American Imperialism and World War I

American Imperialism and World War I
From Isolationism to Internationalism

Timeline of Events 1867 1889 1893 1895 French withdraw from Mexico
First Pan-American conference held 1893 Sugar planters, aided by U.S. Marines overthrow Hawaii’s Queen Liluokalani 1895 Venezuela boundary dispute with Britain Guglielmo Marconi invents the radio

Timeline of Events 1896 William McKinley becomes President defeating William Jennings Bryan 1898 Marie Curie discovers radium U.S.S. Maine explodes and sinks War with Spain Puerto Rico, Guam, Philippines, and Hawaii acquired

Timeline of Events 1899 1900 Philippine insurrection begins
Boxer uprising in China William McKinley reelected John Hay institutes Open Door Policy with China

Timeline of Events 1901 1903 Platt amendment to Cuban constitution
Hay-Pauncefote Treaty with Great Britain Theodore Roosevelt becomes President after McKinley is assassinated 1903 Columbian senate rejects canal treaty Panama revolution occurs with United States aid

Timeline of Events 1904 Roosevelt Corollary to Monroe Doctrine announced 1905 Russo-Japanese peace treaty made at Portsmouth 1908 William Howard Taft becomes President defeating William Jennings Bryan Henry Ford introduces the Model T

Timeline of Events 1910 1911 The Mexican Revolution begins
William Howard Taft institutes Dollar Diplomacy with Latin American nations

Timeline of Events 1912 Woodrow Wilson elected President defeating Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft 1913 China’s Qin Dynasty topples

Timeline of Events 1914 Americans occupy Vera Cruz, Mexico
Hollywood, California becomes the center of movie production in the United States The Panama Canal opens Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife are assassinated World War I begins in Europe, August 1st

Timeline of Events 1915 Lusitania sunk by German submarine
Austrian ambassador expelled from the United States Albert Einstein proposes his general theory of relativity Alexander Graham Bell makes the first transcontinental phone call

Timeline of Events 1916 Virgin Islands purchased from Denmark
Wilson reelected President United States offers mediation in European war Battles of Verdun and Somme claim millions of lives

Timeline of Events 1917 Germany declares unrestricted submarine warfare Zimmerman note published, March 1st Russian Revolution begins Puerto Ricans becomes U.S. citizens Mexico revises and adopts its constitution War declared on Central Powers, April 6th

Timeline of Events 1918 Wilson offers Fourteen Points peace program
United States troops help check German offensive Armistice signed , November 11th Eighteenth Amendment outlaws alcoholic beverages – Prohibition begins

Timeline of Events 1918 Wilson proposed the League of Nations
Congress passes the Sedition Act The Bolsheviks establish a Communist regime in Russia World War I ends

Timeline of Events 1919 Treat of Versailles signed, June 28th
Treaty defeated in Senate, November 19th Congress approves the Nineteenth Amendment, granting women the right to vote A worldwide influenza epidemic kills over 30 million

Timeline of Events 1920 Treaty again defeated in Senate, March 19th
Harding (Republican) defeats Cox for President

American Expansionism
American wanted to expand its size and throughout the 19th century toward the Pacific Ocean Many leaders in the U.S. felt America should become more imperialistic Imperialism ~ the policy in which stronger nations extend their economic, political, or military control over weaker territories

Global Competition European nations ~ establishing colonies for centuries Africa ~ prime target of European nations ~ by early 20th century only Ethiopia and Liberia remained independent Asia ~ competition continued especially in China Japan ~ old feudal system replaced with a strong central government

Global Competition Factors that fueled American Imperialism
Desire for military strength Thirst for new markets Belief in cultural superiority

Desire for Military Strength
American leaders advised the U.S. to build up its military strength Admiral Alfred T. Mahan (U.S. Navy) ~ urged government official to build up American naval power in order to compete with other powerful nations U.S. between 1883 & 1890 built 9 steel-hulled cruisers Modern ships Oregon and Maine transformed the country into the world’s 3rd largest naval power

Thirst for New Markets Advances in technology enabled American farms and factories to produce more than American citizens could consume Foreign trade was the solution to American over-production and the related problems of unemployment and economic depression

Belief in Cultural Superiority
Cultural factors were used to justify imperialism Americans complete the philosophy of Social Darwinism and racial superiority of Anglo-Saxons U.S. had a responsibility to spread Christianity and “civilization” to the world’s “inferior peoples”

Seward’s Folly William H. Seward, Secretary of State under Lincoln and Johnson acquired Alaska for $7.2 million from Russia Often called “Seward’s Icebox” or Seward’s Folly” because people thought it was silly to buy the territory In 1959, Alaska became a state and for about 2 cents per acre America acquired a land rich in timber, minerals (gold), & oil

Seward’s Folly

Hawaii 1867 ~ U.S. took over Midway Islands (1300 miles north of Hawaii) Hawaiian Islands were economically important to the U.S. Since 1790s merchants had stopped their on their way to China and East India 1820s ~ Yankee missionaries founded Christian schools and churches on the islands Their children & grandchildren became sugar planters & sold their crop to the U.S.

