EMPIRE AND EXPANSION, 1890-1909

1
EMPIRE AND EXPANSION, 1890-1909

• Chapter 27

2
Imperialist Stirrings

• Between end of Civil War and 1890 US very
  isolationist.
• In the late 19th Century the US became more
  outward looking.
• Americans felt a new sense of power
• Many people thought the US needed colonies to
  compete with Europe.
• Hearst and Pulitzer yellow Press whetted
  appetites for foreign adventure.
• Missionaries saw new opportunities overseas
• Overseas seen as the new frontier.
• Some felt we needed our share of Asia and
  Africa as colonies.
• Darwin and Manifest Destiny.
• Diplomatic conflicts with Germany, Italy and Chili

3
Expanding Navy

• All steel navies led to arms race,
• Alfred Thayer Mahan.
• The Influence of Sea Power upon History
• His theory
• Caused all countries to start focusing on their
  naval resources, including the US.
• Led to US to desire naval bases around the world
  and an isthmian canal

4
VENEZUELAN SQUALL

• Boundary dispute between Venezuela and British
  Guiana.
• Cleveland urged arbitration and invokes the
  Monroe Doctrine.
• First real attempt by US to enforce the doctrine.
• British are unimpressed.
• Cleveland mad war fever
• Brits give in despite military superiority. Why?

5
VENEZUELAN SQUALL

• Results
• South Americans are pleased with US help.
• Monroe Doctrine is upheld and takes on new
  validity
• Brits, with growing problems in Europe, adopt a
  policy of patting the eagles head
• Marks a new century of close friendship.

6
Spurning The Hawaiian Pear

• In the 1820s New England missionaries had come to
  Hawaii
• Descendents become the economic leaders.
• Important trade cross-roads

7
Spurning The Hawaiian Pear

• Many see Hawaii as a natural extension of the
  United States.
• Concern Europeans will take it
• McKinley Tariff in 1890 that eliminated the
  duty-free status on sugar Hawaiian sugar
  planters.
• How to avoid the tarriff?
• Queen Liliuokalani overturned the pro American
  bayonet Constitution, passed in 1887
• The American planters, led by Sanford Dole, the
  takeover began in January 1894

8
Spurning The Hawaiian Pear

• John L. Stevens, U.S. minister to Hawaii. Stevens
  called for troops
• On July 4, 1894, the Republic of Hawaii was
  established and Sanford Dole proclaimed
  president.
• The Queen herself was arrested in 1895
• Hawaii an American territory in August 1898. In
  1900 Dole became the first governor of the
  Territory of Hawaii.
• Sixty-one years after becoming a U.S. territory,
  Hawaii became the fiftieth state in the union.
  Liliuokalani lived until 1917

9
Cubans Rise In Revolt

• Cuba is last vestige of Spanish empire in America
• Cubans rose in revolt in 1895.
• Rebels use scorched earth tactics
• Burn fields trains
• Us heavily invested in Cuba
• American sympathies with the rebels.

10
Spanish Misrule in Cuba
11
Tensions Mount

• General Butcher Weyler.
• Concentration camps
• Yellow Journalism
• William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer

Hearst
12
Maine Explosion

• Weyler removed in 1897, but conditions in Cuba
  continued to worsen.
• McKinley sends Maine to Cuba to be prepared to
  evacuate Americans.
• Feb 15, 1898 it explodes, killing 260 sailors.
• American investigation blames a Spanish mine, and
  war hysteria in US is lathered to a fever pitch
• Remember the Maine and to Hell with Spain!

13
McKinley Unleashes The Dogs Of War

• McKinley did not want war.
• He knew how bad war could be as a Civil War vet
• Business community did not want war because it
  might disrupt the economy.
• American diplomats had already secured Spanish
  agreement to the US primary demands
• But, the publics passions were inflamed by the
  Yellow Press
• Hearst and Randolph were clamoring for war, as
  were some politicians.
• Teddy Roosevelt (Asst. Sec of Navy) was a strong
  advocate for war with Spain.

14
McKinley Declares War

• McKinley asks Congress for a declaration of war
  on April 11, 1898.
• Teller Amendment.
• U.S. could not annex Cuba but only leave "control
  of the island to its people."

15
Deweys May Day Victory At Manila

• Teddy Roosevelt (Asst Sec. of Navy).
• cabled Commodore George Dewey to attack Spains
  navy in the Philippines in the event of war.
• May 1, 1898 Dewey attacks.
• Sinks 10 Spanish ships without a single US
  casualty.
• Dewey is a huge hero and immediately promoted to
  admiral.

