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Reasons for the Growth of American Imperialism
- By the 1880s, many American leaders had become convinced that the United States should join the imperialist powers of Europe and establish colonies overseas.
- Reasons: Three Factors fueled the new American
Imperialists:
~ desire for military strength
~ thirst for new markets
~ belief in cultural superiority
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U.S and Britain agree to share the right of a canal.
As early as 1850, the United States and Britain had agreed to share the rights to such a canal. -
U.S. wants to buy Cuba
- In 1854, diplomats recommended President Franklin Pierce that the United States buy Cuba from Spain
- The Spanish responded by saying "they would rather see Cuba sunk in the ocean".
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The United States buys Alaska
- In 1867, Seward arranged for the U.S. to buy Alaska from the Russians for $7.2 million.
- People thought it was silly to buy what they called "Seward's Icebox" or " Seward's folly".
- The U.S. had acquired a land rich in timber, minerals, and oil.
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Period: to
Cubans rebel against Spain
Cubans rebelled against Spain between 1868 and 1878,
American sympathies went out to the Cuban people. -
The U.S agrees to import Hawaiian Sugar duty-free
-In 1875, the U.S agreed to import Hawaiian Sugar duty-free
- Over the next 15 years, Hawaiian sugar production
increased nine times. -
The emancipation of Cuba’s slaves
- The Cuban revolt against Spain was not successful, but in 1886 the Cuban people did force Spain to abolish slavery.
- After the emancipation of Cuba’s slaves, American capitalists began investing millions of dollars in large sugar cane plantations on the island.
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U.S. Pressures Hawaii to build on Pearl Harbor
In 1887, they pressured Hawaii to allow the United States to build a naval base at Pearl Harbor -
King Kalakaua amended Hawaii’s constitution
- Hawaii’s King Kalakaua had been strong-armed by white business leaders.
- They forced him to amend Hawaii’s constitution limiting voting rights to only wealthy landowners.
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Call for the annexation of Hawaii
- the McKinley Tariff of 1890 provoked a crisis by eliminating the duty-free status of Hawaiian sugar.
- Hawaiian sugar growers faced competition in the American market.
- American planters in Hawaii called for the United States to annex the islands so they wouldn’t have to pay the duty.
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King Kalakaua Dies, Queen Liliuokalani comes to power
- King Kalakaua died in 1891, and his sister Queen Liliuokalani came to power.
- She proposed removing the property-owning qualifications for voting
- John L. Stevens, organized a revolution. With the help of marines, they overthrew the queen and set up a government headed by Sanford B. Dole
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Cuba's second war for independence
- José Martí, a Cuban poet and journalist in exile in New York launched a revolution in 1895.
- Martí organized Cuban resistance against Spain, using an active guerrilla campaign deliberately
- They destroyed property, especially American-owned sugar mills and plantations.
- Martí counted on provoking U.S. intervention to help the rebels achieve a free Cuba.
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Spain responds to the Cuban Revolt
- In 1896, Spain responded to the Cuban revolt by sending General Valeriano Weyler to Cuba to restore order.
- Weyler tried to crush the rebellion by putting the rebels into concentration camps.
- about 300,000 Cubans filled the camps, and thousands died from hunger and disease.
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Weyler's Actions fueled Newspapers
- Weyler’s actions fueled a war over newspaper circulation that had developed between the American newspaper tycoons William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer.
- They printed exaggerated accounts of Welyler's brutality, this deepened American Sympathy for the rebels
- Know has Yellow Journalism
- Fanned War fever- Americans wanted the U.S. to help Cuba
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William McKinley succeeded Cleveland as president
- In 1897, William McKinley, who favored annexation, succeeded Cleveland as president.
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President William McKinley tries to avoid War with Spain
- demands for American intervention in Cuba were on the rise, preferring to avoid war with Spain, McKinley tried diplomatic means to resolve the crisis.
- It seemed to work; Spain recalled General Weyler, modified the policy regarding concentration camps, and offered Cuba limited self-government.
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The New York Journal published the de Lôme letter
- In February 1898, the New York Journal published a private letter written by Enrique Dupuy de Lôme, the Spanish minister to the United States.
- The de Lôme letter criticized President McKinley, calling him “weak” and “a bidder for the admiration of the crowd.”
- The Spanish government apologized, and the minister resigned. -Americans were angry over the insult to their president
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President McKinley sent the U.S.S. Maine to Cuba
Early in1898, President McKinley had ordered the U.S.S. Maine to Cuba to bring home American citizens in danger from the fighting and to protect American property. -
The U.S.S. Maine blows up
-On February 15, 1898, the ship blew up in the harbor of
Havana.
