Beginning of Imperialism

Expansionist Stirrings and War with Spain,  Roots of Expansionist Sentiment  In the late 19th century the U.S.A. showed heightened interest in overseas empire  The example of European nations and Japan, which were seizing colonies in Asia and Africa, stimulated U.S. expansionism  During the depression of , American businessmen and politicians argued that the U.S.A. must capture overseas markets to maintain prosperity

Roots of Expansionist Sentiment  Republican politicians claimed that to be a great power the U.S. must:  build up its navy  obtain far-flung colonies  to establish fueling stations and bases  Show its influence in the world as a superior county  Inspired by:  Alfred T. Mahan’s The Influence of Sea Power upon History  Social Darwinist ideas

Roots of Expansionist Sentiment  Leading Republicans were:  Theodore Roosevelt  Henry Cabot Lodge  John Hay

Roots of Expansionist Sentiment  Our Country  1885  Josiah Strong  Combined religion and Social Darwinism racism  Told Americans that, as members of the superior Anglo-Saxon race, they were destined to spread Christianity and civilization to “inferior” people  “White Man’s Burden”

Pacific Expansion  Expansionist enthusiasm led the United States to overtake some Pacific Islands:  Samoan Island  U.S. established a joint protectorate with Germany and Great Britain  Hawaii  American sugar plantation owners overthrew the govt. of Queen Liliuokalani  Asked U.S. to take over the island  President Cleveland, who was not an expansionist, declined to do so  President McKinley requested Congress to annex Hawaii  1898

Crisis over Cuba  The Cubans revolted against Spanish rule in 1895  The Spanish authorities brutally attempted to suppress the rebellion  Public opinion in the U.S. turned against the Spanish because of yellow-journalism  William Randolph Hearst= Journal  Joseph Pulitzer= World  Both featured daily accounts of Spanish atrocities

Crisis over Cuba  President McKinley did not want to intervene in Cuba  He did send the battleship Maine to Havana to protect the lives and property of Americans on Cuba  On Feb. 15, 1898, an explosion the Maine killed 266 of its crewmen

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USS Maine

Crisis over Cuba  The yellow press immediately accused the Spanish of blowing up the ship  The public demanded revenge  Giving in to popular pressure, McKinley asked Congress to declare war on Spain  Congress declared war on April 1898

Yellow Journalism  Watch Yellow Journalism video  y_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active y_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active  Answer the following questions:  Who is Hearst?  What is yellow journalism?  How is it different than other journalism?

Crisis over Cuba  Congress also passed the Teller Amendment  Proclaimed that the U.S. had no desire to overtake Cuba and would leave the island as soon as its independence was ensured  Teller Amendment Teller Amendment

The Spanish-American War, 1898  The fighting against Spain lasted less than 4 months  Admiral George Dewey attacked the Spanish fleet in the Philippines  American troops took Manila Bay in August  By July, the Spanish were driven from Cuba  The defeated Spanish:  Recognized Cuba’s independence  Ceded to the United States:  Philippines  Puerto Rico  Guam

The Spanish-American War, 1898  Contrary to the Teller Amendment, the U.S. occupied Cuba from 1898 to 1902  The U.S. withdrew its forces only after Cuba agreed to the conditions set forth in the 1901 Platt Amendment  Platt Amendment Platt Amendment  It limited Cuba’s sovereignty by:  Reserving to the U.S. the right to intervene in Cuba  The U.S. could maintain a naval base on Cuba  Although the Platt Amendment was abrogated in 1934, the United States still retains the base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba

Critics of Empire  Some Americans were horrified by their nation’s actions in the Spanish-American War  They founded the Anti-Imperialist League  Pointed out that imposing U.S. rule on other peoples by military force violated the principles of human equality and liberty championed in our own Declaration of Independence

Critics of Empire  Some members of the Anti-Imperialist League:  Carl Schurz (civil-service reformer)  E.L. Godkin (civil-service reformer)  William Jennings Bryan (ag. spokesman)  Jane Addams (settlement house founder)  Mark Twain (writer)  William James (writer)

Critics of Empire  Despite the League’s efforts, the Senate ratified the treaty annexing the Philippines  In 1900 pro-expansionist McKinley again defeated anti-imperialist Bryan for the presidency

Guerrilla War in the Philippines,  Pres. McKinley was persuaded that the U.S. should keep the Philippines by the arguments of:  the expansionists  businessmen to use the islands as a way of penetrating nearby Chinese markets  This U.S. decision led to a war against Filipino independence fighters

Guerrilla War in the Philippines,  To crush the guerrilla resistance of the Filipinos, the U.S. used brutal tactics  The U.S. lost many more soldiers than it had in the Spanish-American War  In 1946, the U.S. granted the Philippines their independence