1. “The U.S. Expands Its’ Empire”
U.S. Imperialism
“The U.S. Expands Its’ Empire”

2. What is Imperialism?
Imperialism – The policy by which stronger nations extend their economic, political and military control over weaker territories.
Why Does America Want to Expand?
1) New markets to sell products (Economic interest)
2) Build up military strength (Especially the Navy)
3) Belief in their racial and cultural superiority

3. Annexation of Hawaii

4. What causes early U.S. Involvement in Hawaii?
1) 1820’s American missionaries arrived to convert Hawaiians to Christianity.
2) 1850’s American owned sugar plantations start to take hold and by 1875 U.S. sugar corporations dominated the sugar trade.

5. U.S. Policies to Gain Hawaii
1) 1875, treaty allowed American planters to sell sugar to the United States without a tax.
2) 1887, King Kalakaua forced to change Constitution to allow only wealthy landowners to vote.
- Why would the US want this Change???
3) 1887, built a naval base at Pearl Harbor.

6. The U.S. Claims Hawaii
1) King died in 1891 and his sister Queen Liliuokalani took over. She proposed a CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT to allow political power to go back to native Hawaiians.
2) To prevent this from happening business groups and U.S. Ambassador John Stevens organized a revolt against the Queen. On January 16, 1893 U.S. Marines showed up claiming to protect American lives and property.
3) In 1898 (William McKinley was President) congress proclaimed Hawaii as a US territory.
- Hawaiian’s were never asked what they thought and were
never allowed to vote on the issue.

7. The Spanish-Cuban-American War
“A Splendid Little War”

8. McKinley’s Greatest Ambition
- President McKinley wanted to achieve supremacy in the world market and become an economic “SUPER POWER.”

9. In what time period did independence movements begin in Cuba?
Mid-1860s
- Cuban’s sought to win their independence from the Spanish, who controlled the country.

10. What event triggered U.S. involvement in the Spanish-Cuban conflict?

11. Why was the War in Cuba referred to as a “Splendid Little War?”
1) Small number of casualties
2) The war was short in duration
3) Big gains for U.S. interest

12. After Cuba (with US aid) kicked the Spanish out of power, Cuba fell under the watchful eye of which country?

13. What did the Platt Amendment do?
1) Cuba required to give land for U.S. bases
2) Devote National revenue to payback the United States
3) Sign no treaty that would be detrimental to U.S. interest
4) Acknowledge the right of the U.S. to intervene in Cuba at any point to protect U.S. interest.

14. What were the reasons some people were against the US building an empire?
1) The U.S. stood for the right of self-determination and the consent of the governed.
2) Opposed on the ground that “Dark-skinned” and ignorant people were unworthy of American Citizenship.