Chapter 22 Creating an Empire 1865–1917

1. Chapter 22 Creating an Empire 1865–1917

2. MAP 22–1 United States Expansion in the Pacific, 1867–1899 Pursuing visions of a commercial empire in the Pacific, the United States steadily expanded its territorial possessions as well as its influence there in the late nineteenth century.

3. MAP 22–2 The Spanish-American War The United States gained quick victories in both theaters of the Spanish-American War. Its naval power proved decisive, with Commodore Dewey destroying one enemy fleet in the Philippines, and a second U.S. naval force cutting off the Spanish in Cuba.

4. MAP 22–3 The United States in the Caribbean For strategic and economic reasons, the United States repeatedly intervened in the Caribbean in the first three decades of the twentieth century. Such interventions protected the U.S. claim to dominance but often provoked great hostility among Latin Americans.

5. A jubilant Uncle Sam celebrates victory in the Spanish-American War and anticipates the building of an American empire.

6. Emily Hartwell, an American missionary, and her Chinese converts (“Bible Women”) in the Foochow Mission in 1902. American missionaries wanted to spread the Gospel abroad but inevitably spread American influence as well. Hartwell used the ethnocentric and militant rhetoric of the imperialism of righteousness in appealing to Americans for money and prayers for her “picket duty on the very outskirts of the army of the Lord.”

7. As other imperial powers look on, the United States abandons its traditional principles to rush headlong into world affairs. Uncle Sam would not always find it a smooth ride.

8. Troopers of the 10th Cavalry. Black soldiers composed nearly a fourth of the American army in Cuba during the Spanish-American War.

9. Most Americans enthusiastically greeted the declaration of war against Spain. Rallies and parades, such as this “Off to War Parade” in Denver, encouraged the war spirit.

10. Roosevelt’s well-advertised exploits in the Spanish-American War propelled his political career. After being elected governor of New York in 1898, he received the Republican nomination for vice president in 1900 and often seemed to overshadow President McKinley.

11. The Filipino-American War was documented extensively by photographers. “First position near Manila” shows soldiers of the 20th Kansas Infantry Regiment deployed early in what would become a lengthy and brutal war.

12. The United States usually preferred the “annexation of trade” to the annexation of territory. The Open Door policy promised to advance American commercial expansion, but Uncle Sam had to restrain other imperialists with colonial objectives.

13. Roosevelt’s aggressive foreign policy, including the acquisition of the Canal Zone and the Roosevelt Corollary in 1904, worried many Americans even more than his expansion of presidential authority in domestic policy. Here a partisan cartoon offers a choice between TR and the Democratic presidential candidate, Alton Parker, in 1904.

14. The Roosevelt Corollary proclaimed the intention of the United States to police Latin America. Enforcement came, as this cartoon shows, with Roosevelt and subsequent presidents sending the U.S. Navy to one Caribbean nation after another.

15. Key Questions: • Why did the United States become an imperial power in the 1890s? • What caused the Spanish-American war and what characterized the colonial empire the United States gained as a result? • What characterized U. S. involvement in Asia and the tensions with Japan that resulted? • What characterized U. S. predominance in the Caribbean and Latin America?

16. The Roots of Imperialism • Ideological arguments • Scholars, authors, religious leaders, and politicians supplied related arguments for American imperialism that combined social Darwinism, a belief in racial inequality and Anglo-Saxon superiority, evangelical Christianity, and Manifest Destiny. • Strategic concerns • Mahan stressed the importance of a strong navy. • Economic designs • Another rationale for expansion was to expand and protect America’s international trade. • The depression of the 1890s strengthened the foreign trade argument.

17. First Steps • Seward and Blaine • Secretaries of State William H. Seward and James G. Blaine paved the way for the larger U. S.presence in world affairs. • Seward purchased Alaska, approved the occupation of Midway Island, and pushed American trade on Japan. • Blaine helped establish the Pan-American Union. • Hawaii • He thought Hawaii was an indispensable part of the American system. • Treaties integrated the Hawaiian islands into the American economy • An 1893 attempt to take over Hawaii stimulated a debate that foreshadowed later arguments over imperialism. • Map: United States Expansion in the Pacific, p. 646

18. First Steps, cont’d. • Chile and Venezuela • Tense relations between the United States and Chile arose over the U. S. support of a failed revolution were heightened over an incident with drunken sailors. • In 1895, a boundary dispute between Great Britain and Venezuela led to intervention by President Grover Cleveland who wanted to challenge Britain for Latin American markets and expand the Monroe Doctrine. • Britain agreed to arbitration but U. S. assertion of hemispheric dominance angered Latin Americans.

19. The Spanish-American War • The Cuban revolution • Cubans rebelled against Spain several times in the 19th century. In 1895, Jose Marti began another revolt. • Motivated by a desire to protect American property and investments as well as Cuban rights,the Cleveland administration advised Spain to adopt reforms. • Sensationalist yellow press aroused American feelings against Spain. The continuing rebellion led to calls for American intervention. • Growing tensions • Relations between Spain and the United States deteriorated after the sinking of the Maine, leading to a declaration of war. • The Teller Amendment disclaimed any U. S. intention to annex Cuba.

20. The Spanish-American War, cont’d. • War and empire • The decisive battles of the Spanish-American War occurred in the Philippines when Admiral Dewey captured Manila Bay. Dewey’s victory led to the annexation of Hawaii. • Military victory in Cuba was swift with naval power again proving decisive. U. S. forces also seized Puerto Rico. • Spain signed an armistice on August 12, 1898. • Map: The Spanish-American War, p. 650

21. The Spanish-American War, cont’d. • The Treaty of Paris • The armistice required Spain to accept Cuban independence and to cede Puerto Rico and Guam to the United States. • The Treaty of Paris ceded the Philippines to the United States sparking a strong, bitter debate over imperialism. The Anti-Imperialist League was formed to fight the treaty that was ratified by the Senate.

