Isolationism to Expansionism  United States began to abandoned its traditional policy of isolationism in the late 1800s  United States turned to an expansionist policy for three major reasons  1. Economic: needed new resources and new markets  2. Military Power: nationalism pushed us to increase our strength, acquire naval bases abroad, and challenge European global dominance  3. Racism: Americans believed that it was our duty to spread our superior culture and civilization to inferior peoples and places

Interventionism  The United States turned to a policy of interventionism at the onset of the Spanish-American War  Interventionism- significant activity by one country to influence something that is not directly under its control  Our involvement in the Spanish- American war marked our emergence as a true world power.

Spanish-American War  US declared war on Spain for several reasons  1. Humanitarian desire to support the rights of Cubans against Spanish oppression  2. Domestic economic pressures pushed us to expand capitalism to the Caribbean  3. Alfred Thayer Mahan’s push to increase our naval power helped prepare us militarily for involvement  4. Sensationalized newspaper articles (Yellow Journalism) exaggerated the truth of what was happening

Humanitarianism  Newspapers published accounts of the atrocities of the Spanish regime against the Cubans.  Most Americans sympathized with the Cuban rebels aspirations of liberty and democracy.  The American public began to call for the government to intervene on the behalf of the Cuban rebels.

Results of Spanish Concentration Camps in Cuba

Economic Pressures  Economic depressions, overproduction and low prices of agricultural goods, growing industrialism, and labor strikes created growing fears among Americans  Americans desperately wanted to find new markets to expand into in order to sell our surplus of goods and our capitalist economic system  The Caribbean Islands seemed to be a perfect place to begin the experiment of American interventionism

Alfred Thayer Mahan  Mahan was an American naval officer and military historian  Wrote an influential paper on the importance of naval power in world history  Said that all powerful nations throughout world history possessed a significant naval power  Believed that the US had to increase its navy in order to become a global power  The US followed Mahan’s advice and began expanding its naval capacity by building new Battleships and acquiring land around the world to create naval bases  Had its eye on the Caribbean for a new naval base

Yellow Journalism  Rival newspapers in New York turned to Yellow Journalism to increase sales  Yellow Journalism was a technique that sensationalized stories to make them more eye-catching and intriguing  Usually sacrificed truth and integrity in order make stories more appealing  Often used catchy headlines and elaborate pictures or cartoons to draw the attention of readers  Yellow Press stories led to a public outcry for American intervention in Cuba’s struggle against Spain

De Lome Letter  Letter written by the Spanish minister in Cuba  Criticized President William McKinley  Called him “weak and catering to the rabble” as well as a “low politician” who only looked out for his own interests  Published by a Yellow Journalism newspaper and outraged the American public

Sinking of the U.S.S. Maine  US sent the U.S.S. Maine, a new battleship, to Havana to protect American interests in Cuba  While there, the Maine exploded, sank quickly, and killed 3/4ths of its crew  Yellow Press stories blamed Spain even though there was very little evidence  “Remember the Maine, To Hell with Spain” became a rallying cry for action

The U.S.S. Maine

Wreckage of the U.S.S. Maine

Spanish-American War Results  War was short-lived, lasted less than 4 months  Initial result of the war was expansion of the US into the South Pacific  Annexed Hawaii and captured the Philippines  Both territories gave the US convenient fueling stops and locations for naval bases  Treaty ending the war transferred Spain’s empire into American hands  Ownership of the Philippines, Wake Island, and Guam in the Pacific and Puerto Rico in the Caribbean  Cuba gained independence but became an American protectorate (free but completely controlled by US)  US now emerged as an imperial power

American Imperialism

Annexation of the Philippines  Annexation of the Philippines created a major debate in America  Anti-Imperialists: Argued against annexation because they believed that Filipinos were racially inferior to Americans and could never be incorporated into the nation  Pro-Imperialists: Argued that it was the US’s duty to govern the Filipinos since they were unable to govern themselves  Both arguments used racial prejudices and Social Darwinism and found domestic counterparts in Jim Crow laws and voter restrictions

Imperial Struggles  Acquisition of new land led to new problems  US had no experience governing foreign territories or peoples and struggled with the task  Filipinos eventually rebelled against American occupation and were brutally suppressed by the American military  Insular Cases: Supreme Court ruled that the “Constitution does NOT follow the Flag”  Subject peoples do not have the same rights as US citizens  Lands were not offered eventual statehood  Perception of US among subject peoples shifted from champion of liberty to imperial power