1. The Spanish American War and the Roosevelt Corollary
Station B:
The Spanish American War and the Roosevelt Corollary
Before the 1890s, for the most part, American expansionism was about expanding westward (remember manifest destiny?). Americans resisted expansion for two major reasons. One was that imperial rule seemed inconsistent with America's principles of independence and political freedom. The other was that the United States was uninterested in acquiring people with different cultures, languages, and religions.

2. The World’s Largest Toy Store
Uncle Sam = the U.S. selling “toys” (new products and technologies invented during the Second Industrial Revolution
By the mid-1890s, a shift had taken place in American attitudes toward expansion in hope of opening new markets (places to buy and sell products (mostly sell) to). Why now? Remember the Second Industrial Revolution (the gilded age!! Greg’s rap song!! Still for purchase on ITunes btw!) Well, the change in foreign policy was sparked partly by a European scramble for empire. Between 1870 and 1900, the European powers seized 10 million square miles of territory in Africa and Asia, a fifth of the world's land mass. About 150 million people were subjected to colonial rule. In the United States, a growing number of policy makers, bankers, manufacturers, and trade unions grew fearful that the country might be closed out in the struggle for global markets and raw materials (natural resources).
European leaders

3. What effect might the Monroe Doctrine have on the U.S. economy?
Hands Off!
MONROE DOCTRINE (1823)
Before the 1890s, the United States followed an isolationist foreign policy position. The Monroe Doctrine (which you learned about in the last PowerPoint) had economic implications – to some extent, the doctrine limited America’s ability to expand trade. During the 1880s, American foreign policy makers began to display a new assertiveness or desire to move toward a more global presence and, in time, a world power.
* Notice the word “effect” starts with an e. When using the word as a noun (like special effects – use an e, when using the word as a verb (life the weather affected her mood – use an a.)

4. How did the U.S. become a world power?
The Story begins with Cuba’s struggle for independence:
Late 1800s - Cuba - fighting for its independence from Spain
Reports circulated of widespread suffering caused by the Spanish policy of rounding up Cuban civilians and moving them into detention camps
An explosion, probably accidental, destroyed the American battleship Maine in Havana Harbor, with the loss of nearly 270 lives.
You may remember from the last Power Point that, by the end of the 1800s, Spain had lost all of its New World colonies except Cuba and Puerto Rico. The debate over America's global role intensified when Cubans began to fight for their independence from Spain in Americans were sympathetic to Cuba's struggle for independence, but were divided about how to help.

5. This is an example of yellow journalism (term for exaggerated or sensationalized news – similar to today’s tabloids about celebrities)
On February 15, a great explosion sank the Maine and killed 270 men. With cries of “Remember the Maine,” Americans demanded revenge. War fever (the desire to go to war) swept through the United States.

6. It’s AMERICAN
FOREIGN POLICY TIME!!!

7. Spanish-American War
After Spain rejected an American demand for a cease-fire (an agreement to stop fighting for a period of time) on the island and eventual Cuban independence, President McKinley in April asked Congress for a declaration of war.

8. Time to take a look at an excerpt from President McKinley address to Congress !
Perform a close-reading (i.e. annotate purposefully) of the excerpt from President McKinley’s address to Congress in April of 1898 to help you complete your chart.

9. With the help of the U.S. – Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico and other territories previously held by Spain
won their independence.
Or did they?

10. With the backing of the yellow press, the war quickly escalated from a crusade to aid the suffering Cubans to an imperial venture that ended with the United States in possession of a small overseas empire. By the end of the Spanish-American War, in addition to acquiring the future states of Alaska and Hawaii, the United States gained control over the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Guam and numerous Pacific islands. The U.S. also forced Cuba to add the Platt Amendment to the new Cuban constitution – which authorized the U.S. to intervene militarily whenever it saw fit.

11. “America has a duty to uplift and civilize the Filipino people and to train them for self-government”
- William McKinley, U.S. President
As this quote from then President McKinley indicates, during the late 19th century, the idea that the United States had a special mission to uplift "backward" people around the world also commanded growing support (think Rudyard Kipling’s White Man’s Burden).

12. This time we mean business!
To further protect America’s interest in the Caribbean, Theodore Roosevelt (President of the U.S. after McKinley who btw was assassinated) issued the Roosevelt Corollary.
took the Monroe Doctrine on step further – U.S. will exercise military force in Latin American countries to keep European countries out.
Monroe was a wimp.
This time we mean business!

13. Building the Panama Canal
And, America's 1898 war with Spain made a canal seem essential. During the Spanish American War, the only way for U.S. battleships to sail from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean was to make an 8,000 mile journey around Cape Horn at the tip of South America. Built at a cost of $387 million over a period of 10 years, the Panama Canal was a declaration of America's coming of age in the world.