The Path of Empire

Some Ideas What factors encouraged the United States to become a world power? Why was Expansionism such a powerful force from in America? Were the same principles of American diplomacy applied to both the Caribbean and Asia? What were the main points of the debate over Imperialism?

Imperialist Stirrings As America bustled with a new sense of power generated by the strong growth in population, wealth, and productive capacity, labor violence and agrarian unrest increased. It was felt that overseas markets might provide a safety valve to relieve these pressures. Reverend Josiah Strong's Our Country: Its Possible Future and Its Present Crisis inspired missionaries to travel to foreign nations. Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan's book of 1890, The Influence of Sea Power upon History, , argued that control of the sea was the key to world dominance; it stimulated the naval race among the great powers. James G. Blaine published his "Big Sister" policy which aimed to rally the Latin American nations behind America's leadership and to open Latin American markets to American traders. The willingness of America to risk war over such distance and minor disputes with Italy, Chile, and Canada demonstrated the aggressive new national mood.

Monroe’s Doctrine &the Venezuelan Squall The area between British Guiana and Venezuela had been in dispute for over 50 years. When gold was discovered in the contested area, the prospect of a peaceful resolution faded. Secretary of State to President Cleveland, Richard Olney, claimed that if Britain attempted to dominate Venezuela in the quarrel and gain more territory, then it would be violating the Monroe Doctrine. When Britain flatly rejected the relevance of the Monroe doctrine, President Cleveland stated that the United States would fight for it.

Monroe’s Doctrine & the Venezuelan Squall Although somewhat annoyed by the weaker United States, Britain chose to not to fight a war. Britain's rich merchant marine was vulnerable to American commerce raiders, Russia and France were unfriendly, and Germany was about to challenge the British naval supremacy. With their eyes open to the European peril, Britain was determined to cultivate an American friendship. The Great Rapprochement, or reconciliation, between the United States and Britain became a cornerstone of both nations' foreign policies.

Spurning the Hawaiian Pear The first New England missionaries reached Hawaii in Beginning in the 1840s, the State Department began to warn other nations to keep their hands off Hawaii. In 1887, a treaty with the native government guaranteed naval- base rights at Pearl Harbor.

Spurning the Hawaiian Pear The profits of sugar cultivation in Hawaii became less profitable with the McKinley Tariff of American planters decided that the best way to overcome the tariff would be to annex Hawaii. Queen Liliuokalani insisted that native Hawaiian should control the islands. A desperate minority of whites organized a successful revolt in The Queen was overthrown and white revolutionists gained control of Hawaii. When a treaty to annex Hawaii was presented to the Senate, President Grover Cleveland promptly withdrew it.

Cubans Rise in Revolt Sugar production of Cuba became less profitable when the America passed the tariff of Cubans began to revolt against their Spanish captors in 1895 after the Spanish began to place Cubans in reconcentration camps and treat them very poorly. Cuban revolutionaries began to reason that if they destroyed enough of Cuba and did enough damage, then Spain might abandon Cuba or the United States might move in and help the Cubans with their independence. America had a large investment as well as annual trade stake in Cuba. Congress passed a resolution in 1896 that recognized the belligerence of the revolted Cubans. President Cleveland refused to budge and fight for Cuba's independence.

The Mystery of the Maine William R. Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer made the fabricated atrocities of Cuba a part of the new "yellow journalism." The two men caused the American people to believe that conditions in Cuba were worse then they actually were. Hearst's Journal published a private letter written by the Spanish minister in Washington, Dupuy de Lome in The letter, which degraded President McKinley, forced Dupuy de Lome to resign. On February 15, 1898, the American ship, Maine blew up in the Havana port. The Spanish investigators deduced that it was an accident (spontaneous combustion in one of the coal bunkers) while the American investigators claimed that Spain had sunk it. The American people were convinced by the American investigators and war with Spain became imminent.

Remember the Maine

McKinley unleashes the Dogs of War American diplomats had already gained Madrid's agreement to Washington's 2 basic demands: an end to the reconstruction camps and an armistice with Cuban rebels. Although President McKinley did not want a war with Spain, the American people did. He felt that the people should rule so he sent his war message to Congress on April 11, Congress declared war and adopted the Teller Amendment. It proclaimed to the world that when the United States had overthrown the Spanish misrule, it would give the Cubans their freedom.

Dewey at Manila Bay The American people plunged into the war with jubilation, which seemed premature to Europeans. The American army numbered 2,100 officers and 28,000 men compared to the 200,000 Spanish troops in Cuba. The readiness of the navy (ranked 5 th world-wide) owed much to the navy secretary John D. Long and his assistant secretary Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt called upon Commodore George Dewey's 6-ship fleet to descend upon Spain's Philippines in the event of war. On May 1, 1898, Dewey slipped by detection at night and attacked and destroyed the 10-ship Spanish fleet at Manila.

