CHAPTER 10

AMERICA’S CLAIM TO EMPIRE

GENERAL INFORMATION

- IMPERIALISM – def – THE ACQUISITION OF TERRITORY FOR PURPOSES OF BUILDING EMPIRE

o A POLITICAL POLICY

- COLONIALISM - def – THE ACQUISITION OF TERRITORY FOR PURPOSES OF INCREASING WEALTH OF THE MOTHER COUNTRY

o AN ECONOMIC POLICY

§ A PARASITIC RELATIONSHIP

- AMERICA IS A “JOHNNY COME LATELY” TO COLONIALISM

- IRONY – WE OPPOSED THE COLONIAL ASPIRATIONS OF EUROPEAN NATIONS BUT PURSUED SIMILAR POLICIES IN THE CARIBBEAN AND THE PACIFIC

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCED AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY

- SELF INTEREST

o POLITICAL

§ WE SOUGHT TO BECOME A WORLD POWER

o ECONOMIC

§ WE SOUGHT FOREIGN MARKETS

· FOR NATURAL RESOURCES

· FOR SURPLUS PRODUCTION

· TO ELIMINATE UNEMPLOYMENT

o TO PACIFY

§ FARMERS

§ MANUFACTURERS

§ INVESTORS

10/2

- IDEALISM – MISSIONARY ZEAL

o WE SOUGHT TO EXPORT TO INFERIOR NATIONS

§ OUR POLITICS – DEMOCRACY

§ OUR ECONOMICS – CAPITALISM

§ OUR MORALITY – CHRISTIANITY

· W.A.S.P. – EUGENICS

o WE BELIEVED IN AND PURSUED SOCIAL DARWINISM

§ Def – UNRESTRAINED COMPETITION WILL ENSURE SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

§ ETHNIC SUPERIORITY JUSTIFIED IMPERIALISM

- MONROE DOCTRINE

o THE AMERICAN HEMISPHERE IS OFF LIMITS TO EUROPEAN COLONIALISM

- ROOSEVELT COROLLARY TO THE MONROE DOCTRINE

o THE U.S. HAS THE RIGHT TO EXERCISE POLICE POWER IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE

§ CHANGED THE THRUST OF THE MONROE DOCTRINE

FROM

STOPPING EUROPEAN COLONIALISM

TO

MAINTAINING STABILITY IN THE HEMISPHERE

· WHY – POLITICAL STABILITY IS A PRE-REQUISITE FOR ECONOMIC ACTIVITY

o TO PROTECT INVESTORS INTERESTS

o THE U.S. REVERTS FROM ITS TRADITIONAL POLICY OF ISOLATIONISM

§ Def – REFRAINING FROM INVOLVEMENT IN FOREIGN AFFAIRS

10/3

GLOBAL IMPERIALISM

- THE INFLUENCE OF ADMIRAL ALFRED MAHAN

o TO BE A WORLD POWER, THE U.S. NEEDED

§ A STRONG NAVY

· THE GREAT WHITE FLEET

§ A CANAL ACROSS THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA

· WHY – TO FACILITATE THE PROJECTION OF

o AMERICAN MILITARY

o AMERICAN COMMERCE

INTO THE PACIFIC

§ ACQUIRE COALING STATIONS IN THE CARIBBEAN AND THE PACIFIC

- THE U.S. ANNEXES HAWAII - 1898

o SUGAR INTERESTS ARE INFLUENTIAL IN OBTAINING U.S. SUPPORT FOR AN OVERTHROW OF QUEEN LILIUOKALANI

§ A COUP D’ETAT OCCURS

· Def – A BLOODLESS REVOLUTION

§ WHY – SHE PROPOSED TO AMEND HAWAII’S CONSTITUTION TO REMOVE PROPERTY QUALIFICATIONS FOR VOTING

· THIS WOULD ALLOW THE INDIGENOUS HAWAIIANS TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THEIR GOVERNMENT

o WE WERE IN NEED OF COALING STATIONS

- CUBA AND THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR

o A GLORIOUS LITTLE WAR

o U.S. SUPPORTS THE INDEPENDENCE AND REVOLUTION OF JOSE MARTI

10/4

§ WHY – REMOVE SPANISH INFLUENCE IN CUBA AND THE HEMISPHERE

· WHY – THE U.S. WOULD THEN BE THE DOMINANT POWER IN THE CARIBBEAN

o YELLOW JOURNALISM IS USED BY THE PRESS TO INFLAME AMERICAN PATRIOTISM

§ Def – SENSATIONAL REPORTING THAT EXAGGERATES THE NEWS TO LURE READERS

§ DELOME LETTER - SPANISH AMBASSADOR WHO PURPORTEDLY DEFAMES PRESIDENT McKINLEY

o REMEMBER THE MAINE – BATTLE CRY OF THE WAR

§ U.S. BATTLESHIP SUNK IN HAVANA HARBOR

· SPANISH ARE SAID TO HAVE DONE THIS

o RATIONALE FOR ENTRY INTO WAR

§ U.S. TROOPS INVADE CUBA

· THEODORE ROOSEVELT AND THE ROUGH RIDERS ARE IMMORTALIZED IN THE BATTLE OF SAN JUAN HILL

o THE U.S. NAVY UNDER ADMIRAL DEWEY DESTROYS THE SPANISH ARMADA IN THE PHILIPPINES

o MORE SOLDIERS DIE FROM MALARIA THAN ARE KILLED IN BATTLE

o TREATY OF PARIS

§ SPAIN GRANTS CUBAN INDEPENDENCE

§ PHILIPPINES, GUAM, AND PUERTO RICO CEDED TO THE U.S. FOR $20 MILLION

10/5

o THE U.S. ANNEXES THE PHILIPPINES

§ 1899 - THE U.S. PUTS DOWN A REVOLUTION HEADED BY EMILIO AGUINALDO

· MORE MEN DIED (4000) AND MORE MONEY ($400 MILLION) WAS SPENT THAN DURING THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR

§ WHY – WE NEEDED COALING STATIONS IN PACIFIC

· PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE GRANTED IN 1946 AFTER WORLD WAR II

o PUERTO RICO ANNEXED AS A TERRITORY

§ GIVEN COMMONWEALTH STATUS IN 1952

· Def - A NATION THAT CONTROLS ITS LOCAL AFFAIRS, BUT WHOSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND DEFENSE ARE CONTROLLED BY ANOTHER COUNTRY (THE U.S.)

§ JONES ACT – 1917 - GIVEN U.S. CITIZENSHIP

· CAN’T VOTE BUT DON’T HAVE TO PAY TAXES

§ AS LATE AS 1993, PUERTO RICO VOTED TO MAINTAIN IT’S COMMONWEALTH STATUS

- THE U.S. AND THE FAR EAST

o CHINA – THE OPEN DOOR – JOHN HAY

§ UNILATERAL DECLARATION BY THE U.S. THAT STATED THAT CHINESE PORTS SHOULD BE OPEN TO FREE TRADE WITH ALL NATIONS

· IN RESPONSE TO CHINA BEING PARTITIONED AFTER THE BOXER REBELLION

o AN ATTEMPT BY CHINESE NATIONALISTS TO REMOVE FOREIGN INFLUENCE FROM CHINA

10/6

· RATIONALE

o THE U.S. WAS IN NEED OF MARKETS FOR SURPLUS PRODUCTION

o THE U.S. IS A JOHNNY COME LATELY TO COLONIALISM

o JAPAN

§ ROOSEVELT MEDIATES THE RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR

· HE RECEIVES THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE

§ ROOSEVELT SENDS THE “GREAT WHITE FLEET” TO THE ORIENT AS A SABRE-RATTLING MOVE

· THE BEGINNINGS OF A COLLISION COURSE THAT RESULTS IN THE EVENTS AT PEARL HARBOR

o 2 EMPIRES WHO SEEK TO DOMINATE POLITICALLY AND ECONOMICALLY IN THE PACIFIC

§ JAPAN SIGNS THE GENTLEMAN’S AGREEMENT

· AGREES TO LIMIT IMMIGRATION TO THE U.S.