Hawaii

Hawaiian Sugar American sugar planters accounted for 75% of the islands’ wealth Labor was imported from Japan, Portugal, and China By 1900, foreign immigrant laborers outnumbered native Hawaiians by 3 to 1 White planters profited from close ties with the U.S. 1875 ~ U.S. agrees to import Hawaiian sugar duty-free

Hawaiian Sugar Over next 15 years, Hawaiian sugar production increased nine times McKinley Tariff of 1890 brought an end to duty-free sugar Hawaiian sugar planters now faced competition in the American market American planters now wanted Hawaii to be annexed by the U.S.

Annexation of Hawaii U.S. military and economic leaders knew the value of Hawaii 1887 ~ pressured Hawaii to allow the U.S. to build a naval base at Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor became a fueling station for American ships

End of a Monarchy 1887 ~ King Kalakaua was forced to amend Hawaii’s constitution, limiting voting rights to only wealthy landowners 1891 ~ King Kalakaua died and Liliuokalani, his sister became queen Queen Lil proposed removing the property-owning qualification for voting To stop what she was trying to do, a revolution was organized upon the insistence of Ambassador John L. Stevens

End of a Monarchy

End of a Monarchy Marines helped to overthrow Queen Lil and set up a government headed by Sanford B. Dole Grover Cleveland directed that Queen Lil be restored to her throne Dole refused to relinquish power and Cleveland eventually and formally recognized the Republic of Hawaii Cleveland would not consider annexation unless a majority of Hawaiians favored it

End of a Monarchy

End of a Monarchy 1897 ~ William McKinley will agree to the annexation of Hawaii 1898 ~ August 12th ~ Congress proclaimed Hawaii an American territory Hawaiians were never given the choice to be annexed 1959 ~ Hawaii became the 50th state of the U.S.

End of a Monarchy

Spanish American War 1898 ~ U.S. went to war to help Cuba win its independence from Spain U.S. involvement in Latin American and Asia increased greatly as a result of the war and continues today

Cuba Rebels Against Spain
Spain ~ losing most of its colonies by the end of the 19th century Spain’s colonies Philippines Guam Some outposts in Africa Cuba Puerto Rico

America had an interest in Cuba because it is 90 miles south of Florida 1854 ~ diplomats recommended the purchase of Cuba to Franklin Pierce Spain’s response was they would rather sink it into the ocean then sell to the U.S. ~ Cubans rebelled against Spain ~ Americans were sympathetic to their cause

Cuban revolt was not successful 1886 ~ Cuban people forced Spain to abolish slavery American’s begin investing millions in large sugar cane plantations on the island 1895 ~ Jose Marti ~ a Cuban poet and journalist in exile in New York launched a second revolution

Jose Marti

Marti organized Cuban resistance using guerilla warfare and deliberately destroying American owned sugar mills and plantation Marti was counting on American interference ~ Cuba Libre! Public opinion was split in the U.S. Business people wanted the government to support Spain (protect business interests)

Other Americans wanted to support the rebel cause It reminded them of Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death” speech

War Fever Escalates 1896 ~ Spain send general Valeriano Weyler to Cuba to restore order Weyler tried to crush the rebellion Herded entire population of central and western Cuba into concentration camps About 300,000 filled the camps Thousands died from hunger and disease

Valeriano Weyler

Headline Wars Weyler’s actions fueled a newspaper circulation war between Hearst and Pulitzer Both printed exaggerated accounts of Weyler’s brutality (poisoning wells, throwing children to sharks) Yellow journalism ~ sensation style of writing which exaggerates news to lure and enrage readers Hearst and Pulitzer fanned war fever

Headline Wars Hearst sends Frederick Remington, a painter to Cuba to draw sketches Remington felt war was unlikely Hearst supposedly replied “You furnish the pictures and I’ll furnish the war.”