Unexpected Plums of Victory Foreign ships began to gather in the Manila harbor, protecting their nationals. After several incidents, the potential for battles with other nations blew over. On August 13, 1898, American troops captured Manila. The victory in the Philippines prompted the idea that Hawaii was needed as a supply base for Dewey in the Philippines. Therefore, Congress passed a joint resolution of Congress to annex Hawaii on July 7, 1898.

The Confused Invasion of Cuba Shortly after the outbreak of the war, the Spanish government sent a fleet of warships to Cuba, led by Admiral Cervera. He was blockaded in the Santiago harbor in Cuba by American ships. Leading the invasion force from the rear to drive out Cervera was General William R. Shafter. The "Rough Riders," apart of the invading army, was a regiment of volunteers consisting of cowboys and ex- athletes. Commanded by Colonel Leonard Wood, the group was organized principally by Theodore Roosevelt. William Shafter's landing near Santiago, Cuba was made without serious opposition. On July 1 st, fighting broke out at El Caney and San Juan Hill, up which Colonel Roosevelt and his Rough Riders charged.

Curtains for Spain in the New World Admiral Cervera's fleet was entirely destroyed on July 3, 1898 and shortly thereafter Santiago surrendered. General Nelson A. Miles met little resistance when he took over Puerto Rico. On August 12, 1898, Spain signed an armistice. Before the war's end, much of the American army was stricken with malaria, typhoid, and yellow fever.

McKinley Heeds Destiny and Dollars In late 1898, Spanish and American negotiators met in Paris to begin peace discussions. The Americans secured Guam and Puerto Rico, but the Philippines presented President McKinley with a problem: he didn't feel he could give the island back to Spanish misrule, and America would be turning its back upon responsibilities if it simply left the Philippines. McKinley finally decided to Christianize and to civilize all of the Filipinos. Disputes broke out with the Spanish negotiators over control of the Philippines because Manila had been captured the day after the war, and the island could not be listed among the spoils of the war. America therefore agreed to pay Spain $20 million for the Philippines.

Americans Course (Curse) of Empire The Anti-Imperialistic League sprang up and fought the McKinley administration's expansionist moves. In the Senate, the Spanish treaty ran into such opposition that is seemed doomed to defeat. Democratic presidential candidate for the election of 1900, William J. Bryan used his influence on Democratic senators to get the treaty approved on February 6, Bryan argued that the sooner the treaty was passed, the sooner the Filipinos could gain their independence.

Perplexities in Puerto Rico and Cuba By the Foraker Act of 1900, Congress gave the Puerto Ricans a limited degree of popular government and, in 1917, granted them U.S. citizenship. The American regime in Puerto Rico worked wonders in education, sanitation, transportation, and other improvements. Beginning in 1901 with the Insular Cases, the Supreme Court declared that the Constitution did not extend to the Philippines and Puerto Rico. The United States, honoring the Teller Amendment of 1898, withdrew from Cuba in The U.S. forced the Cubans to write their own constitution of 1901 (the Platt Amendment). The constitution decreed that the United States might intervene with troops in Cuba in order to restore order and to provide mutual protection. The Cubans also promised to sell or lease needed coaling or naval stations to the U.S.

New Horizons in Two Hemispheres Although the Spanish-American War only lasted 113 days, American prestige as a world power increased. One of the greatest results of the war was the bonding between the North and the South.

“Little Brown Brothers” in the Philippines American soldiers as well as Filipino guerillas resorted to brutal fighting tactics. The backbone of the Filipino rebellion was broken in 1901 when American soldiers captured Emilio Aguinaldo. President McKinley appointed the Philippine Commission in 1899 to set up a Filipino government. William H. Taft, who referred to the Filipinos to "little brown brothers," led the body in He genuinely liked the Filipinos while the American soldiers did not. President McKinley's plan of "benevolent assimilation" of the Filipinos was very slow and involved improving roads, sanitation, and public health. The plan developed economic ties and set a school system with English as the 2 nd language. It was ill received by the Filipinos who preferred liberty over assimilation.

Hinging the Open Door in China Following China's defeat by Japan in , Russia and Germany moved into China. The American public, fearing that Chinese markets would be monopolized by Europeans, demanded that the U.S. Government do something. Secretary of State John Hay dispatched to all the great powers a communication known as the Open Door note. He urged the powers to announce that in their leaseholds or spheres of influence they would respect certain Chinese rights and the ideal of fair competition. The note asked all those who did not have thieving designs to stand up and be counted. Italy was the only major power to accept the Open Door unconditionally and Russia was the only major power not to accept it. In 1900, a super-patriotic group in China known as the "Boxers" killed hundreds of foreigners. A multinational rescue force came in and stopped the rebellion. After the failed rebellion, Secretary Hay declared in 1900 that the Open Door would embrace the territorial integrity of China as well as its commercial integrity.

