IMPERIALISM & WORLD WAR IAmerican History II - Unit 3

Ms. Brown

Review• What were the 3 main causes of the Spanish-American War?

• Yellow journalism, the de Lome letter, and the explosion of the USS Maine

• What is yellow journalism?• Using sensational headlines to grab readers and sell papers• Used extensively by Pulitzer and Hearst to instigate the S-A War

• Who were the Rough Riders?• Volunteer cavalry unit led by Theodore Roosevelt; helped win the Battle

of San Juan Hill

• Who were the Buffalo Soldiers?• All black volunteer regiments, had been fighting in the Indian Wars in the

heartland previous to the S-A War; helped win the Battle of San Juan Hill

• What were the provisions of the Treaty of Paris of 1898?• Cuba freed from Spain, US gained Guam and Puerto Rico for free, US

paid $20 for the Philippines

3.3 – AMERICA’S INFLUENCE EXPANDS

US and Puerto Rico• 1899 – Puerto Rico gained by US in

Treaty of Paris mixed Puerto Rican sentiments on US rule• Luis Muñoz Rivera - advocated for PR

independence• Some PRs wanted self-rule as a US

territory• Some PRs wanted US statehood and

citizenship rights

• US military rule of PR after S-A War • US troops occupied PR, no self-rule or

citizenship• Claimed “protection” from outside forces

“You citizens of a free fatherland, with its own laws, its own

institutions, and its own flag, can appreciate the unhappiness of

the small and solitary people that must await its laws from your

authority… give us our independence and you will stand

before humanity as… a great creator of new nationalities and a

great liberator of oppressed peoples.”

- Luis Muñoz Rivera to US Congress

US and Puerto Rico• PR strategically important to US

for 2 reasons:• Maintained US presence in Caribbean• Protection for future canal to be built

in Panama

• Foraker Act (1900) – ended military rule in PR and set up a civil government • Governor and upper legislature appointed by US• PRs elected members of lower legislature

• 1901 – SCOTUS said US Constitution did not extend to territories• 1917 – PRs gained US citizenship and could elect both legislative

houses.

US and Cuba• Cuba FREE!

• Treaty of Paris of 1898• Teller Amendment (1898) – US had

no plans of taking over Cuba

• However, American troops remained in Cuba after the S-A War…• Pros – US military provided food,

clothing, schools, improved sanitation, and eliminated yellow fever disease

• Cons – same Spanish officials in office, protesting Cubans arrested or exiled

US and Cuba• Why not just let Cuba be free?

• American businesses had invested in the island’s sugar, tobacco, and mining industries, as well as its railroads and public utilities

• Many businessmen were convinced that annexation or territory-status would protect American investments.

• Platt Amendment (1900) – list of US provisions that Cuba was forced to include in their Constitution• Cuba could not make treaties to limit its

independence• The US could intervene at any time• Cuba not allowed to create debt• US could buy/lease land for naval stations

• Cuba became a US protectorate – a country whose affairs are partially controlled by a stronger power.

US and the Philippines• Post S-A War, US imposed military

authority on Filipinos (essentially the same role as Spain)• Filipinos felt betrayed by US and Treaty of

Paris 1899 - Filipino rebellion led by Emilio Aguinaldo

• Philippine-American War (1899-1902)• Rebels used guerilla tactics US troops forced

Filipinos into designated zones with poor living conditions (sound familiar… Spain and Cuba?)

• 20,000 Filipinos and 4,000 American died• $400 million spent (20x the price of the

islands)

• Philippines remained under US control (similar gov’t to PR) until independence in 1946.

US and China• China = “Sick man of Asia” due

to war and foreign intervention by other imperialist countries• Spheres of influence- areas in

which another nation has great influence thus had special rights and economic privileges

• US Sec of State John Hay worried that China would be carved into colonies and the US wouldn’t get a piece proposed the Open Door Policy (1899)• All imperialist nations interested in China would share their trading

rights with the US (creating an “open door”) and preventing a monopoly of control in China

• Reluctantly accepted by other nations, China had no choice

US and China• China free but large cities were dominated

by foreign rule Chinese formed secret societies to rid China of “foreign devils”• Boxers - most famous, named by westerners

because they practiced martial arts• Boxers killed hundreds of missionaries and

Christian converts

• Boxer Rebellion (1900) - British, French, German, Japanese, and US forces fought and defeated Boxers in Beijing (Chinese capital) thousands of Chinese died

• Open Door Policy and the Boxer Rebellion

US and China

• After the Boxer Rebellion, US feared European powers would gain more power in China US issued another series of Open Door policies• Announced that no foreign colonies would be set up in China• Free trade only

• Open Door policies reflected 3 key beliefs about the capitalist economy and foreign policy at the turn of the 20th century:• Growth of US economy depended on exports which demanded foreign

markets• US had the right to intervene abroad to keep foreign markets open• The closing of an area threatened America’s growth and influence

Impact of US Territorial Gains• POTUS McKinley – reelected in 1900

• Pro-imperialism• POTUS during S-A War, American-Philippine

War, set up gov’ts in Cuba, PR, and Philippines, approved of Open Door policies in China

• POTUSs Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson will continue to exert US global influence

• Anti-Imperialist League• Included prominent figures such as Former

POTUS Cleveland, Carnegie, Jane Addams, Booker T. Washington, Mark Twain

• Often different motives but all opposed to American imperialism wrong to rule people without their consent

What about the Monroe Doctrine?• MONROE DOCTRINE (1823)

• US would stay out of eastern hemisphere and European affairs

• Europe would stay out of western hemisphere and the US would protect smaller countries if Europe disobeyed

• In what ways was American Imperialism a violation of the Monroe Doctrine of 1823?• US was supposed to protect Latin American

countries from Europe… In the name of protection, the US is exerting control over smaller countries (Cuba, Puerto Rico)

• US was supposed to stay out of the western hemisphere… US presence in the Philippines is a direct violation of this.