American Imperialism & Expansionism 1890-1915

1. American Imperialism & Expansionism1890-1915

2. World Powers The most economically and militarily strong countries in the world 1

3. Expansionism A nation’s desire to expand beyond its borders and acquire more territory 2

4. Imperialism Stronger nations create empires by dominating nations that are economically, politically, culturally or militarily weaker. 3

5. Four Factors Fostering Imperialism Economic Nationalistic Military Humanitarian 4

6. Economic Factors • Industrialized nations needed new sources of natural resources, such as rubber and petroleum. • They also wanted new markets in which to sell their manufactured goods. 5

7. Nationalism • Devotion to one’s own nation. • A belief that one’s own people and culture is superior to others. • Causes nations to compete with others for new territory as a matter of pride and power. 6

8. Military Factors • European and American military technology was much more advanced than Asia and Africa. • We needed naval bases around the world for fuel and supplies. 7

9. Humanitarian Factors • Western doctors and missionaries believed they had a duty to bring medicine and Christianity to “heathen” Africans and Asians. 8

10. People Who Promoted Imperialism

11. Rudyard Kipling British author of the poem, “The White Man’s Burden” 9

12. “The White Man’sBurden” • Belief in the racial superiority of Germanic and Anglo Saxon peoples. • The “white man” has the responsibility of improving the lives of less advanced cultures. 10

13. Excerpt from “The White Man’s Burden” Take up the White Man’s burden— Send forth the best ye breed— Go send your sons to exile To serve your captives' need To wait in heavy harness On fluttered folk and wild— Your new-caught, sullen peoples, Half devil and half child

14. Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan 11

15. Alfred T. Mahan • Navy Captain (eventually Admiral). • 1890 - Wrote The Influence of Sea Power Upon History. • Argued that the greatest nation was the one with strongest navy. • Pushed for expansion of the U.S. Navy and the need for new territories. 12 continued

16. Mahan’s book influenced Congress to appropriate money to build up the U.S. Navy 12

17. William McKinley • President from 1896 – 1901 • Supported the annexation of Hawaii. • Demanded that Spain grant Cuba independence. • Ordered the attack of the Spanish fleet in the Philippines. 13

18. Henry Cabot Lodge • Powerful U.S. Senator from Massachusetts. • Major supporter of imperialism. 14

19. William Randolph Hearst 15

20. William Randolph Hearst • Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. • Newspaper publisher. • Changed American journalism by reporting sensational stories (crimes, murders, scandals, etc.) 15

21. The Spanish-American War1898 A “splendid little war” fought between Spain and America for territorial control in the Caribbean and Pacific. 16

22. Cuban Rebellion 1895 • Small island 90 miles from Florida – colony of Spain. • Cubans rebelled against Spain. • General Valeriano Weyler and 150,000 troops were sent to stop revolt. • Weyler forced 100’s of thousands of Cubans into “re-concentration” camps. • Over 200,000 died of disease and starvation. 16

23. Cuba – 90 Miles from Florida Keys

24. Havana, Cuba Florida Keys

25. The “Butcher Weyler”

26. “Reconcentration” Victims in Cuba

27. Caption: The duty of the hour . . . To save her not only from Spain but from a worse fate.

28. The de Lôme Letter, Feb. 1898 • Written by the Spanish ambassador, de Lôme • De Lôme insulted President McKinley • Intercepted by Cuban rebels • Published by W. R. Hearst • Intensified anti-Spanish feelings in U.S. 17

29. Dupuy de Lôme Spanish Ambassador to Washington

30. The Ambassador had said that McKinley was . . . “weak and a bidder for the admiration of the crowd, besides being a would-be politician who tries to leave a door open behind himself while keeping on good terms with the jingoes of his party”

31. Jingoism An intense burst of national pride and the desire for an aggressive expansionist foreign policy in the 1890’s. 18

32. U.S.S. Maine • U.S. battleship • Jan. 1898 - President McKinley sends it to Havana, the capital of Cuba, to protect American citizens and property during rioting. • Mysteriously explodes on Feb. 15. • 260 American sailors killed. 19

33. U.S.S. Maine

34. Painting of the Sinking of the U.S.S Maine

35. The U.S.S. Maine Sinks

36. The U.S.S. Maine Sinks

37. Fire Crew and Coal Passers on the U.S.S. Maine, 1896

38. Funeral for the Victims of the Maine

39. U.S.S. Maine Mast Monument at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia

40. U.S.S. Maine Mast Monument, surrounded by graves of the dead

41. Graves of Unknown Sailors Who Died on the U.S.S. Maine

42. McKinley’s War Message • March 1898 – McKinley sends Spain a list of 4 demands (including Cuban independence). • Spain refuses to grant Cubans freedom. • April 11 – McKinley asks Congress to declare war against Spain. • Americans demand war – • “Remember the Maine!” • “To hell with Spain!” 20

43. Teddy Roosevelt as Assistant Secretary of the Navy

44. Battle of Manila Bay • In February, 1898 TR, Asst. Sec. of the Navy, had ordered the navy to attack Manila Bay if war were declared. • May 1, 1898 • Admiral Dewey launches a surprise attack on Spanish ships anchored in Manila Bay. • Destroys Spain’s entire Pacific fleet. • Battle takes 7 hours. • Philippines were a prime location for a naval base and for trading with Asia. 21

45. The Philippines

46. Dewey’s Route to the Philippines

47. Dewey’s Route to Manila

48. Admiral Dewey’s Ship, The Olympia

49. Manila Bay, The Philippines

50. Admiral George Dewey, Liberator of the Philippines