SSUSH14 a-c

1. SSUSH14 a-c • a. Explain the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and anti-Asian immigration sentiment on the west coast. • b. Describe the Spanish-American War, the war in the Philippines, and the debate over American expansionism. • c. Explain U.S. involvement in Latin America, as reflected by the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine and the creation of the Panama Canal.

2. Asian Immigrants of the Late 1880s • Chinese immigrants were coming to the US due to poverty, famine, and unemployment. • The Chinese immigrants often took lower paying jobs, which caused employers to lower wages for everyone, infuriating the natural born citizens. • This dislike for immigrants is known as nativism and was focused on Asian, Jewish, and eastern European immigrants.

3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWIAv7yTqLE Chinese Exclusion Act • In 1882 Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act in response to Anti-Asian sentiment. • Barred Chinese immigration for 10 years • Prevented Chinese immigrants already in the US from becoming citizens • This came with much protest from the Chinese immigrants because there was not act banning Irish, Italian or German immigrants • The Chinese Exclusion Act was renewed in 1892, and then made permanent in 1902, and was not repealed until 1943. • Japanese immigrants also faced some of this Anti-Asian sentiment, but the US government worked with the Japanese government to limit the number of Japanese trying to get into the US.

4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU5l4yQCpMM Spanish-American War • Cuba was a colony of Spain 1898 and many Cubans wanted independence. • The US tried to help negotiated peace between the Spanish and the Cuban rebels. The rebels did not want to concede to the terms that the Spanish were requiring. • The USS Maine arrived in Havana harbor to save any Americans that were in Cuba at the time.

5. Spanish-American War • The USS Maine exploded in February, and no one for sure knows why, but many Americans blamed it on the Spanish. • Americans had been rallying for the US to go to war against Spain since the explosion, and finally on April 11, 1898 President McKinley asked Congress for permission to go to war. • April 19th Congress declared that Cuba was an independent nation, demanded that Spain withdraw from Cuba, and authorized the president to use armed force if necessary. • On April 24th Spain declared war on the US.

6. Debate over American Expansionism • Some Americans felt that annexing (incorporating a territory within the domain of a country) the Philippines would be a wise decision economically because it would provide a good market for American goods, as well as militarily because it would provide the US with a naval base in the Pacific. • Others opposed saying that the benefits outweigh the costs. For instance, cheap Filipino labor would lower American wages.

7. War in the Philippines • America began fighting the Spanish-American War in the waters around the Philippines because it would prevent the Spanish, who owned the Philippines, from attacking the US from the west. • In the process, the US took over the Philippines doing the same thing to the Filipino people that the Spanish did to the Cubans, including putting the people in reconcentration camps where many died due to starvation and disease.

8. War in the Philippines • The Filipino people wanted independence and were willing to fight for it. In March 1901, American troops captured Emilio Aguinaldo, the Filipino military leader. In April, Aguinaldo called for his forces to surrender. By summer 1902 the war was officially over. • Even though the Philippines were technically a US colony they were eventually allowed to govern themselves, including electing their own congress. In 1946, the US granted independence to the Philippines.

9. Roosevelt Corollary • The Monroe Doctrine of 1823 declared that the American continents were “henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers”. • The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine was that the US could intervene in Latin American countries that were in economic crisis or political instability. • The first place that the US intervened was in the Dominican Republic who had fallen behind in payments to European nations. http://www.schooltube.com/video/24cd8a3e0309cdd18cec/The-Roosevelt-Corollary

10. Panama Canal • Panama was part of Colombia. • The French began building a canal through Panama 1881, but since went bankrupt and were looking to sell. • The US wanted to buy the rights and offered the Colombian government $10 million and $250,000 yearly rent. The Colombian government refused.

11. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-hfGUpbqxE Panama Canal • The Panamanians, fearing the major loss of income, and knowing that the US would then turn to Nicaragua to build began to fight for independence with the help of the French. • The US recognized Panama as its own country soon after and signed a contract with Panama to build the canal. • The canal shortened the trip from the Atlantic to Pacific Oceans from 14,000 miles to 6,000 miles. • This was the biggest engineering project of the era.

12. Closing • What were the terms of the Chinese Exclusion Act? • What were the reasons for US involvement in Cuba? • What was the Roosevelt Corollary an addition to? • What was the primary purpose in building the Panama canal for both Panama and the US?