1. The Open Door Policy The U.S. & China Background
In the early 1800s,  the British treasury was being depleted due to its dependence upon imported tea from China. The Chinese still considered their nation to be the Middle Kingdom (ancient China believed they were the center of the Earth, or the Middle Kingdom) and therefore viewed the goods the Europeans brought to trade with as nearly worthless trinkets. To solve this trade imbalance Britain imported opium, processed from poppy plants grown in the Crown Colony of India, into China. Chinese officials attempted to ban the importation of the highly addictive opium, but ultimately failed. The British declared war on China in a series of conflicts called the Opium Wars. Superior British military technology allowed them to claim victory and subject the Chinese to a series of unequal treaties (treaty forced upon a country being dominated by another during Imperialism. These treaties often gave the imperialistic nation the ability to do whatever they needed to do in pursuit of profit.).
According to the 1842 Treaty of Nanjing, the Chinese were to:
1. Reimburse Britain for costs incurred fighting the Chinese
2. Open several ports to British trade
3. Provide Britain with complete control of Hong Kong
4. Grant extraterritoriality to British citizens living in China
Eventually several European nations followed suit, forcing China to sign a series of unequal treaties. Extraterritoriality guaranteed that European citizens in China were only subject to the laws of their own nation and could only be tried by their own courts. Eventually western nations weary of governing foreign lands, established spheres of influence within China which guaranteed specific trading privileges to each nation within its respective sphere.
The U.S. & China

2. In this cartoon, each Western (European) power is identified by an animal: the Russians as the bear, the British as the lion, the French as the rooster, the Germans as the eagle, the Austrians as the two-headed eagle, and, of course, China as the dragon.
How do the animals look? Powerful? Weak? Scary? What makes you say that?
How does the cartoonist feel about the colonization of China?

4. Who is the figure standing at the door and what does he represent?
What does the door itself represent?
What appears to be coming out of the door? Why?
What is the cartoonists message?

5. Hay’s First Open Door Note (1899)
…assurances were given to the U.S. ambassador by the Imperial German minister …that the rights and privileges insured by treaties with China to citizens of the U.S. would not suffer or be in any[way] impaired within the area over which Germany had thus obtained control.
More recently…the British Government recognized by a formal agreement with Germany the exclusive right of the [Britain] to enjoy in [its] "sphere of influence" certain privileges…
… it is possible that serious conflicts of interest may at any time arise not only between [European] subjects within said area, but that the interests of our citizens may also be jeopardized thereby. 
Paraphrase: I.
II.
III.

6. First Open Door Note (cont.)
Earnestly desirous to remove any cause of irritation and to insure at the same time to the commerce of all nations in China… the Government of the United States would be pleased to…[receive] formal assurances, and …cooperation in securing like assurances from other interested powers, that each, within its respective sphere of whatever influence—
Will in no way interfere with any treaty port or any vested interest within any so-called "sphere of interest" or leased territory it may have in China.
the Chinese treaty tariff of the time being shall apply to all merchandise landed or shipped to all such ports within said "sphere of interest" , no matter to what nationality it may belong
It will levy no higher harbor dues on vessels of another nationality frequenting any port in such "sphere" than shall be levied on vessels of its own nationality
Paraphrase:
IV. 1. 2. 3.

7. Describe what is happening in this cartoon.
How does the cartoonist view the Open Door Policy?