America Becomes a World Power

The White Man’s Burden Take out a sheet of paper & fold it vertically to create TWO columns. Left Column: Label “White Man’s Burden” Right Column: Label “Beliefs About Race & the Other” LISTEN to the film and jot down notes related to the above concepts…think about meanings/ideologies, causes & effects of these ideas… Episode 2 of Race: the Power of an Illusion – CLIP - 41:00 to 55:20

The White Man’s Burden What role did beliefs about race play in the American colonization of Mexican territory, Cuba, the Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rico? Organizers of the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair put on display people whom they defined as “other.” What characterizes those who are defined as different? Episode 2 of Race: the Power of an Illusion – CLIP - 41:00 to 55:20

Why did America join the imperialist club at the end of the 19th century?

New Manifest Destiny Developments Subjugation of Indian tribes established a precedent for “control over dependent people.”

New Manifest Destiny Developments Social protests like the Populist movement, free-silver advocates, the labor movement, Socialist tendencies…Concerted effort to focus the nation’s attention/aggression on foreign policy in order to unify the American people and build “American” spirit (Nationalism). Closing of the Frontier – Fear of natural resources dwindling; Overseas adventures might offer outlet/safety valve for restless Americans (Social Protest…)

New Manifest Destiny Developments Commercial and Business Interests: Looking for new markets abroad as a result of Depression in 1890s

Alfred T. Mahan  The Influence of Sea Power on History: 1660-1783 New Manifest Destiny Developments Alfred T. Mahan  The Influence of Sea Power on History: 1660-1783 The KEY is to control the SEA! For the most part, advocates of an expansionist policy hoped to achieve their ends by economic and diplomatic means, not by military action. Naval Power: Strong navy crucial to a country’s ability to secure foreign markets and become a world power.

American Missionaries in China, 1905 New Manifest Destiny Developments In his book, Our Country: Its Possible Future and Present Crisis (1885), Reverend Josiah Strong wrote that people of Anglo-Saxon stock were “the fittest to survive” and that Protestant Americans had a Christian duty to colonize other lands for the purpose of spreading Christianity and Western civilization. Strong’s book expressed the thinking of many Protestant congregations, which believed that westerners of the Christian faith hnd a duty to bring the benefits of their “superior” civilization (medicine, science, and technology) to less fortunate peoples of the world. Many of the missionaries who traveled to Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Islands also believed in the racial superiority and supremacy of whites. Mission activities of their churches encouraged many Americans to support active U.S. government involvement in foreign affairs. American Missionaries in China, 1905 Religious Motives – Missionaries: “Duty” to colonize other lands for purpose of spreading Christianity and Western Civilization.

New Manifest Destiny Developments The White Man’s Burden Darwin’s concept of the survival of the fittest was applied not only to competition in the business world but also to competition among nations. According to this theory, only the strongest survived, and, depending on the interests of various groups, this meant that the U.S. had to be strong religiously, militarily, and politically. Therefore, in the international arena, the United States had to demonstrate its strength by acquiring territories overseas. Expansionists of the late 19th century extended the idea of manifest destiny so that the potential for U.S. territorial expansion applied not just to North America but to all parts of the world. The Hierarchy of Race International Darwinism: Strong nations will (should) dominate weak ones…survival of the fittest.

Spanish-American War Deconstruct the Political Cartoon

Cuba 1890s Cuba a colony of Spain Cuban Revolt: Bands of Cuban nationalists fighting for 10 years to overthrow Spanish colonial rule 1895, adopt the strategy of sabotaging and destroying Cuban plantations to either force Spain’s withdrawal or involve the United States Why would the U.S. be interested? Up until this point…American people sympathized with Cubans but the U.S. never intervened… BUT…American companies owned several sugar mills and plantations in Cuba! Now they’re INTERESTED…Cleveland did not react but McKinley does. Spain responds with placing the rebels in guarded camps (Reconcentration camps) – dismal conditions Estimated 200,000 Cubans died in the camps Read background below first then slide info: Remember…America needs sea power…so the U.S. begins building up their navy and seeking island colonies. The unrest in Cuba presents the U.S. with an opportunity. In the 1890s, American public opinion was being swept by a growing wave of jingoism – an intense form of nationalism calling for an aggressive foreign policy. Expansionists demanded that the United States take its place with the imperialist nations of Europe as a world power. Not everyone favored this policy…Presidents Cleveland and McKinley were among many who thought military action abroad was both morally wrong and economically unsound. Nevertheless, specific events combined with background pressures led to overwhelming popular demand for war against Spain.