Frederic Remington

The De Lome Letter McKinley came in office in 1897
Wanted to avoid war with Spain Tried diplomatic means to resolve the crisis and at first efforts seemed to work Spain recalled General Weyler, modified its policy toward concentration camps and offered Cuba limited self-government

The De Lome Letter 1898 ~ February ~ the New York Journal published a private letter written by Enrique Dupuy de Lome, the Spanish minister to the U.S. Letter criticized President McKinley, calling him “weak” and “a bidder for the admiration of the crowd” Spanish government was embarrassed and apologized, the minister resigned Americans were angered by the insult

The De Lome Letter

The U.S.S. Maine Explodes 1898 ~ McKinley ordered the U.S.S. Maine to Cuba to bring home American citizens in danger from the fighting and to protect Americans property February 15, 1898 ~ the ship exploded in Havana harbor killing more than 260 men Not really known why the ship exploded 1898 ~ American newspapers claimed the Spanish had blown up the ship Hearst offered $50,000 dollars for the capture of the Spaniards who blew up the ship

The U.S.S. Maine Explodes

War with Spain Erupts “Remember the Maine” became the rallying cry for U.S. intervention in Cuba April 9, 1898 ~ Spain agreed to all of the U.S. demands including 6 month cease fire Even with the concessions, U.S. public wanted war April 11, 1898 ~ McKinley asked Congress for the authority to use force against Spain April 20, 1898 ~ Congress agreed and the U.S. declared war

Spanish American War Map

The War in the Philippines
Spanish believed the U.S. would invade Cuba U.S. chose to fight in the Philippines first April 30th ~ Commodore George Dewey steamed into the harbor May 1st ~ gave command to open fire on the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay 7 hours later ~ the Spanish fleet was destroyed or captured Victory allowed U.S. troops to land in the Philippines

Dewey had the support of the Filipinos who also wanted freedom from Spain Over next 2 months ~ 11,000 Americans joined forces with Filipino rebels led by Emilio Aguinaldo August 1898 ~ Spanish troops surrendered to U.S. forces

The War in the Caribbean
Hostilities began with the blockade of Cuba Admiral William T. Sampson sealed up the Spanish fleet in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba U.S. able to show superiority of its naval forces Army ~ small professional force with a larger inexperienced and ill-prepared volunteer force About 125,000 Americans had volunteered to fight

The War in the Caribbean
Training camps for new soldiers lacked supplies and effective leaders Not enough modern guns to go around and officers were more interested in their time serving during the Civil War than training the volunteers

Rough Riders June 1898 ~ American forces land in Cuba heading towards Santiago Army ~ 17,000 men including 4 African-American regiments Rough Riders ~ volunteer cavalry under the command of Leonard Wood and Theodore Roosevelt July 1st ~ Rough Riders and 2 African- American regiments charge up Kettle Hill Victory cleared the way for infantry to attack San Juan Hill

Rough Riders July 3rd ~ Spanish fleet tries to escape
Naval battle occurs and ends in the destruction of the Spanish fleet July 25th ~ America invades Puerto Rico

Rough Riders

Treaty of Paris August 12th ~ U.S. and Spain sign an armistice
Secretary of State, John Hay called it “a splendid little war” Actual fighting lasted only 16 weeks December 10th ~ U.S. and Spain met in Paris to agree on a treaty Spain turned over Cuba, Guam and Puerto Rico to the U.S. U.S. bought the Philippines for $20 million

Debate over the Treaty Treaty caused a huge debate in Congress
Main argument ~ whether the U.S. had the right to annex the Philippines Real issue ~ imperialism McKinley needed to justify imperialism ~ “there was nothing left for us to do but take them all [the Philippine Islands], and to educate the Filipinos, and uplift and Christianize them” Philippines had been Christian for centuries

Debate over the Treaty Prominent Americans presented a variety of arguments ~ political, moral, and economic ~ Some felt the treaty violated the D of I by denying self-government to the newly acquired land Booker T. Washington ~ U.S. should settle race relation problems at home before take on social problems elsewhere Samuel Gompers ~ feared Filipino immigrants would compete for American jobs

Debate over the Treaty February 6, 1899 ~ annexation question settled ~ Senate approved the Treaty of Paris U.S. empire included Cuba, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines

Acquiring New Lands Puerto Rico Military Rule
Not all wanted independence Some wanted statehood, other some local self-government Military Rule U.S. forces under General Nelson A Miles occupied the island Miles assured the people that Americans would protect them U.S. military would control Puerto Rico until Congress made changes

