9.1 – Mrs. Stoffl

 Identify the key factors that prodded America to expand.  Explain how the U.S. took its first steps towards increased global power  Summarize the chain of events leading up to the U.S. annexation of HI

 Policy in which stronger nations extend their economic, political, or military control over weaker territories. ◦ Often with goals to:  Colonize  Gain natural resources  Achieve a strategic position/location

 Mid 1800s – Early 1900s  Nations wanted to extend their influence across the world  European countries, Japan and eventually the U.S. sought resources and other benefits from: ◦ Latin America ◦ Asia ◦ Africa

 Europe nations and Japan: ◦ Desire for natural resources and raw materials  These were extractive economies: Imperial countries would extract (remove) raw materials from a colony and ship them to the home country  U.S. was larger and had more resources…but they had other goals w/regards to imperialsm

 The U.S. had a surplus of goods, more than Americans could consume in fact. ◦ Remember the farmers (over production = drop in prices).  Having colonies would give the U.S. additional populations to sell their goods to. ◦ Industrialists argued that if we didn’t, our economy would suffer as factories closed and unemployment rose.

 To protect land around the world, imperialist nations would have to have a strong military  Alfred T. Mahan: Wrote: The Influence of Sea Power Upon History to explain his argument ◦ Argued that specifically, the U.S. needed to build up its navy to be an influential world power. ◦ Also argued that the U.S. needed to acquire more foreign land to serve as refueling stations for fleets + to gather new supplies  By 1900, the U.S. had the 3 rd largest navy in the world ◦ New steel-plated, steam-powered battleships (U.S.S Maine).

 Imperialists used the ideas of racial, national and cultural superiority to justify imperialism ◦ Social Darwinism  only the fittest survive ◦ Certain peoples and nations inferior ∴ they were destined to be ruled by others  America was feeling the pressure to expand as other European nations were doing the same

 Especially due to Manifest Destiny: widespread belief that God granted Americans the right and responsibility to spread their beliefs and expand their frontier. ◦ Josiah Strong: Our Country “God is training the Anglo- Saxon race for its mission [to civilize] weaker races.”  Frederick Jackson Turner: The Significance of the Frontier in American History ◦ Noted that the frontier closed in the late 1800s. ◦ An open frontier supplies those who need a fresh start with a place to do so  this “safety valve” helps solve internal discontent ◦ b/c American frontier closed it is now time to expand overseas to reopen the “safety valve.”

 Commodore Matthew Perry: sailed a fleet of American warships to Japan ◦ Japan forbid the rest of the world to access its ports  Japanese ppl called the ships “giant dragons of smoke” b/c never seen before ◦ Perry showered Japan’s Emperor w/ gifts ◦ Emperor also realized that closing Japan off to the world put them behind in military technology ◦ W/in a year, Japan signed a treaty w/U.S. opening trade with America  1867: U.S. took the Midway Islands  Treaties in 1875 and 1887  trade w/ HI increased and gave U.S. the right to a naval base at Pearl Harbor

 1867: Secretary of State William Seward bought Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million  Was ridiculed for buying an “iceberg” so far North and journalists called this purchase “Seward’s Folly” and “Seward’s Icebox.”  BUT! ◦ Purchase almost doubled the size of America ◦ Turned out to be EXTREMELY rich in natural resources like timber, oil and gold. ◦ Also expanded America’s control of the Pacific ◦ Historians see has an important milestone towards American power.

 Latin American seen as an easy place to expand the U.S. economy/trade/investments  First International Pan-American Conference (1889): Sponsored by Sec. of State James Blaine ◦ Preached the benefits of economic cooperation to delegates from 17 Latin Am. countries ◦ Led to the construction of the Pan –Am. highway system  linked U.S. to Central and South Am.

 1895: Tensions rose b/w U.S. and Britain ◦ Border dispute b/w British Guiana and Venezuela ◦ Pres. Cleveland said G.B. was violating the Monroe Doctrine and threatened U.S. intervention  Monroe Doctrine (1823): efforts by European nations to colonize/interfere with states in N or S America would be viewed as acts of aggression, requiring U.S. intervention. ◦ GB backed down, recognizing the growing U.S. influence

 U.S. and HI economically linked since 1790s ◦ U.S. used as a stop on the way to East Asia  Missionaries established Christian churches and schools on the islands  American sugar cane plantations ◦ 1887: American planters on the island convinced King Kalakaua to limit voting rights to only wealthy landowners  Majority of which were white planters from America

 Early 1890s: American planters in HI faced 2 big problems ◦ 1. New U.S. tariff law that imposed taxes on previously duty-free sugar from Hawaii ∴ HI sugar more expensive than US sugar ∴ less sales & profit ◦ 2. King Kalakaua died in 1891  his sister Queen Liliuokalani, a Hawaiian Nationalist, resented the power of white landowners who owned much of HI ◦ ∴ She abolishes the constitution that gave the white land-owning minority so much power

 American landowners quickly respond…w/ force ◦ 1893: The white landowners overthrow the queen ◦ John Stevens, U.S. Minister to HI ordered U.S. Marines to support and aid these rebels seize power  ∴ a new government is formed  led by Stanford B. Dole (bananas?!?!?!) ◦ He asks Pres. Harrison to annex HI into the U.S.

 Pres. Harrison signed treaty to annex HI but the Senate was not able to get enough votes b4 Pres. Cleveland was in office  Pres. Cleveland ordered a full investigation of the situation and found that: ◦ Most Hawaiians did not support the annexation or the treaty ◦ Apologized to HI for the “flagrant wrong” done by the “reprehensible conduct of the American Minister.”  Pres. McKinley in office + strong American popular support for the annexation of HI = HI annexation in 1898 as an official territory