1. US Imperialism

4. When and why did American imperialism increase?
Toward the end of the nineteenth century

5. Reason #1: Industrial growth
Enormous industrial growth after the Civil War
Industries need:
New sources of raw materials
New markets for finished products
US exports had increased dramatically
1870: $393 million
1890: $858 million
1900: $1.4 billion

6. Reason #2: competition with European nations
Europeans had built empires in Asia and Africa
U.S. did not want to be left behind in the race for resources

7. Reason #3: Turner Thesis
Frederick Jackson Turner ( )
American historian who proposed the Turner thesis in 1893
Stated that American Frontier was gone
America should look for new frontiers outside the U.S.
Laid intellectual groundwork for a new kind of U.S. foreign policy

8. Reason #4: Belief in cultural and religious superiority
Continuation of Manifest Destiny; God’s plan
Our country, by Josiah Strong proclaims that the Anglo-Saxon race should spread Christianity and government to others

9. “It seems to me that God, with infinite wisdom and skill, is training the Anglo-Saxon race for an hour sure to come in the world’s future…The unoccupied arable lands of the earth are limited, and will soon be taken… Then will the world enter upon a new stage of its history-the final competition of races, for which the Anglo-Saxon is schooled… Then this race of unequaled energy… will spread itself over the earth… and can anyone doubt that the result of this competition of races will be the ‘survival of the fittest’?” __Rev. Josiah Strong

10. Reason #5: Military Rationale
Alfred Thayer Mayer wrote The Influence of Seapower Upon History (1890)
He argues that all great powers have strong navies
The US must build a powerful global navy to compete
To do this, the US needed coaling stations around the world

11. US Builds a strong modern navy to expand its empire
In 1889, US was 12th in the world navies
By 1900, US was 3rd
Next the US turns its attention to replacing an
aging imperial power
Spain controlled Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and Philippines
US had a large interest in Cuban sugar