Valeriano Weyler’s “Reconcentration” Policy Rampant disease and malnutrition

“Yellow Journalism” & Jingoism William Randolph Hearst Joseph Pulitzer newspapers reported exaggerated and sometimes false stories about events in Cuba to sell newspapers – specifically, exaggerated and fasl accounts of Spanish atrocities Especially two New York newspapers – Joseph Pulitizer’s New York World and William Randolph Hearst’s New York Journal this transformed American public opinion as they believed what they read in their newspapers put pressure on federal government to pursue an interventionist policy, at least in Cuba Hearst to Frederick Remington: You furnish the pictures, and I’ll furnish the war! William Randolph Hearst Jingoism – extreme patriotism that includes war as foreign policy measure

De Lôme Letter Dupuy de Lôme, Spanish Ambassador to the U.S. Criticized President McKinley as weak and a bidder for the admiration of the crowd, besides being a would-be politician who tries to leave a door open behind himself while keeping on good terms with the jingoes of his party. Steps to War: The De Lome Letter (1898): One story that caused a storm of outrage was a Spanish diplomat’s letter that was leaked to the press and printed on the front page of Hearst’s New York Journal. Written by the Spanish minister to the U.S., Dupuy de Lome, the letter was highly critical of President McKinley. Many considered it an official Spanish insult against the U.S. national honor.

Theodore Roosevelt Assistant Secretary of the Navy in the McKinley administration. Imperialist and American nationalist. Criticized President McKinley as having the backbone of a chocolate éclair! Eventually, resigns his position to fight in Cuba.

Remember the Maine and to Hell with Spain! Before that… Less than one week after the de Lome letter made headlines, a far more shocking event occurred. On February 15, 1898, the U.S. battleship Maine was at anchor in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, when it suddenly exploded, killing 260 Americans on board. The yellow press accused Spain of deliberately blowing up the ship, even though experts later concluded that the explosion was probably an accident. Funeral for Maine victims in Havana

The Spanish-American War (1898): “That Splendid Little War” McKinley’s War Message: “Put an end to the barbarities, bloodshed, starvation, and horrible miseries” in Cuba Protect the lives and property of U.S. citizens living in Cuba End “the very serious injury to the commerce, trade, and business of our people” End “the constant menace to our peace” arising from the disorders in Cuba Following the sinking of the Main, McKinley issued an ultimatum to Spain demanding that it agree to a ceasefire in Cuba. Spain agreed to this demand, but U.S. newspapers and a majority in Congress kept clamoring for war. McKinley yielded to the public pressure in April by sending a war message to Congress. He offered four reasons for the U.S. to intervene in the Cuban revolution on behalf of the rebels… Congress passed a resolution authorizing war…(but the Teller Amendment stated the U.S. had no intention of taking political control of Cuba and that, once peace was restored, the Cubans would control their own government…)

Dewey Captures Manila! The Philippines: Roosevelt – assistant secretary of the Navy; expansionist, eager to show off American military might – especially the Navy; recognized value of Spain’s territories in the Pacific; ordered fleet commanded by Commodore George Dewey to the Philippines…which had been under control of the Spanish ever since the 1500s. May 1st - Dewey’s fleet opened fire on Spanish ships in Manila Bay; pounded into submission by U.S. naval guns… Fight on land took longer – but, U.S. troops allied with Filipino rebels and captured the city of Manila on August 13th.

The Invasion of Cuba The “Rough Riders” Invasion of Cuba: More troublesome than the Philippines was the U.S. effort in Cuba. An ill-prepared, largely volunteer force landed in Cuba by the end of June. Here the most lethal enemy proved to be not Spanish bullets but tropical diseases. More than 5,000 American soldiers died of malaria, typhoid, and dysentery, while less than 500 died in battle. Attacks by both American and Cuban forces succeeded in defeating the much larger but poorly led Spanish army. New to Dewey’s victory in Manila Bay, the most celebrated event of the war was a calvary charge up San Juan Hill in Cuba by the Rough Riders, a regiment of volunteers led by Teddy Roosevelt, who had resigned his Navy post to take part in the war. Roosevelt’s volunteers were aided in victory by veteran regiments of African Americans. Less heroic but more important than the taking of San Juan Hill was the success of the U.S. Navy in destroying the Spanish fleet at Santiago Bay on July 3. Without a navy, Spain realized that is could not continue fighting, and in early August asked for U.S. terms of peace. The “Rough Riders”

The Treaty of Paris: 1898 Cuba was freed from Spanish rule. Spain gave up Puerto Rico and the island of Guam. The U.S. paid Spain $20 mil. for the Philippines. The U.S. becomes an imperial power! The Philippine question: Controversy over the Philippine question took many months longer to resolve than the brief war with Spain. Anti-imperialists who opposed the U.S. annexation of the Philippines were determined to defeat the treaty…they argued that: The U.S. were taking possession of a heavily populated area whose people were of a different race and culture. The annexation violated the principles of the Declaration of Independence by depriving Filipinos of the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” and Would also entangle the U.S. in the political conflicts of Asia. The anti-imperialists fell just two votes short of defeating the treaty.