Acquiring New Lands Return to Civil Government
Puerto Rico strategically important to U.S. Helped in maintaining U.S. presence in the Caribbean and for protecting a future canal Americans hoped to build across the Isthmus of Panama 1900 ~ Foraker Act ~ ended military rule and set up a civilian government Act gave the president of the U.S. power to appoint a governor and members of the upper house of its legislature Puerto Ricans could only elect the lower house

Acquiring New Lands 1901 ~ Insular Cases ~ U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution did not automatically apply to people in acquired territories Congress retained the right to extend U.S. citizenship 1917 ~ granted the right to Puerto Ricans 1917 ~ gave them the right to elect both houses of their legislature

Acquiring New Lands

Acquiring New Lands Cuba and the United States American Soldiers
U.S. recognized Cuba’s independence from Spain in 1898 U.S. passed Teller Amendment which stated the U.S. had no intention of taking over Cuba Treaty of Paris guaranteed Cuba its independence American Soldiers Jose Marti thought U.S. would become another Spain Under American occupation, U.S. left in office the leaders who had served Spain Those who protested they were imprisoned or exiled

Teller Amendment

Acquiring New Lands American military government
provided food and clothing for thousands of families Helped farmers put land into cultivation Organized elementary schools Improved sanitation Improved medical research Helped eliminate yellow fever

Platt Amendment 1900 ~ Cuba wrote a constitution for an independent government Constitution did not specify the relationship between the U.S. and Cuba 1901 ~ U.S. insisted on the Platt Amendment Cuba could not make treaties that would limit its independence or permit a foreign power to take control of any part of its territory U.S. reserved the right to intervene in Cuba Cuba was not to go into debt U.S. could buy or lease land on the island for naval stations and refueling stations

Platt Amendment U.S. refused to withdraw its troops without the passage of the Platt Amendment Cubans were outraged by the amendment and protested but the U.S. stood firm 1903 ~ Platt Amendment was ratified and remained in effect for 31 years Cuba became a U.S. protectorate

Platt Amendment

U.S. Business Interests U.S. had strong business interests in Cuba
Americans had invested in sugar, tobacco and mining industries, railroads and public utilities Many business people wanted the U.S. to annex Cuba and make it a territory U.S. would intervene time and again in the affairs of other nations in the Western Hemisphere

Filipinos Rebel Filipinos were angry because the Treaty of Paris called for the annexation of the Philippines Emilio Aguinaldo believed the U.S. had promised independence Filipinos vowed to fight because of the terms of the treaty

Emilio Aguinaldo

Philippine-American War
February 1899 ~ Aguinaldo led the Filipinos in a revolt U.S. imposed its authority on a colony that was fighting for freedom Aguinaldo used guerilla tactics so U.S. forced Filipinos to live in designated areas Poor sanitation, starvation, and disease killed thousands U.S. was committing the same atrocities as Spain did to Cuba

American soldiers (whites) felt the Filipinos were inferior 70,000 U.S. troops sent to the Philippines were African American African American newspapers believed that by being there, African Americans were helping to spread racial prejudice Some African Americans deserted to the Filipino side and developed bonds of friendship with them War lasted 3 years, took 20,000 Filipino lives, 4,000 American lives and cost $400 million

Aftermath of the War After the revolt was suppressed, the U.S. set up a government like that it had put in place in Puerto Rico U.S. appointed a governor who appointed the upper house Filipinos elected the lower house Philippines gradually move toward independence under American rule July 4, 1946 ~ became an independent republic

Foreign Influence in China
U.S. imperialism in the Philippines gave it a way into Asia China was a potential market for American products Presented American investors with new opportunities for large-scale railroad construction China ~ “sick man of Asia” ~ because of war and foreign intervention

France, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, and Russia had established settlements along the coast of China Countries carved out “spheres of influence” ~ areas where each nation claimed special rights and economic privileges

Open Door Policy U.S. feared that China would be carved up and American traders would be shut out John Hay in 1899 issued a series of policies called the Open Door notes Notes were letters addressed to leaders of imperialist nations proposing that the nations share their trading rights with the U.S. Meant no single nation would have a monopoly on trade with any part of China Other powers reluctantly accepted the policy

Open Door Policy

The Boxer Rebellion China kept its freedom
Large cities were dominated by Europeans Chinese resented the foreign influence and established secret societies to rid the country of “foreign devils” Most famous group ~ Boxers ~ because they practiced martial arts Boxers killed thousands of missionaries, other foreigners & Chinese who had converted to Christianity

