easier to defend Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines

Panama Canal

11. Roosevelt in the Caribbean

“Speak softly and carry a big stick…” –TR You should remember the Monroe Doctrine; and Roosevelt added to it as

the United States increasingly became involved in world affairs Though the Monroe Doctrine kept Europe away, they still demanded debts

from Latin American countries which concerned Roosevelt Roosevelt Corollary Monroe Doctrine – any European interference or colonization in the

Western Hemisphere is an act of war Roosevelt Corollary – The United States can intervene in affairs in the

Western Hemisphere as a police power The United States also assumed all Latin American debt to European

countries “Big Stick Diplomacy” – the U.S. is the protector of Latin America

12. Asian Relations

1904 – 1905 – Japan and Russia go to war against each other The Russo-Japanese War Roosevelt meets with both sides and helps them come to an agreement He wins the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts Before and after this war, the U.S. receives a large amount of Japanese

immigrants To show off American power and prestige in the Far East (the Orient),

Roosevelt sends a fleet of powerful naval ships called the Great White Fleet on a tour of the Far East.

This is to let the world know that the United States is growing into a more powerful country,

Roosevelt and the Great White Fleet