American Imperialism

Maybe Not What You Thought

What is imperialism?

• The dominance of one country of the political*, economic*, or cultural* life of another country or area.

*We tend to always think about political domination when we think of imperialism, that is, when a country officially takes control of another countries government. In reality, imperialism often takes place in more subtle ways.

Two Eras of Imperialism

Old Imperialism: 1492 - 1800Old imperialism is the period when European nations like Spain,

Portugal, Britain, France, and Holland (the Netherlands, or Dutch people) developed colonies in North, Central, and South America

New Imperialism: 1800 - ?*New Imperialism is the period when Europeans and Americans

began to develop colonies, dominate trade, and other wise influence affairs throughout the world, especially Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

*Some historians say this period ended in 1914 with the beginning of World War I. Others say that New Imperialism ended in 1945 with the end of World War II. Still others say that New Imperialism has never ended, and still continues.

Why did Westerners want colonies anyway?

1. They* wanted access to natural resources for trade, and for use in their new factories.

2. They wanted new markets, or populations of customers, to sell their goods to.

3. They wanted access to ports and harbors so they could build military bases and supply depots for their ships.

4. They wanted to spread Christianity, medicine, and education to the “primitive” and “uncivilized” people of the world.

5. They thought having a large empire would increase their prestige, or reputation as a world power.

6. They felt that conquering or controlling new territories would not only help their own people, but it would hurt the other countries they were competing with.

*”They” include not just the government leaders, but also wealthy business men, military leaders, church leaders, and other influential people.

How did the Westerners pull this off anyway?

1. Many of the formerly great powers had grown weak due to poor leadership, economic and cultural stagnation, civil wars, and ethnic conflict.

2. The strong, stable economic systems in the Western countries encouraged people to take business risks, which encouraged development of industry, and technology, and the building of enormous wealth.

3. The Western countries had strong, stable governments, with strictly defined legal systems. The stability of the Western governments allowed them to take major actions with the support of their citizens.

4. By the late 1800’s, the Western countries had a decisive technological edge over non-Western nations due to industrialization. They had superior methods of transportation, superior weapons, superior communications, and superior medicine. It was simply hard for non-Westerners to resist forces with this much of an advantage.

European Imperialism

• For centuries Europeans had been unable to colonize Africa, because African kingdoms were too strong. From the 1880’s through 1914, almost the entire continent had been colonized by one European power or another.

• As Europeans began to gain influence in the Middle East (at first in Egypt, but after WWI, in many other places as well).

• Europeans had developed prosperous colonies in India, Southeast Asia, and throughout the Pacific region.

• China was carved up into numerous sphere’s of influence, or areas in which an outside country has special trading rights and privileges.

What about the U.S.?

• As you know from the Western Expansion Unit, from the beginning of our history, the United States began to push past its borders.

• The policy known as manifest destiny is considered by many historians to be the beginning of U.S. imperialism.

• By the end of the American Civil War, the U.S. government controlled all of the what are now the first 48 states. By 1870, even Alaska had been added through purchase from Russia.

Call For Imperialism

• In the late 1800’s some Americans began to call for a move toward joining the other Western nations in their quest for new territory. Who were these guys and what did they say?

Arguments for Imperialism1. Alfred T. Mahan, a U.S. naval officer argued that a strong navy was a

key to the success of a strong nation. To have a strong navy, Mahan argued it that was critical to have naval bases around the world to protect U.S. trading ships, and to provide places to refuel.

2. Government officials, heavily influenced by American business interests, began to see that U.S. farms and business were producing much more than Americans could consume. These people argued that American business needed new markets of people to sell their goods to.

3. Religious leaders, scholars, and many other Americans believed that America had a duty to spread our culture to “less civilized” peoples around the world.

4. Many people believed that in human society, just as in nature, the strongest would survive and would flourish, while the weak, would not. They justified imperialism by saying that if a strong country like the U.S. could take over a weaker country, they should. This is is a part of Social Darwinism, and was used to justify U.S. conquests.

Initial U.S. Moves Toward Imperialism

• In the mid 1800’s the U.S. wanted to open trade with the Empire of Japan. In 1853 Commodore Mathew Perry sailed a fleet of American warships to Japan to convince the Japanese leaders that they should open their ports to trade with the U.S. After lavishing the Japanese leaders with gifts, and demonstrating the power of modern industrialized militaries, Perry was successful in negotiating a treaty that opened trade in Japan.

• In 1867 the U.S. took possession of the Midway Islands.

What’s up with Hawaii?

• U.S. merchants had been traveling to the Hawaiian Islands since the late 1700’s. Christian missionaries had established churches and schools there, and Americans also established sugar plantations there.

• In 1887 a treaty was signed to set up a naval based at Pearl Harbor.

• In 1887 these planters coerced King Kalakaua to amend Hawaii’s constitution to restrict voting rights to wealthy land owners, who were, surprise surprise, wealthy Americans.

How did the U.S. get it?

In late 1890’s, the American planters faced two problems:

1. The U.S. government placed high protective tariffs on imported goods, including Hawaiian sugar. This raised the price of their sugar, and hurt their business.

2. The new queen of Hawaii, Liliuokalani, resented the power of the Americans, and abolished the constitution.

What was their solution?

The U.S. acquires Hawaii

• In 1893, the U.S. minister to Hawaii, John Stevens, ordered U.S. Marines to help the American planters on Hawaii overthrow the queen, and seize power.

• The new government, led by Sanford B. Dole, asked President Benjamin Harrison to annex Hawaii. He signed the treaty of annexation, but could not get approval by the senate before he left office.

