America Claims an Empire Essential Question: What are the causes and effects of American imperialism in Hawaii? America Claims an Empire

American Foreign Trade: 1870-1914 Economic Interests Wanted to open up new markets that would import U.S. goods Wanted to gain access to new raw materials to feed growing U.S. industries American Foreign Trade: 1870-1914

Military/Strategic Interests U.S. Navy Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan wrote The Influence of Sea Power Upon History to advocate expansion of the Navy In addition, the U.S. needed refueling stations and bases throughout the world

Social Darwinist Thinking Belief that there are superior and inferior races in the world As the greatest race, it is the white man’s burden to educate, civilize, and uplift the “lesser” races of the world The White Man’s Burden The Hierarchy of Race

Religious/Missionary Interests American Missionaries in China, 1905 Believed it was their Christian duty to spread the faith to “heathen” lands around the world American Missionaries in China, 1905

Closing the American Frontier All land on the North American continent is claimed America would have to look elsewhere to find new markets and sources of raw materials

The Purchase of Alaska In 1867 William Seward bought Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million Critics dubbed this “Seward’s folly”

U. S. Missionaries in Hawaii Missionaries were the first Americans to establish a presence in Hawaii Goal: Bring Christianity to the “savage” island people Imiola Church – first built in the late 1820s

Sugarcane in Hawaii Other Americans arrive in Hawaii to become sugar plantation owners Sugarcane plantation owners flourish with 1875 treaty that allows sale of Hawaiian sugar in U.S. without a tariff White planters force Bayonet Constitution on Hawaiians Only wealthy white planters can vote

Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani Liliuokalani came to power and stated she will get rid of the Bayonet Constitution Hawaii for Hawaiians!!!

U.S. Annexes Hawaii McKinley Tariff hurts sugarcane planters Desire to become U.S. territory to avoid tariffs 1893 – American businessmen led an uprising against Queen Liliuokalani, and she is overthrown Sanford Ballard Dole becomes the President of the Republic of Hawaii Annexation debate Hawaii is annexed 1898

Bill Clinton signs a formal apology to the Hawaiians on November 23, 1993