-More than 260 men were killed -
Newspapers blame Spain for the explosion
-American newspapers claimed the Spanish had blown up
the ship.
-Hearst’s paper offered a reward of $50,000 for the capture
of the Spaniards who supposedly had committed the
outrage. -
McKinley wants to use force against Spain
On April 11, McKinley asked Congress for the authority to use force against Spain. -
U.S. declares war on Spain
On April 20 the United States declared war on Spain -
Battle at Manila
- On April 30, the American fleet in the Pacific steamed to the Philippines. -The next morning, Commodore George Dewey gave the command to open fire on the Spanish fleet at Manila, the Philippine capital. -Within hours, Dewey’s men had destroyed every Spanish ship there. Dewey’s victory allowed U.S. troops to land in the Philippines.
- Dewey had the support of the Filipinos who wanted freedom from Spain
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American forces land in Cuba
American forces landed in Cuba in June 1898 and began to converge on the port city of Santiago
- The army of 17,000 included four African-American regiments of the regular army and the Rough Riders under the command of Leonard Wood and Theodore Roosevelt. -
The most famous land battle in Cuba takes place
The most famous land battle in Cuba took place near Santiago on July 1
- The first part of the battle, on nearby Kettle Hill, featured a dramatic uphill charge by the Rough Riders and two African-American regiments, the Ninth and Tenth Cavalries.
- Their victory cleared
the way for an infantry attack on the strategically important San Juan Hill.
- Roosevelt is declared the hero of San Juan Hill -
U.S sealed up Spanish Fleet in Santiago de Cuba
Admiral William T. Sampson effectively sealed up the Spanish fleet in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba. -
The Spanish try to escape American Blockade
the Spanish fleet tried to escape the American blockade of the harbor at Santiago.
- The naval battle that followed, along the Cuban coast, ended in the destruction of the Spanish fleet. -
American troops invade Puerto Rico
American troops invaded Puerto Rico on July 25. -
The U.S signed an armistice with Spain
The United States and Spain signed an armistice on August 12, ending what Secretary of State John Hay called “a splendid little war.”
-The actual fighting in the war lasted only 15 weeks. -
Congress proclaimed Hawaii an American territory
On August 12, 1898, Congress proclaimed Hawaii an American territory. -
Spanish surrenders in Manila
In August, Spanish troops in Manila surrendered to the United States. -
The U.S and Spain meet in Paris to agree on a treaty
On December 10, 1898, the United States and Spain met in
Paris to agree on a treaty
- Spain freed Cuba and turned over the islands of Guam in the Pacific and Puerto Rico in the West Indies to the United
States.
-Spain also sold the Philippines to the United States for $20 million. -
The Open Door Notes
The United States began to fear that China would be carved into colonies and American traders would be shut out. To protect American interests, U.S. Secretary of State John Hay issued, in 1899, a series of policy statements called the Open Door notes.
- The notes were letters addressed to the leaders of
imperialist nations proposing that the nations share their
trading rights with the United States
-This meant that no single nation would have a monopoly on trade with any part of China. -
Phillippine American War
In February 1899, the Filipinos, led by Aguinaldo, rose in revolt to fight for freedom.
-Aguinaldo turned to guerrilla tactics and the United
States forced Filipinos to live in designated zones,
where poor sanitation, starvation, and disease killed
thousands.
- some African-American soldiers deserted to the Filipino side and developed friendships with the Filipinos.
- It took the Americans nearly three years to put down the rebellion.
-The war claimed 4,000 American lives and cost $400 million -
Treaty Of Paris is approved by Senate
On February 6, 1899, the Senate approved the Treaty of Paris.
- The United States now had an empire that included
Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. -
Congress passed the Foraker Act in Puerto Rico
During the Spanish- American war Puerto Rico was being controlled by the military until Congress decided to pass the Foraker Act in 1900. It ended military rule and set up a civil government.
- The act gave the president of the United States the power
to appoint Puerto Rico’s governor and members of the
upper house of its legislature.
-Puerto Ricans could elect only the members of the
legislature’s lower house -
Cuban government wrote a constitution for Cuba
In 1900 the newly formed Cuban government wrote a
constitution for an independent Cuba.
-The constitution, however, did not specify the relationship
between Cuba and the United States. -
The Boxer Rebellion in China
Some Chinese formed secret societies pledged to rid the country of “foreign devils.” The most famous of these secret groups were the Boxers, so named by Westerners because members practiced martial arts. In August 1900, troops from Britain, France, Germany, and Japan joined about 2,500 American soldiers and marched on the Chinese capital.
