Transcript The Race for Empire

The Race for the Empire
The U.S. as a World Power
Learning Unit
Mrs. Deming
An Empire
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European nations like Great Britain and
France already had empires
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13 colonies used to be a part of the British
Empire
In the late 1800’s, the United States set
out to build its own empire
Senator Henry Cabot Lodge,
speech to Congress, 1895
“Small States are of the past and have no
future. The modern movement is all toward
the concentration of people and territory into
great nations and large dominions. The great
nations are rapidly absorbing for their future
expansion and their present defense all the
waste places of the earth…As one of the
great nations of the world, the United States
must not fall out of the line of march.”
Policy of Imperialism
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Imperialism = the governing of weaker
nations or colonies by more powerful nations
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Appealed to many Americans
World’s leading producer of steel and oil
More miles of railroad than any other country
Ranchers and farmers had settled the frontier
Many felt it was time to become a WORLD power
Imperialism (Expansionism)
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The U.S. needed new markets (places to sell)
for the goods it produced
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Overseas markets would allow the economy
to continue growing
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Racist ideas also fueled the idea of
imperialism
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“duty of Americans to change the ways of the
people in Asia and the Pacific”
History of Expansionism
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Native American lands
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Monroe Doctrine—
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US declared itself neutral in European
affairs
US interested in what happened but
warned European powers to keep out
“Seward’s Folly”
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First steps toward expanding overseas
happened after the Civil War
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William H. Seward signed a treaty with
Russia to purchase Alaska
“Seward’s Folly”—made fun of for being a
wasteland; had the last laugh due to the
natural resources
Hawaii
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Hawaii was next…
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Settlers from the US were growing sugarcane on
large plantations in Hawaii
Planters signed a treaty with the US allowing them
to sell their sugar in the US without paying a tariff
(tax)
Non-native Hawaiian planters become very
wealthy; try to take over the legislature
Hawaiian King dies… Sister Liliuokalani becomes
Queen but forced from office
Planters declare Hawaii a republic
US annexes (takes control) of Hawaii in 1898
Another examples of
Imperialism
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United Fruit Company—US controlled banana
and pineapple company in Costa Rica,
Guatemala and Honduras
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AKA—”banana republics”
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US dominated their government and economy
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Sold fruit to the US and Europe
Protecting the Empire
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If the US was going to
build an empire, it
needed to be ready to
defend it
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Argument by both
business leaders and
naval officers
Congress budgets
money to build a
modern navy
Why imperialism grew…
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Economic factors = new markets needed to sell
manufactured goods
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Nationalistic factors = pride in one’s own country
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Military factors = advances in military technology
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Humanitarian factors = spread the blessings of
Western civilization, including its law, medicine and
Christian religion
Imperialism Debate
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Two opposing viewpoints
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Caused conflict within the US
Imperialists
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US could solve economic problems by expanding our
markets overseas
AT & T, Singer Sewing Machine, Kodak Camera were
all international corporations
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Powerful navy would protect markets
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Social Darwinism—”survival of the fittest”
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People feared the United States was losing it vitality
Anti-Imperialists
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Anti-Imperialist League formed—upper middle class
professionals
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Domination of others should only be to help them get
independence
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Rejection of the “liberty for all”
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Enough problems at home…
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Racism—Anglo-Saxon viewed as superior