Transcript The Age of Imperialism

The Age of Imperialism
Imperialism: The
policy by a stronger
nation to attempt to
create an empire by
dominating weaker
nations economically,
politically, culturally,
or militarily.
The Age of Imperialism
Imperialism took
place in the mid to
late 1800s and
early 1900s
What Caused Imperialism?
Nationalism
Drive to make your own country better—more money,
power, and influence (Us v. Them)
Industrialization
Industrial European nations needed natural resources
and new markets for their goods
Social Darwinism
Belief that white Europeans are the “fittest race” and
should “civilize” people of other nations (racism)
Christianity
Belief that Christians must spread religion to heathens
in Africa and Asia
What Caused Imperialism?
Advancements in Technology
Guns, railroads, steamship, cure for malaria
Greed/Wealth/Investments
Opportunities to become wealthy due by
investing overseas
Manifest Destiny
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The term was coined in 1845 by newspaper
columnist John L. O'Sullivan.
Americans felt that it was their nation's
"manifest destiny" to possess all of the
North American continent. Later in the
century, it came to mean
expanding America's influence
around the world.
Reasons to Expand
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By the late nineteenth century, the United States was
producing more goods than the nation itself could
consume. This overabundance of industrial goods led the
United States to look for new markets abroad.
European nations such as England, Spain, France, Russia,
Portugal, Germany, and Belgium had already carved up
Africa and large parts of Asia into colonies and "spheres
of influence" by the late 1900s.
To remain competitive, the United States reacted to
European Imperialism by looking for a way to secure its
own economic future through a policy of expansionism.
Why Not Expand Sooner?
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Problems of Reconstruction and
Industrialization interrupted Manifest
Destiny.
With the “Indian Problem” solved and the
frontier settled, American expansionists
looked yet farther to the west -- toward
Asia and the Pacific.
First Steps
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The Alaska Purchase known as Seward's Folly or
Seward's Icebox by the
United States from Russia in
1867
It was negotiated by then
Secretary of State William
Seward.
The territory purchased was
586,412 square miles
comprising the modern
state of Alaska.
Imperialism Pro
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A leading expansionist, Captain Alfred Mahan,
believed that America's survival depended upon a
strong navy.
He argued that a strong navy would require
island possessions to serve as naval bases.
The time had come, Mahan wrote, for Americans
to turn their "eyes outward, instead of inward
only, to seek the welfare of the country."
Taking Mahan’s Advice
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President Theodore Roosevelt
sent 16 U.S. Navy battleships
of the Atlantic Fleet and their
escorts, on as “around the
world” from December 1907
until February 1909.
With their hulls painted
white, these ships would later
come to be known as the
Great White Fleet.
Those Against Empire
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Mark Twain made what the
New York Sun called a
"startling" announcement.
"I am an anti-imperialist,"
he declared. "I am opposed
to having the eagle put its
talons on any other land."
What did Twain mean by
this statement?
The Anti-Imperialist League
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On June 15, 1898, the Anti-imperialist league
formed to fight U.S. annexation of the
Philippines.
The league cited a number of reasons (ranging
from economic to moral) for the U.S. not to
engage in imperialism.
It included among its members such notables as
Andrew Carnegie, Mark Twain,
Samuel Gompers, Jane Addams,
Grover Cleveland,
and John Dewey.
Imperialism in Latin America
In the Beginning
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José Martí led a life of heroic dedication
to the cause of Cuban independence.
At the age of 16 he was arrested and exiled
during which he lived and worked in Mexico,
Spain, Guatemala, Venezuela, and the United
States, chiefly in New York City.
He earned his living mostly by contributing
articles to South American and U.S. newspapers.
Martí was killed fighting Spaniards in Cuba at
the battle of Dos Ríos in May, 1895.
Yellow Journalism
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The term originated during the Gilded Age with
the circulation battles between Joseph Pulitzer's
New York World and William Randolph Hearst's
New York Journal.
Between 1895 and 1898, both papers were
accused of sensationalizing the news in order to
drive up circulation.
Stories about the Cuban Revolution were
chief among their articles.
Valeriano Weyler
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While serving as a Spanish general during
the Cuban Revolution, he was called “the
Butcher" because hundreds of thousands of
people died in his concentration camps.
When stories about “the Butcher” hit
Hearst’s and Pulitzer’s, newspapers,
readers were outraged.
In the Papers
Headlines
War, What is It Good For?
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In August 1898, Secretary of State John
Hay, describing the Spanish American War
in a letter to President Theodore Roosevelt,
referred to it as "splendid little war."