• His successor, Grover Cleveland, had the incident investigated, found the actions of the Americans to be totally wrong, refused to signed the treaty, and apologized for the incident.

• In 1897, American business interests, especially on the West Coast, convinced the new president, William McKinley, to go threw with the annexation, which he did. Hawaii became a U.S. territory in 1898.

Cuba

• Cuba had been a colony of the Spanish since the days of Christopher Columbus.

• The island was a large producer of sugar, and by the late 1800’s, U.S. entrepreneurs had invested over $50,000,000 in Cuban plantations.

• In the late 1800’s, some Cubans began launching guerrilla attacks in the hopes of gaining independence from Spain.

• To crush these rebels, the Spanish used harsh tactics, including rounding up rural populations and putting them in camps, where many starved to death.

“Yellow Journalism”. Was it really a cause of the War?

• In the late 1800’s, two major New York newspapers, Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World, and William Randolph Hearst’s New York Journal, featured sensational stories and headlines that often times exaggerated the situation in Cuba, pointing to terrible atrocities committed by the Spanish, and making the Cuban rebels seem honorable, comparing them to American Patriots in the Revolution.

• For the last century historians have claimed that this Yellow Journalism stirred up American opinion in favor of War with Spain, and was a leading cause of U.S. entry into the war.

• Some historians doubt the importance of Yellow Journalism in causing the war. They believe that only a small number of Americans actually lived in New York, and did not even see these articles.

What do you think these historians believe the most important cause of the war was?

The threat to American companies who had so much invested in Cuba, prompted these business men to demand war to protect their interests, and to gain American influence over Cuba.

“Remember the Maine!”

• To protect American business interests in Cuba, President McKinley sent the U.S.S. Maine, a battleship, to Havana Harbor.

• On February 15th, 1898 the main exploded, killing 266 sailors and officers. President McKinley ordered an investigation, and the Naval Board of inquiry found that the explosion had been caused by a bomb or torpedo (experts have debated the accuracy of this report for years).

• To avoid war, the Spanish agreed to abolish the camps, and to make other concessions, but would not agree to the American demand to grant independence to Cuba.

• In response to the Spanish “destruction” of the Maine, Congress gave McKinley the authority to use as much force as necessary in liberating Cuba, while issuing the Teller Amendment that promised that the U.S. would not Annex Cuba.

• In reaction, Spain declared war on the U.S.• Over 200,000 men enlisted in the U.S. Army.

The War in Asia

• In May, 1898, the U.S. Navy decided to strike Spain in an unlikely place: the Philippines, which was a Spanish colony.

• Commodore George Dewey’s forces destroyed the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay.

• Filipino nationalists, led by Emilio Aguinaldo, and 11,000 U.S. soldiers, led a revolt and defeated the Spanish Army on land (this would not be a short stay for the U.S. troops, as you will see).

The War in Cuba• In June 1898, 17,000 U.S. soldiers attacked the

Spanish in Cuba. • These troops were ill-equipped, poorly trained, and

unprepared for war in a tropical climate. In fact, of the 3,000 that would die in Cuba, only 380 were battle deaths. The rest were from disease.

• The fighting on Cuba was fairly limited, and despite their poor supplies and preparedness, the U.S. won a quick victory.

• The Spanish American War is really only famous for two things:

Rough Riders and Buffalo Soldiers

• The heaviest fighting took place at the Battle of Kettle Hill and San Juan Hill

• Several units took part in the fighting, but the most famous was the Rough Riders, or the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, led by Leonard Wood and Theodore Roosevelt.

• Another unit that was less famous, but just as critical, was the famous 10th Cavalry Unit, or “Buffalo Soldiers”.

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Results of the War

• In December of 1898, the Treaty of Paris officially ended the war.

• Spain gave up control of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Pacific Island of Guam. Puerto Rico and Guam became U.S. Territories, and Cuba became an American Protectorate in 1902, fell under heavy American influence until the 1950’s.

• Spain sold the Philippines to the U.S. for $20,000,000.• Theodore Roosevelt became a popular war hero, and was

chosen as McKinley’s vice president. He became president when McKinley was assassinated.

• Many anti-imperialists, such as Mark Twain spoke out against U.S. policies. In fact, the vote for ratifying the treaty only reached a 2/3 majority by one vote.

• Despite opposition, imperialism was the clear winner.

Rebellion in the Philippines

• After the Spanish were expelled from the Philippines, the people there were disappointed to find out that the Americans were now going to colonize them, so they launched a rebellion often called the Philippines Insurrection.

• The rebels were greatly outgunned by the Americans, so they used guerilla warfare to counter the odds against them.

• The hit-and-run tactics frustrated the Americans to a great extent.

Crushing the Rebellion

• To counter the guerilla tactics of the Filipino rebels, the U.S. troops resorted to brutal tactics.

1.They created camps for civilians in so called safe zones. Anyone outside the zone after a certain time, was shot on site.

2.Crops and villages were destroyed, taking away vital resources needed by the rebels.

3.Suspected rebels were often times lined up and shot immediately on discovery.

In Control

• In 1901, William Howard Taft took over as governor of the Philippines, and worked with civilians to end the rebellion. While he censored the press and put dissidents in jail, he also gave the people some limited self-rule, built schools, bridges, and roads. Taft’s policies helped to end the rebellion and secure the Philippines.

• All in all the Philippines Insurrection cost the U.S. 5,000 KIA, $150,000, and several years to put down (some rebels weren’t stopped until 1913!)

• In 1916, Congress passed the Jones Act which promised independence for the Philippines (this did not happen until WWII was over!)