Chapter 18 Imperialism and the Spanish- American War

Imperialism and America Imperialism- the policy in which a stronger nation takes economic, political, and military control over a stronger nation. 3 factors fueled American Imperialism: a. desire for military strength b. thirst for new markets c. belief in the superiority of American culture (White, Christianity WASP)

Military Imperialism US created a new, powerful navy- steam powered, steel hulled, rifled-barrel artillery Naval bases set-up to protect territories around the world Refueling stations for new navy ships created on small islands taken in war with Spain … connection to WWII and fight with Japan?

Economic Imperialism …thirst for new markets Overproduction and under-consumption in US -we needed to find new trading partners Unemployment because of slowed down production lines Economic depression

Cultural Imperialism US was on a mission to spread civilization and Christianity around the world Help out the inferior “little brown people” of the world WASP superiority

Yellow Journalism  Sensational style of reporting the news that was used to attract readers  William Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer practiced yellow journalism in their NYC newspapers  “You furnish the pictures. I’ll furnish the war.”  Fanned war fever and caused US public opinion to turn in favor of the Cuban independence movement

The Yellow Kid

De Lome Letter In early 1898 the DeLome letter called Pres. William McKinley weak The contents of the letter were seen as a serious insult to our national pride Written by Spanish diplomat Enrique Dupuy de Lome The letter was stolen by a Cuban rebel and leaked to “yellow” newspapers

USS Maine Explodes Pres. McKinley orders USS Maine to Cuba to pick up US citizens in danger from fight between Spanish authorities and Cuban rebels USS Maine blows up in Havana harbor; 260 dead Yellow journalists say Spanish mine or torpedo was to blame True? No. An accidental boiler explosion detonated gunpowder on the Maine “Remember the Maine” becomes rallying cry for war! Hearst offers $50K reward for capture of Spanish culprits

The Philippines First battle of the Spanish-American War Spanish thought US would attack Cuba first Admiral George Dewey, US Naval Commander, and Emilio Aguinaldo, Filipino rebel leader are main characters Dewey sails w/US fleet from Hong Kong to Philippines In Manila harbor Dewey destroys Spanish w/in hours US troops land on mainland

US Forces Invade Cuba (War in the Caribbean) US navy blockades Cuba Spanish fleet bottled up in Santiago harbor What’s wrong with our troops? Not enough supplies Not enough guns Heavy woolen uniforms in tropical climate Not enough effective leaders-most officers Civil War vets; too old and uninspired Outcome? 125,000 Americans volunteer to fight the Spanish Took longer than Philippines Spanish fleet destroyed

Rough Riders Volunteer cavalry unit sent to Cuba in June of 1898 Led by Teddy Roosevelt and Leonard Wood The Rough Riders, joined by several African- American units, charge uphill first on Kettle Hill, then lead way for infantry attack and capture of strategic San Juan Hill US now able to control Santiago harbor and destroy Spanish fleet Victory gave US confidence for next attack on Puerto Rico

Treaty of Paris December 10, 1898 Terms of the Treaty of Paris 1. Spain frees Cuba 2. Puerto Rico and Guam acquired by US 3. US pays $20M for annexation of Philippines

Annexation of the Philippines Annex- to incorporate territory into an existing country or state Pres. McKinley prayed for guidance on what to do with the Philippines He said, “We must take the Philippines and educate and Christianize the people” US Senate approves treaty to annex Philippines on February

Debate over US Imperialism in the Philippines Does the US have the right to annex the Philippines? Is Imperialism moral? Most Filipinos were Catholic Christians under Spanish rule for centuries! Treaty of Paris violated the Declaration of Independence; denied Filipino self-government Booker T. Washington- famous African-American fighter for Civil Rights says, “settle and fix racial inequality at home before taking on social problems overseas” Samuel Gompers (remember him?) feared Filipino immigrants would compete for American jobs

End of the Spanish-American War The war lasted only 16 weeks! 5,400 Americans died from heat exhaustion, disease, and combat John Hay, US Secretary of State, called it “the splendid little war”. US emerges as a world power

It’s Alive! The Creation of the World’s Baddest Super Power (or How Uncle Sam Got His Swag) The Spanish-American War revealed that industrialization in the late 19th century had made the US a great power. Now, as the frontier in the American West disappeared, the nation sought new room to grow: world markets, protected by a worldwide Navy based on island territories throughout the world. Also, new ideas of "Social Darwinism" in the period said to many Americans that international relations was a brutal contest, in which the "fittest" nations would do what they had to in order to survive. Regardless of the reasons behind annexation, the Spanish-American War and the colonies it brought to the US marked, for better or worse, the beginning of the modern era of US intervention in world affairs. This emergence of the US onto the international stage as a world power also symbolized to many that the US had finally emerged, whole and healthy, from the era of the Civil War and Reconstruction.