Imperialism

• Venezuela's Chavez calls for anti-imperialist unity as he woos Caribbean

• For some countries, America's popular culture is resistible

• Cuba joins other Latin nations in shift toward open-source software

• Chinese pose huge threat

Define Imperialism

• Stronger nations attempt to expand and create empires by dominating weaker nations – economically, politically, culturally, militarily

PRO-IMPERIALISM

Why should the United States expand?

Economic Foreign Markets

– US heading towards a recession in mid-1890’s

– Increased sales of American products = New Profits for American businesses

– Asia, Europe, Central and South America are the main targets

Raw Materials

• Industry needs new sources (cheaper sources as well) of raw materials to continue running factories and making products – wood, coal, oil, etc.

Foreign Labor

• Business owners are looking for sources of cheap foreign labor to come to the US

• Business owners are looking to build factories in foreign countries where costs are lower, laws are more lenient, and workers are cheaper

World Competition and Domination

– Europe was still colonizing around the world and taking all of the lands available (France and Germany in Africa, “The sun never set on the English Empire”) - we needed to get our piece of the pie

– Which country was the strongest?

Military Power and National Security

Conquest = Greatness

• Every great civilization had established itself as a “world power” through conquest – Romans, Greeks, France, England, etc. Was it time for the US to establish itself as a world power?

Alfred Thayer Mahan and “The Influence of Sea Power Upon History”

• In order to protect overseas interests, business opportunities, allies, etc., the US needed a great navy that could speed around the world at a moments notice “The Great White Fleet” – US Congress builds a new navy

• In order to refuel ships as they criss-crossed the oceans, they needed safe harbors on islands in the oceans

Frederick Jackson Turner and “The Theory of the Frontier”

• The US had defined its national character through defeating the West, conquering the “great unknown”. Now that the West was won, the US had become fat and lazy. New frontiers would provide the US an opportunity to re-define its character and bring the North and South back together again as well.

Darwinism and Anti-Foreigner Sentiments

– Through natural selection, the strong dominate the weak to continue the species. It is the right and “destiny” of those in power to secure that power. Was the US the strong, or the weak?

– Too many immigrants in the US taking jobs away, filling up the cities, spreading crime, etc. Time to get back at some foreigners with a war.

Religion

– Missionary work – spreading the Christian faith

– Humanitarian work – bring law, medicine to those less fortunate

– The religious superiority of the Christian faith – a new Crusade?

The Monroe Doctrine (1823)

• Monroe proclaimed, "the American continents, by the free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintain, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers." The US accepted the responsibility of being the protector of independent Western nations and affirmed that it would steer clear of European affairs.

Imperialism Quiz

•Define Imperialism.

•Explain two Economic reasons to support expansion.

•Explain one Religious reason for expansion.

•Explain why Alfred Thayer Mahan supported expansion.

•Explain why Frederic Jackson Turner supported expansion.

•Provide one additional explanation of support for expansion.

CON-IMPERIALISM

Why shouldn’t the United States

expand?

“Liberty for All”

• The US had been founded on the principle of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all”. Imperialism would simply trample the rights of the people of those countries we set out to conquer.

“America First”

• There were plenty of problems in the US to take care of….rise of the cities, immigration, threat of recession, education, crime, etc. Take care of internal problems before addressing the rest of the world.

Too Much Military Power?

• Too large of an American army could be used to trample the rights of dissenters in the US – martial law for those exercising freedoms of speech, etc.?

Racial Overtones?

– It is racist for the US to conquer free nations of non-whites based on the Darwinist idea of natural selection by assuming that we are superior people.

– Conquering foreign nations would only bring more non-whites to the US, and racists in the US didn’t want them here.

Economic Issues

– The costs of a operating a large military, of occupying and running other countries, etc. were too great a burden for taxpayers.

– More foreign labor coming to the US would take jobs away for Americans, lower overall wages.

– Moving factories outside of the US would leave Americans without jobs as well.

•Events Leading to the Spanish-American War

•Areas that were at one time part of the Spanish Empire

The Cuban Rebellion• Cuba first rebelled unsuccessfully

in 1868. New rebellions against the Spanish government began in 1895 when the economy collapsed. Spain sent 15,000 troops and their navy to Cuba, along with their best and most brutal general, Valeriano Weyler.

• Weyler, instituted “reconcentration” camps for Cuban civilians, which were guarded camps for women, children, and the elderly. 200,000 died of disease and starvation.

