Transcript America as a World Power

America as a World Power
Chapter 10
Ch 10 Section 1 The United States
gains overseas
territories
Favoring Expansion over
Isolationism
Imperialism is the practice of
building an empire by founding
colonies or conquering other nations
Between 1870 and 1914, powerful
Western nations built large colonial
empires in most of Africa and
Southeast Asia
Secretary of State William H.
Seward arrange the US to acquire
Alaska (600,000 sq. miles) for
$7.2 million, or less than
2 cents per acre
Wanted to extend the economic influence
of the United States into new markets
It wasn’t until the late 1800s that
the US began expanding overseas
Wanted to expand the power of the
United States military to protect
these new foreign markets
Many Americans believe that a policy of
isolationism, avoiding involvement in the
affairs of other countries, was best
Events Leading to the United
States Annexation of Hawaii
Sugar prices dropped caused the
economy to collapse in Hawaii
Plus the McKinley Tariff was passed by
Congress that let all countries ship sugar
duty-free to the United States, but gave U.S.
sugar producers a subsidy, or bonus
payment, of two cents per pound
In 1893, the planters revolted against
Queen Lilinokalani’s constitutional monarchy
Planters revolt was successful and
they formed a new government with
Sanford B. Dole serving as president
United States Minister John L. Stevens
declared Hawaii to be under United States
control on February 1, 1893
Hawaii became a U.S. territory
in 1900 and the 50th state in 1959
Goals of US Foreign Policy In
China and Japan
Hoping to find new markets,
American traders in the 1800’s
looked to Asian markets, particularly
China & Japan
Commodore Matthew Perry was sent by
President Millard Fillmore to Japan to
deliver a letter suggesting peaceful trade
ties between Japan and the United States
In China, its weakness led nations to seize
spheres of influence – areas where foreign
nations could control trade and natural
resources (German, France, and Japan
taking China for themselves)
US announced the Open Door Policy –
a policy of preserving
equal access for all nations to
trade in China to protect American trade***
The Boxer Rebellion siege of the
settlement in which foreigners lived, by
Chinese nationalists angered by foreign
involvement in Chinese affairs, poor
management by the Chinese government,
and the hunger and homelessness caused
by a series of natural disasters
Increasing demands for markets
contributed to support for an Open Door
Policy in China by U. S. manufacturing***
US wanted to prevent any
European colonization of China
that would limit US influence there
Involvement of in the Spanish-American
War, acquisition of Hawaii, and
introduction of the Open Door Policy in
China were actions taken by the U. S.
Government to gain overseas markets and
sources of raw materials***
US Foreign Policy In
Central American
The U. S. supported a revolution in
Panama at the turn of the 20th Century in
order to secure the right to build a canal
through Central America***
President Theodore Roosevelt’s
“Speak softly and carry a big stick”
policy relied on the U. S. having a
strong navy***
The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe
Doctrine stated that the U. S. reserved the
right to intervene in the affairs of
Central American and the Caribbean ***
In The Media
In 1898, newspaper publisher William
Randolph Hearst stated to a reporter,
“You furnish the picture; I’ll furnish
the war!” illustrates the influential role of
the press in affecting public opinion ***
Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle influenced the
passage of the Meat Inspection Act***