The Sinking of the Maine
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The Maine was sent from Key West,
Florida, to Havana, Cuba, to protect
U.S. interests during the Cuban
Revolution. Three weeks later, on
February 15 at 9:40 p.m., an explosion
on board the Maine occurred in the
Havana Harbor.
The sinking helped push the U.S. into
the Spanish-American War. The
Maine’s sinking popularized the
phrase Remember the Maine, to Hell
with Spain!
In later years, the cause of the sinking
of the Maine became the subject of
much speculation. The cause of the
explosion that sank the ship remains
an unsolved mystery.
Controversy
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In 1976, Admiral H. G. Rickover and several scientists
from the U.S. Navy launched an investigation into the
sinking of the Maine.
Shortly after the sinking of the Maine, two different U.S.
Courts of Inquiry determined that a sea mine came into
contact with the Maine’s hull and detonated, thus sinking
the ship.
The Rickover analysis came to a completely different
conclusion. Rickover found that the cause of the explosion
did not originate outside the ship. What actually
happened could not be precisely determined, however,
Rickover believed that the most likely the cause was a fire
which started in a coal bunker and spread to the
ammunition magazines causing them to explode.
Spanish-American War
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Yellow Journalism
Sinking of the Maine
The DeLome Letter
Moral Issues – Spreading Democracy
Expansionists
McKinley’s War Message
Cuba
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In April 1898 Senator Henry M. Teller proposed an
amendment to the U.S. declaration of war against Spain
which proclaimed that the United States would not
establish permanent control over Cuba.
True to the letter of the Teller Amendment, after Spanish
troops left the island in 1898, the United States occupied
Cuba until 1902.
The Teller Amendment was succeeded by the Platt
Amendment introduced by Senator Orville Platt in
February 1901.
It allowed the United States "the right to intervene for the
preservation of Cuban independence, the maintenance of
a government adequate for the protection of life,
property, and individual liberty..." The Platt Amendment
ceased in 1934.
Rough Riders
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The most famous of all the units fighting in Cuba,
were the "Rough Riders“.
This was the name given to the First U.S.
Volunteer Cavalry led by Theodore Roosevelt.
Roosevelt resigned his position as Assistant
Secretary of the Navy in May 1898 to join the
volunteer cavalry.
It consisted of a mix of troops
ranging from Ivy League athletes
to glee-club singers to Texas Rangers
and Indians.
Buffalo Soldiers
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African Americans were eager to go to war in
order to demonstrate their valor and patriotism,
and to improve the view of them held by whites.
There were black sailors on the Maine and the
other major battleships of the U.S. fleets.
The regular troops of the 24th and 25th Infantry,
and the 9th and 10th Cavalry ("Buffalo
Soldiers"), under the command of white officers,
were at the forefront in the fight in Cuba.
Manila Bay
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During the Spanish-American War, the fighting
was not limited to Cuba. U.S. forces also fought
to liberate Spanish controlled Puerto Rico and
the Philippines.
The U.S Navy crushed the Spanish Fleet at
Manila Bay in the Philippines.
“When the thick, black smoke that had obscured
the battle cleared, he saw the Spanish fleet,
battered and afire. The battle had been won.
Eight seamen suffered wounds aboard the U.S.S.
Boston. One man died from the heat before the
battle began. They represented the total casualties
for the fleet.”
Emilio Aguinaldo
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U.S. Ally – when the U.S. fought Spain
in the Philippines, Aquinaldo, a
Filipino freedom fighter, led forces
against Spaniards on land on the
islands.
U.S. Foe – After the SpanishAmerican War ended, the U.S.
occupied the Philippine Islands.
Aquinaldo then fought U.S. forces to
gain independence from the United
States.
The Splendid Little War
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Relatively few men were killed in action during
the brief Spanish-American War of 1898.
After the Maine explosion, 968 American soldiers
were killed in actual combat. The War
department was not at all pleased, however, with
the total number of wartime deaths.
Over 5,000 soldiers died of disease. Yellow fever
was the most feared of the many diseases that
swept through the American camps: its mortality
rate was known to reach 85 percent.
Aftermath
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Even though, the war had
been fought to help gain
Cuban independence, the
United States was only too
glad to accept Puerto Rico,
Guam, and the Philippines
from Spain as the spoils of
war.
This decision to engage in
imperialism did not sit well
with all Americans.
The Insular Cases
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Were several U.S. Supreme Court cases decided
early in the 20th century.
The question became, "Does the Constitution
follow the flag?" Essentially, the Supreme Court
said that full constitutional rights did not
automatically extend to all areas under American
control.
The court decided that only territories that would
become states did the Constitution apply.
Teddy Roosevelt
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A long believer in Captain Mahan's theory of sea power,
Roosevelt began to revitalize the navy.