Rebellion in the Philippines

• In 1898, the Filipinos rebelled against Spanish rule in the Pacific. A Spanish navy and troops were sent there as well. The US looked at both islands as an opportunity to fulfill imperialistic needs. But, how do we justify involvement?

Yellow Journalism

• Two rivaling newspapers in New York (The Journal, Hearst and The World, Pulitzer) were looking to increase circulation and used the rebellions to sell papers. Blood, guts, and the “David vs. Goliath” headlines sell.

Yellow Journalism

• Both papers sensationalized the headlines, and the paper with the wildest stories sold the most. “The Butcher” Wyler gave readers a bad-guy to root against. Spanish warships off the Florida coast……will they attack? Hearst’s illustrator, Remington, goes to Cuba to write stories.

Yellow Journalism

• Really bored, bring me home, he says. Hearst replies, "You furnish the pictures...I'll furnish the war!". Popular opinion in the US is to go to war to save the poor Cubans, and to protect the US. Growing pressure from the public to support Cuba……and even a potential war against Spain?

The “de Lome” Letter

• A letter from Spanish ambassador Dupuy de Lome in Washington, to Spain, was intercepted and published. It stated that

– "It shows once more that (President) McKinley is weak and catering to the rabble and, besides, a low politician ….”

The “de Lome” Letter

• New York Journal owner William Randolph Hearst published the letter on February 9, with the headline "The Worst Insult to the United States in Its History." Once Hearst published the letter, the news of the insults filled newspapers across the country, and the story became a true international scandal--the U.S. public was outraged.

The USS Maine

• McKinley sends the USS Maine to Havana Harbor to protect American business interests, and to get US citizens out of the country, and to observe.

The USS Maine

• At 9:40pm on February 15, 1898, the battleship U.S.S. Maine exploded in Havana Harbor, killing 268 men and shocking the American populace. Of the two-thirds of the crew who perished, only 200 bodies were recovered and 76 identified.

The USS Maine

• In the American press, headlines proclaimed "Spanish Treachery!" and "Destruction of the War Ship Maine Was the Work of an Enemy!" William Randolph Hearst and his New York Journal offered a $50,000 award for the "detection of the Perpetrator of the Maine Outrage." Many Americans assumed the Spanish were responsible for the Maine's destruction.

The USS Maine

• On March 28, 1898, the United States Naval Court of Inquiry found that the Maine was destroyed by a submerged mine. Although blame was never formally placed on the Spanish, implication was clear.

The Proctor Speech

• On March 17, 1898, Vermont Senator Redfield Proctor (1831-1908) delivered one of the most significant speeches of the Spanish-American War era. After an observation visit to Cuba, Senator Proctor returned to the United States and told Congress about Cuba's bleak situation:

The Proctor Speech

• "I went to Cuba with a strong conviction that the picture had been overdrawn. I could not believe that out of a population of one million six hundred thousand, two hundred thousand had died within these Spanish forts...My inquiries were entirely outside of sensational sources...What I saw I cannot tell so that others can see it. It must be seen with one's own eyes to be realized...To me the strongest appeal is not the barbarity practiced by Weyler, nor the loss of the Maine...but the spectacle of a million and a half people, the entire native population of Cuba, struggling for freedom and deliverance from the worst misgovernment of which I ever had knowledge..."

The Spanish-American War

“A Splendid Little War”

• April 11, McKinley asks for a declaration of war

• In April 1898, months of tension between the United States and Spain climaxed into war. After the destruction of the U.S.S. Maine and the Naval Court of Inquiry's implication of Spain, pro-war feeling in the United States reached new heights and by the Spring, the U.S. public got what it had demanded for months—war.

Cuba, the Teller Amendment, and the Platt Amendment

• As part of the declaration of war, the US promised not to annex Cuba.

• We would, however, run the government for three years to set up a democratic government, set up a Constitution, have Cuba agree not to enter into any foreign agreements, and eventually established two naval bases on the island (Guantanamo and Bahia), until 1934.

Major Conflicts of the Spanish-

American War

The US Navy in Action

•By the middle of April, the North Atlantic Squadron had fully blockaded Cuba.