22. Imperial Ambitions: The United States and East Asia, 1899–1917 • The Filipino-American War • Filipino nationalists were fighting Spain for independence before U. S. intervention. Rebel leader Emilio Aguinaldo welcomed Dewey’s victory and issued a declaration of independence, proclaiming the Philippine Republic. • The Filipinos felt betrayed by the Treaty of Paris and American ownership. • A long, brutal war erupted between the United States and the Filipinos in which an estimated 200,000 Filipinos died. • Racism fueled American brutality that was reported in the press, reviving the Anti-Imperialist League.

23. Imperial Ambitions, cont’d. • China and the Open Door • By the mid-1890s, several European powers had carved out spheres of influence in China. • The American business community was alarmed by the European actions that would limit American opportunities in China. • In 1899, Secretary of State John Hay asked the imperial powers to maintain a commercial and financial Open Door for all nations. • In 1900, the Boxer Rebellion broke out and was put down by a multinational force, including American troops. • The Open Door became a doctrine of U. S. foreign policy and was used to dominate foreign markets.

24. Imperial Ambitions, cont’d. • Rivalry with Japan and Russia • At the beginning of the 20th century, Japan and Russia were more deeply involved in East Asia than the United States. • The Russo-Japanese War erupted in 1904 and Americans supported Japan. • Roosevelt negotiated the Treaty of Portsmouth to end the war and marked Japan’s emergence as a major power. • Tensions grew between Japan and the United States that ended with the Gentlemen’s Agreement but did not improve relations.

25. Imperial Power: The United States and Latin America, 1899–1917 • U.S Rule in Puerto Rico • American annexation of Puerto Rico had mixed results as transportation and sanitation were improved and public health and education were developed. But Puerto Ricans had their political freedoms curtailed. • In 1917, the United States granted citizenship and other rights to Puerto Ricans. • Cuba as a U. S. Protectorate • The Platt Amendment restricted Cuba’s autonomy, authorized American intervention to maintain order, and leased naval bases to the United States. • American business interests in Cuba increased fourfold. • Map: The United States in the Caribbean, p. 656

26. Imperial Power: The United States and Latin America, 1899–1917, cont’d. • The Panama Canal • The Spanish-American War intensified American interest in a canal through Central America. • Theodore Roosevelt helped coordinate a Panamanian revolt against Colombia. The new Panama government authorized creation of the American canal zone. • Construction of the Panama Canal began in 1904 and was completed in 1914.

27. Imperial Power: The United States and Latin America, 1899–1917, cont’d. • The Roosevelt Corollary • The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine attempted to justify U. S. intervention and authority in Latin America. • Latin America resented U. S. claims to unilateral authority. • Dollar Diplomacy • Under President Taft, government policy in Latin America focused on using private American interests to replace European interests, promote development and stability, and increase profits for American bankers. • Taft also used military force in Latin America to protect American property or promote American interests.

28. Imperial Power: The United States and Latin America, 1899–1917, cont’d. • Wilsonian interventions • Wilson repudiated the interventionist policies of the Republicans but became the most interventionist president in American history. • Seeking to expand U. S. dominance of the Caribbean to expand economic interests and possessing the racist attitude of Latin American inferiority, he intervened in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba. • Wilson also became embroiled in the Mexican Revolution, eventually ordering American troops into Mexico.

29. Conclusion • By Woodrow Wilson’s presidency, the United States had been expanding its involvement in world affairs for 50 years. • A mix of humanitarian impulses, racism, national security, and economic interest led the United States to create an overseas imperial empire of possessions and dominance.

30. WORLD WAR I, HOMEFRONT & PEACE • The War Begins in Europe • Early Fighting • U.S. position = neutrality • Home Front • End of War and Peace

31. I. War Begins in Europe • Background in Balkans • Austria-Hungary • Serbia • Everyone prepares for war they know is coming • Arms race • Secret treaties/alliances • War plans – Schlieffen Plan • Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand – June 28, 1914 • War Begins • The Sides • Central Powers = Gmy, A-H, Italy (changes), Ottoman Empire • Allies = Britain, France, Russia, Italy

32. II. Early Fighting • German plans in action until Battle of Marne in September 1914 • Settles into Trench Warfare • Naval blockades become important = submarines or U-boats

33. Somme 90 year anniversary Somme footage Verdun documentary

34. III. US Position = Neutrality • Neutral shipping rights • Violations of neutral rights • Britain • Germany • Unrestricted Submarine Warfare 1914-1915 • Sinking of Lusitania (May 7, 1915) • February 1, 1917 return to USW • Zimmerman Telegram (Feb 24, 1917) • First Russian Revolution (March 1917) • America to war (April 6, 1917)

35. IV. Homefront • Overman Act (1917) • Food Admin. – H. Hoover • Railroad Admin. – W. McAdoo • War Industries Board – B. Baruch = priorities, conversion, conservation, price-fixing • Committee on Public Information – G. Creel • Limits on Civil Liberties • Espionage Act, 1917 • Sedition Act, 1918

36. V. End of War and Peace • End of War • Wilson’s Fourteen Points, Jan 1918 • 1918 Germans drive for victory in west • Armistice (Nov 11, 1918) • Peace Negotiations • Questions about Wilson’s involvement • Paris Peace Conference (Jan-May 1919) • Treaty of Versailles

37. V. End of War & Peace cont’d • Wilson brings treaty home • Disappointment • Presented to Senate who are divided • Pro treaty senators • Mild reservationists • Strong reservationists • Irreconcilables • Henry Cabot Lodge and Article X • Three votes on treaty – not approved • Who won the peace?