The Boxer Rebellion August 1900 ~ British, German, French, and Japanese troops joined 2,000 American soldiers in a march on the Chinese capital Boxer Rebellion was put down by the international force Thousands of Chinese died during the fighting

The Boxer Rebellion

Protecting American Rights
U.S. feared Europeans would try to takeover more of China after the rebellion was put down John Hay issued a second series of Open Door notes announcing the U.S. would “safeguard for the world the principle of equal and impartial trade with all parts of the Chinese Empire” Policy paved the way for greater American influence in Asia

Protecting American Rights
Open Door policy ~ 3 deeply held beliefs Americans believed that the growth of the U.S. economy depended on exports U.S. had a right to intervene abroad to keep foreign markets open U.S. feared that the closing of an area to American products, citizens, or ideas threatened U.S. survival Beliefs became the bedrock of American foreign policy

Impact of U.S. Territorial Gains
1900 ~ William McKinley was elected to a 2nd term as president Reelection confirmed that a majority of Americans favored his policies Anti-Imperialist League came into being Members included ~ Grover Cleveland, Andrew Carnegie, Jane Addams, Mark Twain and many others All agreed the U.S. was wrong to rule other people without their consent U.S. under Theodore Roosevelt & Woodrow Wilson would continue to exert its power

America as a World Power
Teddy Roosevelt and the World Became president with the assassination of William McKinley Did not want European powers to control the world’s political & economic destiny 1905 ~ mediated a peace treaty between Russia and Japan

Russo- Japanese War 1904 ~ Tsar Nicholas II of Russia declared war on Japan Russia and Japan ~ imperialist powers competing for Korea Japan struck first with a surprise attack on the Russian Pacific fleet and destroyed it Also destroyed a second fleet sent as a reinforcement Japan secured Korea and Manchuria after a series of land battles Japan running out of men and money

Russo- Japanese War Japanese officials approached Roosevelt in secret
Asked him to mediate peace negotiations 1905 ~ Russian and Japanese met in Portsmouth, NH First meeting on presidential yacht Japanese wanted Sakhalin Island and money from Russia Russians refused Through Roosevelt’s negotiations , Japan got ½ the island and no money

Russo- Japanese War Japanese were given Russian interests in Korea and Manchuria Treaty of Portsmouth helped Roosevelt to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 U.S. and Japan expanded their interest in East Asia 2 nations continued to talk

Russo- Japanese War

Panama Canal U.S needed a canal cutting across Central America
Would reduce travel time for commercial and military ships U.S. and Great Britain in 1850 agreed to share rights to such a canal Hay-Pauncefote Treaty of 1901 gave the U.S. exclusive rights to build and control a canal through Central America 2 possible routes (1) Nicaragua and (2) Panama (a province of Colombia)

Panama Canal Late 1800s a French company had tried to build a canal and gave up after 10 years Sent an agent, Philippe Bunau-Varilla to D.C. to get the U.S. to buy its claim 1903 ~ U.S. bought the claim for $40 million U.S. asked Colombia for permission to finish building the canal but negotiations broke down Bunau-Varilla organized a rebellion and Panama declared its independence on November 3, 1903 in the presence of 12 U.S. warships

Panama Canal

Panama Canal November 18, 1903 ~ U.S. and Panama signed a treaty
U.S. would pay Panama $10 million plus an annual rent of $250,000 for an area across Panama ~ the Canal Zone Payment began in 1913 Canal ranks as one of the world’s greatest engineering feats Builders fought diseases, and soft volcanic soil 1904 ~ work began on the canal with the clearing of brush and draining of swamps

Panama Canal

Panama Canal 1913 ~ height of construction
43,400 workers ¾ were blacks from the British West Indies 5,600 workers died from accidents or disease Total cost to U.S. ~ $380 million August 15, 1914 ~ canal open for business 1,000 merchant ships passed through the 1st year U.S. – Latin American relations damaged by American support of the Panama rebellion 1921 ~ Congress paid Colombia $21 million for the loss of its territory

The Roosevelt Corollary
Late 19th century Latin American nations borrowing huge sums of money from European banks U.S. feared if they defaulted that Europeans would intervene Roosevelt wanted U.S. to be the dominant power in the Caribbean and Central America “Speak softly and carry a big stick” ~ African proverb

December 1904 ~ Roosevelt Corollary was added to the Monroe Doctrine Warned that disorder in Latin American might “force the United States … to the exercise of an international police power” U.S. would not use force to protects its economic interest in Latin America