The US Navy in Action

• In addition to Commodore Dewey's flagship U.S.S. Olympia, the Asiatic Squadron was composed of the Baltimore, Raleigh, and Boston. On April 25, 1898, the squadron left Hong Kong and sailed towards the Spanish fleet in Manila. Sailing as a single column into Manila Bay on May 1, Dewey's squadron easily defeated the Spanish and blockaded the bay.

The US Army in Action

• On June 22, 1898, the first U.S. troops landed on Cuban land. For months, U.S. troops had been stationed in Tampa, Florida. Tampa was chosen because of its close proximity to Cuba, its railroads, and its deep bay.

The Rough Riders and San Juan Hill and Kettle Hill (July 1, 1898)

• Rough Rider unit charges up the two hills strategically overlooking Santiago, a key military target in Cuba. The US wins.

• The US 10th Cavalry actually does most of the fighting, but because they are a negro unit, they received little to no recognition

The US Navy in Action

• Santiago Harbor, Cuba (July 3, 1898)

• The US navy destroys the Spanish Atlantic fleet in a few hours.

• Overall, approx. 400 battle casualties, and approx. 5,100 deaths from disease, etc.

Results of the Spanish-

American War

• Pro v. Con Imperialists continue to debate America’s new role as victors. Do we walk away after the war, do we acquire territories, do we take more?

The Treaty of Paris - Con(December, 1898)

• Senator Hoar and Senator Vest were outspoken opponents of the treaty. Senator Hoar maintained, "This Treaty will make us a vulgar, commonplace empire, controlling subject races and vassal states, in which one class must forever rule and other classes must forever obey."

The Treaty of Paris - Pro(December, 1898)

• Senator Knute Nelson exclaimed, "Providence has given the United States the duty of extending Christian civilization. We come as ministering angels, not despots." Henry Cabot Lodge declared that if the U.S. were to reject the treaty, "we are branded as a people incapable of taking rank as one of the greatest world powers!"

The Treaty of Paris (December, 1898)

• In the end, the Treaty of Paris was ratified by the Senate in a 57-27 vote. Under the terms of the treaty, the U.S. gained possession of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and for $20 million, the Philippines.

Cuba

• Due to the Teller Amendment, Cuba did not become property of the United States. Instead, it became a protectorate for a period of three years. The Platt Amendment, however, did add a permanent naval base to the island at Guantanamo Bay.

The Panama Canal

• Due to the fact that the US had protected territories in both the Atlantic and the Pacific, pressure mounted to connect the two waterways. The Panama Canal provided a clear and safe passage for the US Navy.

Insurrection in the Philippines

• Led by Emilio Aguinaldo, the Filipinos rebelled against US rule. From 1899-1902, US war in the Philippines killed 4,200 US soldiers and 16,000 Filipino soldiers, as well as 200,000 citizens. US finally grants the Philippines independence in 1946, after WWII.

Puerto Rico

• Puerto Rico’s relationship with the U.S. Federal Government, as defined by the Constitution of 1952, is in many respects, similar to that of any other state. Matters of currency, defense, external relations and interstate commerce are within the jurisdiction of the U.S. Federal Government. The U.S. Constitution as well as most laws passed by Congress are applicable in Puerto Rico. Residents of the island however, do not pay federal income taxes and do not vote for President. The Commonwealth also has complete fiscal autonomy and residents pay local commonwealth taxes. The island is represented in Congress by a Resident Commissioner elected every four years; currently the Honorable Luis Fortuño. The Resident Commissioner cannot vote on the House floor but otherwise enjoys all of the rights and privileges of any other member of Congress.

Island Colonies

• The territories of Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico, and the Northern Mariana Islands (now a Commonwealth) are the principal overseas dependencies of the United States. – The islands are governed by an elected governor

and lieutenant governor, both serving four-year terms, and a bicameral legislature consisting of a 9-member Senate and a 15-member House of Representatives. Benigno Fitial became governor in Jan., 2006. Residents are U.S. citizens but do not vote in U.S. presidential elections.

Today?

• Puerto Rico – 3 Military Bases – (Army, Navy, Coast Guard)

• Cuba – 1 Military Base– (Naval Base)

• Guam – 2 Military Bases – (Navy, Air Force)

Today?

• In its 108-page corporate responsibility report, Nike discloses the names of 124 plants in China contracted to make its products, 73 in Thailand, 35 in South Korea, 34 in Vietnam — with others elsewhere in Asia, as well as in South America, Australia, Canada, Italy, Mexico, Turkey and the United States.