Who’s got the most friends?

 Imperialism: a policy in which stronger nations extend their political or military control over weaker territories.  Usually when a more technologically advanced country controls a less advanced country  Late 1800s: European countries were trying to build empires  Colonies became status symbols

 Benefits:  Raw Materials  One nation cannot produce all that the country needs  New Markets  Need to sell goods somewhere  Solves overproduction problem  Keep up with Europe  Will strengthen economy  Some Americans wanted to join in

 Manifest Destiny  Great West filled up  New frontier = new countries  Monroe Doctrine - recall

 Social Darwinism  The US was more evolved then the primitive people and countries they sought to control  Some Americans combined Social Darwinism with a belief in the racial superiority of Western Europeans.  Rudyard Kipling’s “The White Man’s Burden”  The “white man” had a responsibility to share their more advanced ways with primitive people  They argued that the US had a responsibility to spread Christianity & “civilize” the world’s “inferior” people.

 New territories would serve as military bases (protection, influence)  New territories would provide US with raw materials and new markets  Writings of Alfred Mahan - Influence of Sea Power on History  led to the development of the Great White Fleet (US Navy)  Need large navy to protect merchant ships and right to trade  All great empires (with colonies) had strong navies

 American Anti- Imperialist League: Carnegie, Grover Cleveland protested  Believed taking over other countries was against America’s core beliefs

Imperialists’ Point of View Anti-Imperialists’ Point of View U.S. need colonies to compete economically. Supporting an empire would be a financial burden. To be a true world power, U.S. needs colonies and naval bases. U.S. should concentrate energies on solving problems at home. It’s the American destiny to expand, and its duty to care for poor, weak peoples. Nonwhites cannot be assimilated into American society. To abandon territories makes U.S. look cowardly. An empire would involve the U.S. in more wars. It’s only honorable to keep land that Americans lost their lives to obtain. It’s a violation of democratic principles to annex land and not offer them the same rights as U.S. citizens

 “big stick diplomacy”: speak softly but carry a big stick; always able to threaten with military [TR]  “dollar diplomacy”: established trade relationships with Cuba, China, the Philippines and others [Taft]  “moral diplomacy”: wanted to bring ‘civilization’ to other nations [Wilson]

 1896: Spanish generals put Cubans into concentration camps  “Yellow Journalism”: Hearst and Pulitzer exaggerated what was happening, swayed American opinion

 Feb. 1898: DeLome letter: intercepted from Spanish ambassador, criticized Pres. McKinley  Feb 15, 1898: USS Maine blew up in Havana Harbor, blamed on Spain  Spain agreed to all US demands, but public wanted war

 US fought Spain in the Philippines  Blockade of Cuba  Took Cuba in June 1898: TR’s Rough Riders, Newspapers declared TR a hero at San Juan Hill  Invaded Puerto Rico in July 1898

 December 10, 1898: Treaty of Paris  US gained control of, Guam, Puerto Rico, and bought the Philippines  Platt and Teller Amendments: Gave US a military presence and control in Cuba  Created American Empire