16
Unexpected Imperialistic Plums

• Dewey in a precarious position.
• American troops arrive in August of 1898
• Emilio Aguinaldo.
• Filipino general, politician, and independence
  leader. Played an instrumental role in
  Philippine independence during the Philippine
  Revolution against Spain and the
  Philippine-American War that resisted American
  occupation
• Renewed attention on Hawaii.
• Congress passes resolution annexing Hawaii in
  July, 1898

17
The Confused Invasion Of Cuba

• The Spanish fleet old and decrepit.
• US Navy bottled up Spanish Navy in Santiago
  harbor,.
• Plan is to invade Cuba from the rear to drive in
  behind the trapped fleet.

18
The Confused Invasion Of Cuba

• US Army ill-prepared for tropical war.
• Malaria and Yellow fever were big killers of US
  troops.
• More US troops died of disease (5000) than of
  battle-inflicted injuries (400).

19
TRs Rough Riders

• Rough Riders Teddy Roosevelt.
• Made up of western cowboys, miners and friends
  from Harvard.
• Short on discipline but long on dash and daring.
• Colonel Leonard Wood.
• Were not riders

20
US Invasion

• Mid-June US forces land near Santiago. Little
  opposition.
• Key battles El Caney and San Juan Hill.
• Rough riders charge up San Juan Hill..
• 10th Cavalry
• Gatling gun

21
Curtains For Spain In America

• Spanish fleet in an untenable position.
• Spanish fleet entirely destroyed and Santiago
  surrenders.
• Americans quickly invade and liberate Puerto Rico
  before armistice.
• Armistice August 12, 1898. War only 4 months.
• Malaria and Yellow fever

22
Paris Treaty Of 1898

• Cuba freed from Spanish (US does not claim
  sovereignty as pledged at the beginning of the
  war).
• America reserves the right to intervene if
  country goes off track. Also gets naval bases.
• US gets Guam, seized at the start of the war
  (Pacific Island)
• US gets Puerto Rico, the last remnant of Spains
  New World Empire.
• US purchases Philippines for 20 Mill.
• Spain refused to give as a spoil of war.

23
Is He To Be a Despot?

• Treaty barely passes when Bryan unexpectedly
  throws his support behind it.

24
Buying the Philippines

• McKinley agonized over whether to buy.
• Arguments for buying
• Did not want Spain or another power to reassert
  control.
• Having freed Cuba, would be morally cowardly to
  turn Philippines back over to Spain.
• Many Americans wanted to Protestantize the
  Catholic Filipinos
• Business interests saw it as a potential source
  of profits.
• Could free them after they had learned about
  democracy and were on their feet economically.

25
Buying the Philippines

• Arguments against buying Philippines
• Would turn US into a colonial power
• would entangle US in the Far East.
• Contrary to spirit of US to subjugate another
  people. And, these were people very different
  from us.

26
Anti-Imperialists

• Anti-Imperialist League.
• Twain, Carnage, Gompers.
• Arguments
• Filipinos wanted freedom and to annex them would
  be contrary to spirit of Dec. of Indep.
• Despotism abroad would breed it at home
• Annexation would suck US into politics of the far
  east

The Imperialist Taylor
27
Imperialist Arguments

• Patriotism. We fought and died for it, giving it
  back would dishonor US soldiers.
• Trade profits in Far East and use of natural
  resources of the Islands.
• Filipinos not yet able to govern themselves.
• US would help out its little brown brothers and
  teach them how to be an independent democratic
  state until ready to govern themselves.

28
Puerto Rico

• Forker Act of 1900 gave PR limited sovereignty.
• In 1917 PR given US citizenship.
• American improves education, sanitation and
  transportation.
• Three factions in PR.
• Issue does the Constitution follow the flag?
• Insular Cases.

29
Cuba

• Leonard Wood
• Walter Reed
• US honors Teller Amendment in 1902
• But, Platt Amendment placed restrictions.
• Not allowed to make treaties with others that
  will restrict its sovereignty.
• Not allowed to go into debt beyond their means.
• US allowed to intervene in Cuba to restore order.
  
• Cubans agree to provide bases to US.
• Guantanamo

30
Consequences of War

• US gets more respect in international circles as
  world power. See War of 1812.
• Helps US pride.
• Brings north and south closer together
• Americans believe that American power is stronger
  than it is.
• Mahan is vindicated more resources poured into
  Navy.
• US stuck with Philippines and far-east
  entanglement

31
America as a Pacific Power
32
Little Brown Brothers In The Philippines

• Philippines became a US headache.
• The Filipinos wanted a deal similar to Cubans
• 1899 the Filipinos revolt
• War of atrocities on both sides.
• US loses more soldiers and spends more money
  fighting against Filipinos than it had in the SA
  war.