- Within two months, the international forces put down the
Boxer Rebellion -
The Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution didn't apply in acquired territories
In 1901, in the Insular Cases, the U.S. Supreme Court
ruled that the Constitution did not automatically apply to
people in acquired territories. -
Platt Amendment for Cuba
In 1901, the United States insisted that Cuba add to its constitution several provisions, known as the Platt Amendment
- Cuba could not make treaties that might limit its
independence or permit a foreign power to control any part
of its territory
- the United States reserved the right to intervene in Cuba
- Cuba was not to go into debt that its government could not
repay
- the United States could buy or lease land on the island for
naval stations and refueling stations -
Hay Pauncefote Treaty
In the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty of 1901 Britain gave the United States exclusive rights to build and control a canal through Central America. -
Cuba accepts the Platt Amendment
In 1903, the Platt Amendment became part of a treaty between the two nations, and it remained in effect for 31 years.
-Cuba became a U.S. protectorate -
The U.S has to get permission from Columbia
In 1903, the president and Congress decided to use
the Panama route and agreed to buy the French company’s route for $40 million.
- the United States had to get permission from Colombia, which then ruled Panama. -
Panama declared its independence
On November 3, 1903, nearly a dozen U.S. warships were present as Panama declared its independence. -
The U.S. signed a treaty with Panama
The United States signed a treaty in which the United States agreed to pay Panama $10 million plus an annual rent of $250,000 for an area of land across Panama, called the
Canal Zone. -
U.S sets up government in the Philippines
The United States set up a government similar to the one it had established for Puerto Rico.
-The U.S. president would appoint a governor, who would
then appoint the upper house of the legislature.
- Filipinos would elect the lower house. -
Roosevelt creating peace between Russian and Japan
In 1904, Russia and Japan, were both imperialist powers, and they were competing for control of Korea. Japanese officials approached President Roosevelt in secret and asked him to mediate peace negotiations. -
Work for the Panama Canal starts
Work began in 1904 with the clearing of brush and draining of swamps. -
Russian and Japanese delegates convened in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
In 1905, Russian and Japanese delegates convened in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
- Roosevelt persuaded Japan to accept half the island and
forgo the cash payment.
-In exchange, Russia agreed to let Japan take over Russian
interests in Manchuria and Korea. -
Roosevelt wins the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize.
The successful efforts in negotiating the Treaty of Portsmouth won Roosevelt the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize. -
The Mexican revolution
In 1911, Mexican peasants and workers led by Francisco Madero overthrew Díaz.
-Díaz had long encouraged foreign investments in his country. As a result, foreigners, mostly Americans owned a large share of Mexican oil wells, mines, railroads, and ranches
-Madero proved unable to satisfy the conflicting demands of landowners, peasants, factory workers, and the urban middle class.
-Wilson refused to recognize the government that Huerta formed. He called it “a government of butchers.” -
U.S payment to Panama starts
The payments were to begin in 1913. -
The construction of the Panama Canal
By 1913, the height of the construction, more than 43,400 workers were employed.
- Some had come from Italy and Spain; three-quarters were blacks from the British West Indies.
-More than 5,600 workers on the canal died from accidents or disease.
-The total cost to the United States was about $380 million. -
Wilson Intervenes in Mexico
in April 1914, when one of Huerta’s officers arrested a small group of American sailors in Tampico, on Mexico’s eastern shore. The Mexicans quickly released them and apologized, but Wilson used the incident as an excuse to intervene in Mexico and ordered U.S. Marines to occupy Veracruz, an important Mexican port.
-Eighteen Americans and at least 200 Mexicans died during the invasion. -
the canal opened for business
On August 15, 1914, the canal opened for business, and more than 1,000 merchant ships passed through during its first year.
-U.S.-Latin American relations, however, had been damaged by American support of the rebellion in Panama. -
Chasing Villa
In June 1916, U.S. troops clashed with Carranza’s army, resulting in deaths on both sides. Carranza demanded the withdrawal of U.S. troops, but Wilson refused.
- both sides backed down. The United States, facing war in Europe, needed peace on its southern border -
Puerto Rico is given the right of U.S citizenship
in 1917 Congress extended the right of U.S. citizenship to Puerto Rico and gave them the right to elect both houses of the legislature. -
Wilson ordered Pershing to return home.
In February 1917, Wilson ordered Pershing to return home. Later that year, Mexico adopted a constitution that gave the government control of the nation’s oil and mineral
resources and placed strict regulations on foreign investors. -
The Philippines becomes independent
The Philippines became an independent republic on July 4, 1946. -
Alaska Becomes A State
- In 1959, Alaska becomes a state
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Hawaii becomes the 50th state
In 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States.