o INFLUENCED BY EUGENIC BELIEFS

- THE U.S. AND PANAMA

o ROOSEVELT SUPPORTS A PANAMANIAN REVOLUTION FROM COLUMBIA

§ WHY – COLUMBIA WANTED TOO MUCH MONEY FOR THE RIGHT OF WAY TO BUILD THE CANAL

§ THE U.S. SENDS WARSHIPS TO PROHIBIT COLUMBIA FROM REFORTIFYING ITS POSITION IN PANAMA

o WHEN THE PANAMANIANS ACHIEVED INDEPENDENCE, THEY READILY ALLOW ROOSEVELT TO BUILD THE CANAL AT A PRICE HE WAS WILLING TO PAY

10/7

- ROOSEVELT COROLLARY TO THE MONROE DOCTRINE

o BIG STICK DIPLOMACY

§ THE U.S. WOULD EXERCISE ITS INTERNATIONAL POLICE POWER IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE TO PROTECT AMERICAN ECONOMIC INTERESTS

§ POLITICAL STABILITY IS A PRE-REQUISITE FOR ECONOMIC ACTIVITY

- TAFT PURSUED A POLICY KNOWN AS DOLLAR DIPLOMACY

o LIKEWISE INTENDED TO PROTECT AMERICAN BUSINESS INTERESTS ABROAD

§ THE U.S. MILITARY COULD AND WOULD BE USED TO COLLECT DEBTS OWED TO AMERICAN BUSINESSES

- WILSON GIVES MONROE DOCTRINE A MORAL TONE

o MISSIONARY DIPLOMACY – def – THE U.S. WOULD DENY RECOGNITION TO AN LATIN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT IT CONSIDERED TO BE

§ UNDEMOCRATIC

§ OPPRESSIVE

§ HOSTILE TO AMERICAN INTERESTS

- WILSON AND THE MEXICAN REVOLUTION

o EXEMPLIFIES U.S. WILLINGNESS TO USE ARMED INTERVENTION TO EXTEND THE REACH OF THE AMERICAN POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC SYSTEM

o TAMPICO INCIDENT – WILSON USES THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEND AMERICAN TROOPS INTO MEXICO (VERACRUZ)

§ AN ATTEMPT TO DESTABILIZE THE GOVERNMENT OF GENERAL HUERTA WHO ACHIEVED POWER BY WAY OF A COUP D’ETAT

§ WAR BETWEEN THE U.S. AN MEXICO IS AVERTED BY THE MEDIATION OF THE ABC POWERS

§ WHEN CARENZA REPLACES HUERTA, WILSON IS QUICK TO EXTEND AMERICAN RECOGNITION

10/8

o PANCHO VILLA AND EMILIO ZAPATA WERE 2 MEXICAN REVOLUTIONARIES WHO OPPOSED THE UNDUE INFLUENCE OF AMERICAN FINANCIAL INTERESTS IN MEXICO

§ PANCHO VILLA INVADES THE U.S. KILLING 17 AMERICANS AT COLUMBUS NEW MEXICO

· ONLY FOREIGN INCURSION ON AMERICAN SOIL SINCE THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD

· GENERAL JOHN PERSHING LED AN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE INTO MEXICO TO PURSUE VILLA

o THIS LEADS TO THE BRINK OF WAR WITH MEXICO

§ WAR IS AVERTED BECAUSE OF EVENTS IN EUROPE – WORLD WAR I – TAKE PRECEDENCE

ADDENDA

3 BELIEFS THAT FORMED THE BEDROCK OF U.S. AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY

- THE GROWTH OF THE U.S. ECONOMY DEPENDED UPON EXPORTS

- THE U.S. HAD A RIGHT TO INTERVENE TO KEEP FOREIGN MARKETS OPEN

- THE CLOSING OF AN AREA TO AMERICAN PRODUCTS, CITIZENS OR IDEAS THREATENED U.S. SURVIVAL

ASSIGNMENT

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS AT THE END OF ONE OF THE ARTICLES BELOW

Social Darwinism

Imperialism - Hawaii