1. American Imperialism

2. The mid-1800s through the early 1900s was an “Age of Imperialism.”
Imperialism = a policy of extending a country's power and influence over a foreign nation through diplomacy or economic or military force

3. European nations had established colonies in Africa and Asia through the 1800s.

4. Imperialist nations looked for
economic benefits.
What did Europeans and Japan want?
Raw material from foreign countries
World Power
What caused U.S. imperialism?
sought new overseas markets for their manufactured and agricultural products. 4

5. Americans justified their actions by:
Imperialists justified their actions based on beliefs about their own racial, national, and cultural superiority.
Americans justified their actions by:
Claiming it was their “Manifest Destiny”
Social Darwinism: superior race compared to others
Nationalism: sharing the best society with the world
Religion: convert heathens to Christian faiths
“Safety Valve”: Opportunity for new exploration
The Influence of Sea Power on the World 5

6. Japan
1852: Commodore Matthew Perry sailed in to Tokyo harbor and demanded that Japan begin trading with the United States.

7. Alaska
In 1867, Secretary of State William Seward purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million.
Critics mocked “Seward’s Icebox” and “Seward’s Folly” as a far off and useless frozen tundra.
But valuable resources, including timber, and oil, were found.
Alaska also doubled America’s territory.

8. Hawaii In 1898, Congress voted to annex Hawaii.
In the 1790s, Americans planters established sugar cane plantations in Hawaii.
In 1887, these planters gained control of the government from King Kalakaua.
In 1891 the king died and his sister became Queen Liliuokalani. She took back control.
In 1893, with the help of U.S. Marines, the Queen was dethroned.
An independent Republic was formed— governed by Americans.
In 1897, President McKinley backed annexation when he took office.
Hawaii
In 1898, Congress voted to annex Hawaii.

9. William McKinley ( )
Defeated William Jennings Bryan in 1896 election
Wealthy campaign

10. In 1897, Spain was in decline as an imperialist power.
Its remaining possessions included Puerto Rico and Cuba in the Caribbean Sea and the Philippine Islands in the Pacific.
Spanish flag

11. In 1895, Cuban patriot José Martí launched a war for independence from Spain.
Spanish General Valeriano Weyler was brutal in his attempts to stop Martí’s guerrilla attacks.
Tens of thousands of rural farmers died of disease and starvation in reconcentration camps.
The sympathetic Yellow Press published emotional headlines in the United States that exaggerated Spanish atrocities.
Students should now read and annotate the worksheet about the influence of the yellow press on creating the Spanish-American War. 11

12. Spanish rule in Cuba
Worksheet on interpreting this cartoon

13. Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World and William Randolph Hearst’s New York Journal inflamed American emotions.
Hearst published a letter stolen from the Spanish ambassador D’Lome that insulted President McKinley 13

14. As a warning to Spain, President McKinley sent the USS Maine to Havana to protect US interests.
On February 15, 1898, the Maine exploded, killing 266 Americans. 14

15. The Yellow Press demanded war. Headlines screamed, “Remember the Maine
A naval board of inquiry blamed a mine for the explosion, but people at the time blamed Spain.
In response, Spain agreed to American demands, including an end to the reconcentration camps.
Despite Spanish concessions, President McKinley sought permission to use force.

17. In response to the American actions, Spain declared war on the United States. The war began with U.S. victories in the Philippines.
Commodore George Dewey surprised and easily defeated a Spanish fleet at Manila Bay.
Rather than surrender to the Filipino independence fighters led by Emilio Aguinaldo, Spanish troops surrendered to U.S. forces. 17

18. U.S. troops easily defeated the Spanish in Cuba.
Guantánamo Bay was captured.
Theodore Roosevelt’s Rough Riders, and two regiments of African American soldiers, stormed San Juan Hill.
A Spanish fleet was destroyed at Santiago.
Spanish troops surrendered in Cuba and on the island of Puerto Rico.
U.S. troops easily defeated the Spanish in Cuba.

19. Outcome of the Spanish-American War
1. Spain sold the Philippines to the United States for $20 million.
2. Guam and Puerto Rico became American territories.
3. Under the Teller Amendment, Cuba could not be annexed by the United States, but it had to consult with the US.
In the Treaty of Paris, Spain agreed to the following. 19

20. This angered Filipino nationalists like Emilio Aguinaldo who had fought side by side with the Americans to oust Spain.
Aguinaldo used guerrilla warfare in an organized insurrection against the United States.
Following the Spanish-American War, the United States decided to retain possession of the Philippines.

21. One commander, General Jacob Smith, even told his men, “the more you kill and burn, the better you will please me.”
Brutality was defended in the American press with racist statements such as, “they must yield before the superior race.”
The United States reacted with brutality and racism. Villages were burned and suspected insurrectos were shot. 21

22. established a health care system
In 1901, the insurrection ended, and William Howard Taft was appointed governor of the Philippines.
established a health care system
staffed schools
built roads and bridges
extended limited self-rule
Taft censored the press and jailed dissidents, but he also 22

23. William McKinley (1897-1901) Assassinated Sept 6, 1901
Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York
Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist
Shot twice in the abdomen
Surgery, but gangrene developed
Died 8 days later

24. Foreign Policy A Man a Plan a Canal Panama Roosevelt:
“Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick”
Roosevelt Corollary
Great White Fleet
Panama Canal
A Man a Plan a Canal Panama

25. President Roosevelt won support from Congress to build the Great White Fleet, a force of sixteen new battleships. He then sent the fleet on a world cruise in 1907 to demonstrate the nation’s growing military power.

26. China
Boxer Rebellion: group of Chinese want to get rid of the western influence in China
Open Door Policy: U.S. doesn’t want to colonize but wants equal trade rights in China

27. Dollar Diplomacy Taft Administration (1909-1913)
U.S. should continue to dominate the Western Hemisphere
Cut military involvement
Increase economic involvement
U.S. business investments in foreign nations