THE AGE OF AMERICAN IMPERIALISM

INTRODUCTION TO UNIT 3 Four weeks (through 11/21) Topics  Motives for imperialism  The Spanish-American War  Colonizing the Philippines  The Roosevelt Corollary Assessments  DBQ  Spanish-American War essay  Philippines debate  Imperialism research + presentations Big question: How and why did the United States become a global power after the Civil War?

WHAT’S IMPERIALISM?

DEFINING IMPERIALISM Imperialism = a stronger country taking over a weaker country/territory and dominating its economic, social, and political life  Creating colonies or protectorates, or simply adding territory  Verb form: colonize or annex Some examples?

BEFORE IMPERIALISM Three competing trends in American foreign policy

THE TRADITION OF ISOLATIONISM Isolationism = a foreign policy of limiting involvement with the rest of the world George Washington’s Farewell Address (1796): [I]t is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances, with any portion of the foreign world. Informed US foreign policy through the Civil War

THE MONROE DOCTRINE Established 1823 by James Monroe Three premises:  South America would be a U.S. “sphere of influence”  Europe should not establish colonies in the Americas  U.S. would not get involved in Europe’s affairs

MANIFEST DESTINY Coined 1845 Belief that the United States has a mission to:  Expand westward  Bring democracy to others  Spread American values

American Progress (John Gast, 1872)

WHY IMPERIALISM?

WHAT CHANGED IN THE US AFTER 1865? Answer this question in your notebook – think back to Unit 2 The Gilded Age – a review:  Rapid industrialization + economic growth  Immigration – more people, more countries  Urbanization – cities becoming larger and more crowded  Closing of the frontier (1890)  Progressive ideals – “we can make everything better”  Overall sense of rapid change and a loss of tradition

THE GILDED AGE AND FOREIGN POLICY Increased economic productivity  need for markets for exports Closing of the frontier Growing population Increasing immigration Rapid modernization + Progressive ideals  desire to spread American ways of life Demand for new territory

THE RESULT: EXPANSIONISM Expansionism:  Desire to expand American influence and power to more territory  Focus on Asian markets for exports  Wanted land in Caribbean, Central America, and Pacific Increasingly popular belief in the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries

MOTIVES FOR IMPERIALISM

ECONOMIC COMPETITION Industrialization means:  More raw materials being used  More manufactured goods being produced  Consumers expect a bigger variety of goods Expanding territory means:  Access to more and different raw materials  New markets for exports  Safer trade routes

MILITARY STRENGTH Expansionists wanted to build up U.S. military strength The Influence of Sea Power Upon History (1890)  Alfred Thayer Mahan ( )  Argued that naval power made the British Empire powerful  Recommended a strong navy to expand American trade

SOCIAL DARWINISM “Survival of the fittest” Scientific racism Belief in European and American superiority Duty to “civilize”