Imperialism or Bryanism in 1900? President McKinley was the Republican presidential nominee for the election of 1900 because he had led the country through a war, acquired rich real estate, established the gold standard, and brought prosperity to the nation. McKinley and the Republican Party supported the gold standard and imperialism. They proclaimed that "Bryanism" was the paramount election issue. This meant that Bryan would destroy the nation's prosperity once he took office with his free-silver policy and other "dangerous" ideas. Theodore Roosevelt was nominated as the vice president after the political bosses of New York (where Roosevelt was governor) found it hard to continue their "businesses" with the headstrong governor. They wanted Roosevelt elected as vice president so that Roosevelt would no longer pose an authority problem to the political bosses. William Jennings Bryan was the Democratic presidential candidate for the election. Bryan and the Democratic Party supported the silver standard and anti-imperialism. They proclaimed that the paramount election issue was Republican overseas imperialism. McKinley and the Republican Party won the election of 1900.

TR Brandisher of the Big Stick In September 1901, a deranged anarchist murdered President McKinley, and Theodore Roosevelt took over the presidency. Roosevelt was a direct actionist in that he believed that the president should lead and keep things moving forward. He had no real respect for the checks and balances system among the 3 branches of government. He felt that he may take any action in the general interest that is not specifically forbidden by the laws of the Constitution.

Columbia blocks the Canal In order for ships to cross quickly from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, a canal had to be built across the Central American isthmus. There were initial legal issues blocking the construction of this canal. By the terms of the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty, made with Britain in 1850, the U.S. could not gain exclusive control over a route for the canal. But because of friendly relations with Britain, Britain signed the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty in 1901, which gave the U.S. a helping hand to build the canal and rights to fortify it. Many Americans favored the Nicaraguan route for the canal, but Congress decided on the Panama route for the canal in June 1902 after the New Panama Canal Company dropped the price of its holdings significantly. Colombia stood in the way of the construction of the canal. After a treaty to buy land for the canal had been rejected by the Colombian senate, President Roosevelt, who was eager to win the upcoming election, demanded that the canal be built without Colombia's consent.

Uncle Sam Creates Puppet Panama On November 3, 1903, Panamanians, who feared the United States would choose the Nicaraguan route for the canal, made a successful revolution led by Phillippe Bunau- Varilla. Bunau-Varilla, a French citizen, became the Panamanian minister to the United States and signed the Hay-Bunau- Varilla Treaty in Washington. The treaty gave the U.S. control of a 10-mile zone around the proposed Panama Canal.

Completing the Canal and Appeasing Columbia On November 3, 1903, Panamanians, who feared the United States would choose the Nicaraguan route for the canal, made a successful revolution led by Bunau- Varilla. Bunau-Varilla became the Panamanian minister to the United States and signed the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty in Washington. The treaty gave the U.S. control of a 10-mile zone around the proposed Panama Canal.

Panama Canal

TR’s Perversion of the Monroe Doctrine The so-called rape of Panama marked a downward lurch in U.S relations with Latin America. President Roosevelt defended himself against all charges of doing anything wrong. He claimed that Colombia had wronged the United States by not permitting itself to be benefited by the construction of the canal. In 1904 the construction of the Panama Canal began, and in 1914 it was completed at a cost of $400 million.

TR’s Perversion of the Monroe Doctrine Several nations of Latin America were in debt to European countries. President Roosevelt feared that if the European nations (mainly the Germany and Britain) got their feet in the door of Latin America, then they might remain there, in violation of the Monroe Doctrine. Roosevelt therefore created a policy known as "preventive intervention." The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine declared that in the event of future monetary problems of Latin American countries with European countries, the U.S. could pay off the Latin American counties' debts to keep European nations out of Latin America. Latin American countries began to hate the Monroe Doctrine for it had become the excuse for numerous U.S. interventions in Latin America. In actuality, President Roosevelt was the one to be blamed for the interventions.

Roosevelt on the World Stage Japan began war with Russia in 1904 after Russia failed to withdraw troops from Manchuria and Korea. Japan was defeating Russia in the war when Japan's supply of troops began to run low. Japan therefore asked President Roosevelt to step in and sponsor peace negotiations. Roosevelt agreed and in 1905 forced through an agreement in which the Japanese received no compensation for the losses and only the southern half of Sakhalin. Because of the treaty, friendship with Russia faded away and Japan became a rival with America in Asia.

Japanese Laborers in California When the Japanese government lifted its ban on its citizens emigrating in 1884, thousands of Japanese were recruited to work in California. Japanese immigrants were confronted with racist hostility by whites. In 1906, San Francisco's school board segregated the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean students to make room for white students. The Japanese saw this action as an insult and threatened with war. President Roosevelt invited the entire San Francisco Board of Education to the White House to settle the dispute. TR broke the deadlock and the Californians were persuaded to repeal the segregation and to accept what came to be known as the "Gentlemen's Agreement." The Japanese agreed to stop the flow of immigrants to the United States. In 1908, the Root-Takahira agreement was reached with Japan. The U.S. and Japan pledged themselves to respect each other's territorial possessions.

Big Ideas Why was Expansionism such a powerful force in America from ? In answering this question consider: What role did the Turner Thesis and the Census of 1890 play in this thinking? The type of production economy America had developed? The aquisitional behavior of European nations regarding colonial expansion Technological gulf between developed and undeveloped nations.

Happy Friday- Hay!!!