Dollar Diplomacy United States exercised police power on several occasions 1911 ~ Nicaragua rebellion left the country close to bankruptcy Taft arranged for American bankers to loan Nicaragua the money to pay its debts Nicaragua gave American bankers the right to collect its customs duties to repay the debt Nicaragua also allowed U.S. bankers to gain control of the railroad system and national bank

Dollar Diplomacy Nicaraguans heard about the deal and revolted against President Adolfo Diaz 2,000 marines were sent to Nicaragua to help with the role which was put down Some marine units were stationed in Nicaragua until 1933 Taft administration followed the policy using the U.S government to guarantee loans to foreign countries by American business people Was often used to justify keeping European powers out of the Caribbean

Dollar Diplomacy

Missionary Diplomacy 1823 ~ Monroe Doctrine warned other nations to stay out of the affairs of Latin American countries 1904 ~ Roosevelt Corollary stated the U.S. had the right to exercise international police power in the Western Hemisphere 1913 ~ Wilson’s Missionary Diplomacy gave the Monroe Doctrine a moral tone U.S. had a moral responsibility to deny recognition to any Latin American government it viewed as oppressive, undemocratic, or hostile to U.S. interests

Missionary Diplomacy

The Mexican Revolution
Porfirio Diaz ~ the military dictator of Mexico ~ had rule for more than 3 decades Diaz was a friend of the U.S. and encouraged Americans to invest in his country Americans and other foreigners owned most of Mexico’s oil wells, mines, railroads, and ranches Common people were very poor Rich were getting wealthier

The Mexican Revolution
1911 ~ Francisco Madera along with Mexican workers and peasants overthrew Diaz Madero promised democratic reforms but was unable to satisfy all parties 1913 ~ General Victoriano Huerta took over the government and executed Madero Wilson refused to recognize the government Huerta formed ~ called it “a government of butchers”

Intervention in Mexico
Wilson’s plan was “watchful waiting” He wanted an opportunity to move against Huerta April 1914 ~ one of Huerta’s officers arrested a small group of American sailors in Tampico Mexicans quickly released them and apologized Wilson used the incident to intervene in Mexico and ordered U.S. marines to occupy Vera Cruz 18 Americans and 200 Mexicans died in the invasion

Incident put the U.S. and Mexico on the brink of war Argentina, Brazil and Chile stepped in to mediate Huerta was to step down U.S. would withdraw without paying Mexico damages Mexico rejected the plan U.S. refused to recognize the government of Huerta Huerta’s government does eventually collapse Venustiano Carranza, a nationalist leader, became president in 1915

Wilson withdrew American troops and recognized the government of Carranza

Rebellion in Mexico Carranza did not have the support of all Mexicans like others before him Rebels under Francisco “Pancho” Villa and Emiliano Zapata opposed Carranza’s provisional government Zapata wanted land reform “It is better to die on your feet than live on your knees” Villa, a fierce nationalist, courted the U.S. for support and aid

Rebellion in Mexico

Rebellion in Mexico After Wilson recognized Carranza’s government, Villa threatened reprisals against the U.S. January 1916 ~ Carranza asked American engineers to come and operate mines in the northern part of Mexico Villa’s men took the Americans off a train and shot them March 1916 ~ Villa’s men raided Columbus, NM, killing 17 Americans

Chasing Villa Americans wanted revenge against Villa
Wilson ordered General John J. Pershing and 15,000 soldiers into Mexico to capture Villa dead or alive Villa eluded Pershing for almost a year Wilson called out 150,000 National Guardsmen and stationed them along the Mexican border Mexico grew angry because of the U.S. forces in the country June 1916 ~ U.S. and Carranza troops clash

Chasing Villa

The End in Sight Carranza demand U.S. withdrawal of troops
Both sides back down ~ U.S. because of the war in Europe February 1917 ~ Pershing was ordered to return home 1917 ~ Mexico adopted a new constitution ~ gave government control over oil and mineral resources and put strict regulations on foreign investors Carranza ruled oppressively until 1920 when Alvaro Obregon came to power

The End in Sight

The End in Sight Obregon’s presidency marked the end of civil war and the beginning of reform U.S. intervention showed America’s imperialistic attitude in the early 20th century U.S. pursued and achieved several foreign policy goals Expanded its access to foreign markets in order to ensure continued growth of the domestic economy U.S. built a modern navy to protect its interests abroad U.S. exercised its international police power to ensure dominance in Latin America

American Imperialism and World War I

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