Wanted to avoid Europe. Manifest Destiny - US Blessed by god and destined to expand westward - Justified imperialism - Spread christianity, capitalist/dem ideals, greed - Create colonies without turning into states Americans embraced expansionism - 1898: America, in one-sided war with Spain becomes ruler of colonies "Winning of the West" by Teddy Roosevelt America needs to rule the "backwards peoples of the world" Like Amerindians, new subjects What factors motivated America's new imperialism during the late nineteenth century? Pre-age of empires Washington's outgoing address to public: - Avoid factionalism and war (entanglement with European powers) - Isolationism [James] Munroe Doctrine: - Non-interference in East and control of West - View interference with US as hostile 1867-1899: Imperialism starts - Expanding a nation's power through colonialism, annexation James G Blaine (of Garfield cabinet) + other "foreign policy elites" - Believed in aggressive expansion of the US to compete w/ GB, FR - Economic argument: farmers, manufacturers need new markets - Want China as mkt - Believed that expansion would solve domestic problems. Frederick Jackson Turner authored a book "The Frontier" builds American character (darwinism, self, manhood) - Battle between native-born white americans and "Indian savages" - The literal frontier is "closed," so develop a "new frontier" Alfred Thayer Mahan, military strategist - "The Influence of Sea Power Upon History" - What makes a nation great? Wealth through foreign trade and Protection of distant ports with a powerful navy - Build an isthmus canal protected by US navy - Stepping stones and refueling stations in Pacific (Hawaii, Guam, Wake Island, Philippines) Racial/Civilization argument - Spread Christianity, civilization(materialism,property), democracy - Josiath Strong: expansionist minister - "Our Country: Its Possible Future and Its Present Crisis" (1885) - US is in a race with other nations to conquer the world Rudyard Kipling - Poem: "The White Man's Burden" (1899) - White Anglo-sax (am,gb) need to govern dark-skinned people ("inferior races") by imposing Christian, American principles - Their duty to establish success and stability of their nations What were the causes of the Spanish-American War (1898)? Cuba is a Spanish colony. But it trades more with US than with Spain. US moguls who set up mining, sugar concerned about sec of investment Jose Marti, journalist and poet who started revolution Scorched earth policy (burning trains, exploding bridges) Burned American plantations to provoke American involvement Spanish Gen. Valeriano Weyler moves villages of people to other parts of country (concentration camps) During the revolution, Americans worried they wouldn't get the chance to colonise/control Amer. interests McKinley considered buying Cuba and ending conflict "Penny Press" and Yellow Journalism - William Randolph Hearst: NY Journal - Joseph Pulitzer: NY World - Competing for readership with sensational headlines about possibly invented Spanish atrocities Hearst: newspapers have the duty to shape public opinion, legis. "Have the power to declare war" - Yellow Journalism shapes public opinion with false stories - Portray Cubans as light-skinned civilized freedom lovers and Spaniards as dark-skinned brutes Enrique DuPuy De Lome: Spanish ambassador to US - Called McKinley "weak and bitter for the admiration of the crowd" - USS Maine exploded, killing 260/354. Years later ruled an accident, but warmongerers (like T. Roosevelt, navyman) declared this an act of war - Public liked Spain less and less - "Remember The Maine, and to hell with Spain!" - At first, Spain agreed to every American demand - Apr 20: Congress demanded withdrawal of Spain, and US begins to blockade Cuban ports. - Before war is declared, navy declares victory over Philippines - Dewey, with American navy, easily beats outdated Cuban forces - German and Brit. forces cruised around, waiting to takeover if the US doesn't (it does months later, with backup) Roosevelt and the Rough Riders - Roosevelt is pro-imperialism, believing it to make a nation powerful - Rough Riders cavalry become weary walkers - Roosevelt wanted to defeat Spain - Believed that fighting in war was the ultimate test of manhood What were the consequences of the Spanish-American war for the United States? - Spain surrenders after 4 months Dec 10, 1898: US and Spain sign Treaty of Paris - Cuba -> independent - US annexes PR and Guam as territories - US annexes Manila, expecting to take over in US - Reinforces Manifest Destiny - Europe respects America as an international power Business and missionaries support annexation to bring commerce and Christianity to "the little brown brother" (and penetrate China) Emilio Aguinaldo -- Filipino General and Independence Leader - It came to McKinley that he wanted to annex after many days of decisionmaking: don't give power to Spain/Fr/Germany and don't free because they "cannot self-govern" - Locals support independence movements - 1899: Filipinos declare independence - 1899-1902 Filipino-American War - Aguinaldo is president - US fires on "Insurrectos" - Jun 2, Filipino Insurrectos declare war - 4x as many troops, $600M, >200K Filipinos (many civilians), >4K am - 1902: Filipinos were unorganized territory (ineligible for state) China - Japan wins first Sino-Japanese were in 1844-45 and Eur. nations establish spheres of influence - Open Door Notes by Sec. of St. John Hay - Nations shouldn't take control of China because market should be available to the world - GB accepts policy, but only GB. - Hay announces all accept policy, but they just didn't disagree - Boxers Rebellion (1900) rejects foreign power and destroys foreign embassies - Organization to recover ambassadors