Now that America's empire stretched from the Caribbean
across the Pacific, the old idea of a canal between the two
oceans took on new urgency.
"The canal," Roosevelt said, "was by far the most
important action I took in foreign affairs during the time
I was President.”
The U.S. Congress had attempted to negotiate a treaty
with Columbia which at the time controlled Panama.
When these attempts failed, a coup was staged to help the
Panamanians gain independence.
Panama
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Roosevelt immediately sent the battleship
Nashville and a detachment of marines to
Panama to support the new government. The
rebels gladly accepted Roosevelt's $10 million
offer, and they gave the United States complete
control of a ten-mile wide canal zone.
Roosevelt later stated, "I took the isthmus,
started the canal, and then left Congress -- not to
debate the canal, but to debate me. . . . While the
debate goes on, the canal does too; and they are
welcome to debate me as long as they wish,
provided that we can go on with the canal.”
A U.S. Canal in Panama
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Roosevelt ordered army engineers to start
digging. Thousands of workers sweated in the
tropical heat. They tore up jungles and cut down
mountains.
Insects thrived in muddy, stagnant pools.
"Mosquitoes get so thick you get a mouthful with
every breath," a worker complained.
The mosquitoes also carried yellow fever, and
many fell victim to the deadly disease before
Dr. William Gorgas found a way to stop it by
draining stagnant water from the region.
Walter Reed
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It is a sad yet fortunate truth that many great
medical discoveries originated in the pain,
suffering, and disease of war.
In 1900, the Reed Commission proved that the
Aedes aegypti mosquito was the carrier of the
yellow fever virus. Their work focused the
government’s efforts on the eradication of the
Aedes mosquito.
The team made its discovery while part of the
American occupation force in Cuba in the
wake of the Spanish-American War of 1898.
During the war, the U.S. army had been
attacked by yellow fever. In fact, yellow fever,
malaria, and dysentery accounted for far
more casualties than bullets.
One Life to Give
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The risky but fruitful research work was
done with human volunteers, including
some of the Reed’s medical personnel such
as Jesse Lazear and Clara Maass.
They allowed themselves to be deliberately
infected. Both died of yellow fever as a
result of the experiment.
Goethals and the Canal
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Lieutenant Colonel Thomas
Goethals, an Army engineer with
experience building lock-type
canals, assumed the Chief
Engineer's post.
Goethals quickly figures out a step
system of locks and dams to
connect the exiting bodies of water
in the canal zone.
The Panama Canal
Let me tell ya
about it, amigos!
The U.S. and Latin America
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The principle of American foreign
policy set forth by President James
Monroe's message to Congress,
Dec. 2, 1823.
It initially called for an end to
European intervention in the Americas,
but it was later extended to justify U.S.
imperialism in the Western
Hemisphere.
Walk Softly and Carry a Big Stick
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The Roosevelt Corollary was an amendment to the
Monroe Doctrine by President Theodore Roosevelt in
1904.
Roosevelt's extension of the Monroe Doctrine
asserted the right of the United States to intervene to
stabilize the economic affairs of small states in the
Caribbean and Central America if they were unable
to pay their international debts.
The United States would use these
policies to keep Europeans out of
the Americas and extend its own
influence.
Yankee Imperialism
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With the U.S. acquisitions in the Caribbean and
the building of the Panama Canal, Latin
American Nations became resentful of their
northern neighbor.
U.S. interventions in the region (justified by the
Monroe Doctrine and Roosevelt Corollary)
continue to worsen the
relationship.
Imperialism in the Pacific
Naval Bases and Coaling Stations
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As ships crossed the vast ocean to trade in Asia, islands in
the Pacific became important stops for coal, provisions,
and repairs.
In the Pacific, the Hawaiian Islands, which lie closest to
the American mainland, had long been an important stop
for the Pacific fleet. Pearl Harbor, on the island of Oahu,
offered one of the most attractive natural bases in the
Pacific.
In the early 1800s, missionaries from New England made
the arduous voyage to Hawaii and settled there. They sent
back news of fantastic economic possibilities in the
islands. Soon other Americans followed to become sugar
planters and to establish profitable businesses.
1884 Treaty
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ARTICLE II
His Majesty the King of the Hawaiian Islands
grants to the Government of the United
States the exclusive right to enter the harbor
of the Pearl River in the Island of Oahu, and
to establish and maintain there a coaling and
repair station for the use of vessels of the
United States, and to that end the United
States may improve the entrance to said
harbor and do all other things needful to the
purpose aforesaid.
Queen and Country
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Soon American investors began to become
increasingly powerful in Hawaii.
