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American Imperialism. American Activism Abroad. Frederick Jackson Turner: The Significance of the Frontier in American History, 1893. America’s unique development rooted in the frontier past Vast expanse of “free” land Reaching Pacific meant looking overseas for “frontier”
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American Imperialism American Activism Abroad
Frederick Jackson Turner: The Significance of the Frontier in American History, 1893 • America’s unique development rooted in the frontier past • Vast expanse of “free” land • Reaching Pacific meant looking overseas for “frontier” • Attacked immigration from S. & E. Europe
Alfred Thayer Mahan: The Influence of Seapower upon History • Seapower essential to national greatness • Britain a prime example • McKinley & Roosevelt • Expand overseas – bases for navy – protect Commerce
Acquisition of Hawaii • Hawaiian League – 400 members, mostly American businessmen • Bayonet Constitution 1886 – curtailed monarch’s power • 1893 Bloodless coup – Queen steps down (American Troops) • 1898 U.S. annexed Sanford Dole Queen Lili’uokalani
American self image Jose Marti
The Splendid Little War: 1898 • Spanish-American Cuban War over in 4 months • Yellow journalism – “You furnish the pictures, I’ll furnish the war.” Hearst U.S.S. Maine Rough Riders
Philippines • The United States, by title of purchase in the 1898 Treaty of Paris, bought the Philippines from Spain, for US$20,000,000. • It also bought itself a war, in the name of Benevolent Assimilation. • The war lasted three years, and cost the Americans 10,000 casualties and US $600 million. Some 16,000 soldiers were killed in battle. About 200,000 Filipino civilians succumbed to pestilence, disease, and crossfire during the war.
Benevolent Assimilation: William McKinley • substituting the mild sway of justice and right for arbitrary rule. In the fulfillment of this high mission, supporting the temperate administration of affairs for the greatest good of the governed, there must be sedulously maintained the strong arm of authority, to repress disturbance and to overcome all obstacles to the bestowal of the blessings of good and stable government upon the people of the Philippine Islands under the free flag of the United States.
Anti-expansionists in our midst • Andrew Carnegie • Samuel Gompers • Jane Addams • Mugwumps • William Jennings Bryan • Mark Twain • George Hoar
Open Door – Asia: 400,000,000 potential consumers in China alone
John Hay & the Open Door Policy 1899 • All nations to be allowed access to Chinese market • All nations were to have equal trading rights • Europeans had already carved up China
Roosevelt & Panamanian business interests conspire Colombians bribed to lay down weapons 1903 Panamanian revolt U.S. cruiser right off shore Hay-Buneau-Varilla treaty 10 million to Panamanians – 10 mile swath renewable 99 year lease French precede Americans – lose money & lives Americans acquire rights for 40 million Start negotiating with Colombia Offered 10 mil. Cash and ¼ million annually Colombia wanted more Acquiring the rights
Building the Canal • 1906-1909 preliminary construction, surveys, disease control (1/3 of the French force died of Yellow Fever)
Building the Canal Thousands of West Indian Laborers T.R. visits the Canal Zone
U.S. Intervention in Latin America Green = protectorate Blue = occupation