Queen Liliuokalani, however, was determined to
eliminate American influence in the government.
The American residents were outraged. They
organized the Committee of Safety and appointed
members of the Annexation Club as its leaders.
On the morning of January 17, 1893, armed
members of the committee attacked taking
control of the government.
Sanford B. Dole, an elderly judge with a flowing,
white beard, became Hawaii’s new president.
Meet the New Boss
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Liliuokalani sadly surrendered her throne. She wrote a
document in which she "yielded to the superior forces of
the United States." She pleaded with the U.S. government
to "undo the actions of its representatives and reinstate
me”.
Meanwhile, the new government sent representatives to
Washington to apply for annexation. They quickly drew
up a treaty, and President Harrison signed it and
submitted it to Congress.
Hawaii would be admitted (along with Alaska) as new
states in 1959.
Interest in China
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Very rich in natural resources and uninterested in trading
with other countries
 Britain extends sphere of influence
 Tea/opium trade
 Chinese leaders angry about opium importation
Opium War 1839: Chinese easily defeated
 Treaty of Nanjing
 Hong Kong to Britain
 Extraterritorial rights for foreigners (don’t have to
obey Chinese laws)
Spheres of Influence
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By the early 1900s, the once great
empire of China had been reduced
to a second class nation.
Several European nations as well
as Japan ad forced the Chinese
Empress Dowager Cixi to make
concessions to give “spheres of
influence” in China.
A sphere of influence is an area in
which an outside power claims
exclusive investment or trading
privileges.
Boxer Rebellion
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Nationalist group Society of Harmonious Fists
forms to fight foreign influence.
They are called the Boxers and believe that they
can defeat the British without modern weapons
Slogan: “Death to the Foreign Devils”
In 1900, they were easily defeated
by foreign forces and remained, at least
economically, under foreign control.
The Open Door Policy
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France, Germany, Great Britain,
Italy, Japan, and Russia all
claimed exclusive trading rights
to certain parts of China.
Now, with the U.S. owned
Philippines just 400 miles from
China, American businesses
hoped to begin trade with China
take advantage of her vast
resources.
John Hay, U.S. Secretary of
State, had an idea. He sent
letters to all the foreign powers
and suggested an "Open Door"
policy in China.
Closed Door Policy???
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This policy would guarantee equal trading rights for
all and prevent one nation from discriminating
against another within its sphere.
While liking the basic concept of Hay’s plan, most
nations felt it could not be enforced and rejected it.
Nevertheless Hay announced that since all of the
powers had accepted the Open Door in principle, the
United States considered their agreement "final and
definitive."
The U.S. Saves China
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Because of Hay’s policy, China has saved
from being “carved up” by the Europeans
and Japan.
Chinese friendship toward the U.S. as a
result of the “Open Door” lasted through
the Second World War.
Opening Japan
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Japan chose to isolate itself in the 1600’s when
the Tokugawa Shogunate took control.
A Shogun is a military leader in Japan.
Tokugawa took control of Japan after defeating
all the opposing feudal lords.
No Europeans were allowed into Japan except the
Dutch who were allowed to land a ship once every
year. The Dutch had enough political pull to
make sure that no foreign nations except
themselves were allowed to trade at all with
Japan.
U.S. Interests
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The biggest reason that the United
States was to use Japan as a
"coaling station" where ships could
restock their coal supply. The
United States Navy already used
Hawaii as a port for coaling, but
they needed another port for
steamships in the east.
Another reason was for trade. The
trading had brought in a lot of
revenue for Americans and they
wanted to trade more with other
countries to increase revenues.
Commodore Perry
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On July 8, 1853, Commodore
Matthew Perry sailed into Tokyo.
He forced Japan to enter into
trade with the United States on
behalf of the U.S. government,
and demanded a treaty
permitting trade and the opening
of Japanese ports to U.S.
merchant ships.
It was clear that Commodore
Perry could impose his demands
by force. The Japanese had no
navy with which to defend
themselves, gave into the
demands.
The American Empire
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Other U.S. Possessions:
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US Virgin Islands
Unincorporated Territory (Residents Are US Citizens, but may not vote in
Presidential elections and have no voting representation in Congress; an
elected non-voting delegate may debate in Congress)
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American Samoa
Unorganized and Unincorporated Territory
Northern Mariana Islands
Commonwealth Since 1986
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Midway Island
Unorganized and Unincorporated US Territory
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The Marshall Islands
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THINK
Think for a moment about U.S. involvement in
various parts of the world today. Do you feel the
U.S. is "making the world a better place" as
supporters of imperialism would argue? Why or
why not? What do you think Mark Twain would
have to say about the U.S. role in the current
global situation if he were alive today?