1. Desire for Military Strength
• Admiral Alfred T. Mahan –
Influence of Sea Power on
History -urges U.S. to build up
navy to compete
▫ Modern fleet (steel navy)
▫ Bases in the Caribbean
▫ A canal across Central
America
▫ Islands for refueling in the
Pacific
• U.S. builds modern battleships,
becomes third largest naval
power
Rear Admiral Alfred T
Mahan

2. Thirst for New Markets
• Overproduction - U.S. farms, factories
produce more than Americans can consume
• U.S. needs raw materials, new markets for
goods
• Foreign trade is solution to overproduction,
unemployment, depression

3. Belief in Cultural Superiority
• Some combine Social Darwinism with belief
in superiority of Anglo-Saxons – survival of
the fittest race or nation
• Argue U.S. has duty to Christianize, civilize
“inferior peoples” and spread democracy

4. Artist’s Depiction of his view of Social Darwinism

5. The United States Acquires Alaska
• William Seward - Secretary of
State - arranges purchase of
Alaska from Russia for $7.2
million
• has trouble convincing House to
fund purchase
• Alaska called “Seward’s Icebox,”
“Seward’s Folly”
• Alaska rich in timber, minerals, oil
William Seward

6. Thomas Nast Cartoon
lampooning Seward’s
Folly - Alaska

7. The United States Takes Hawaii
• American-owned sugar plantations = 75%
of islands’ wealth
• U.S. pressures Hawaii to allow naval base at
Pearl Harbor
• McKinley Tariff eliminates duty-free status
of Hawaiian sugar
• Planters call for U.S. to annex islands so will
not have to pay duty

8. A woman (Hawai'i)
and Uncle Sam are
getting married,
kneeling before the
minister (McKinley)
who is reading from
a book entitled
"Annexation Policy".
The bride seems
ready to bolt.

9. The End of a Monarchy
• Queen Liliuokalani tries to
remove landowning
requirement to vote
• With help of marines, business
groups overthrow queen
• Under President McKinley,
Congress proclaims Hawaii
U.S. territory
Queen
Liliuokalani, last
Queen of Hawaii

10. The Spanish-American War
• In 1898, the United
States goes to war
to help Cuba win its
independence from
Spain.
Drawing depicting the sinking of the
USS Maine

11. Cubans Rebel Against Spain
• U.S. long interested in Cuba; wants to buy
Cuba from Spain
• During war for independence, American
sympathies with Cuba
• U.S. heavily invested in sugar cane
• Guerrilla campaign destroys American-
owned sugar mills, plantations

12. Road to War
• U. S. public opinion split: business for Sp.
and public for Cubans
• Sp. Gen. Weyler puts about 300,000 Cubans
in concentration camps
• Newspapers exploit Weyler’s actions in
circulation war
• Yellow journalism - sensational writing used
to lure, enrage readers (Joseph Pulitzer &
William Randolph Hearst)

13. William R Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer use yellow journalism to push fo rwar

14. Spanish-American War
• The U.S.S. Maine Explodes
• Was sent to pick up U.S. citizens, protect U.S.
property
• Ship blows up in Havana harbor;
newspapers blame Spain although there’s
no proof.
• U.S. declares war April 1898

15. The War Begins
• First battle with Spain occurs in Spanish
colony of the Philippines
• Commodore George Dewey destroys
Spanish fleet in Manila harbor
• Filipinos, led by Emilio Aguinaldo, support
Dewey
• August 1898, Spanish troops in Manila
surrender to U.S.

16. Emilio AguinaldoGeorge Dewey

17. War with Spain Erupts
• U.S. blockades Cuba; destroys Spanish fleet
• U.S. army has small professional force, many
volunteers - ill-prepared, ill-supplied
• Rough Riders—Theodore Roosevelt led
volunteer cavalry and declared hero of San
Juan Hill
• U.S. troops invade Puerto Rico soon after

19. War Ends
• Treaty of Paris 1898
• Spain frees Cuba; hands Guam, Puerto Rico
to U.S.; sells Philippines to U.S.
• Treaty of Paris touches off great debate over
imperialism
• McKinley tries to justify annexation of
Philippines on moral grounds
• Opponents give political, moral, economic
arguments against imperialism

20. Signers of the Treaty of Paris, 1898 ending the Spanish American War

21. Acquiring New Lands
• In the early 1900s, the United States
engages in conflicts in Puerto Rico, Cuba,
and the Philippines

22. 1898 political cartoon
showing U.S.
President McKinley
with a child "savage".
Here, returning the
Philippines to Spain is
compared to throwing
the child off a cliff.

23. Ruling Puerto Rico
• Puerto Rico under military control
• PR strategic as post in Caribbean, for
protection of future canal
• Foraker Act sets up civil government
▫ president appoints governor, upper house
▫ Puerto Ricans denied citizenship

24. Cuba and the United States
• U.S. recognizes Cuban independence from
Spain
• Teller Amendment says U.S. has no intention
of taking over Cuba
• After war U.S. occupies Cuba;
• U.S. makes Cuba add Platt Amendment to its
constitution

25. Platt Amendment
• Platt Amendment does not allow Cuba to go
into debt; also stipulates
▫ no treaties that let foreign power control
land
▫ U.S. has right to intervene
▫ U.S. can buy, lease land for navy
• Cuba becomes a Protectorate - country
whose affairs are partly controlled by
stronger one

26. Cuban view of Platt Amendment

27. Philippine-American War
• Filipinos outraged at Treaty of Paris call for
annexation
• Emilio Aguinaldo leads fight for
independence against U.S.
• Atrocities committed on both sides
• U.S. helps to rebuild and modernize
Philippines
• Philippines finally gain independence on
July 4, 1946

28. American political cartoon criticizing US war policy in the Philippines

29. Foreign Influence in China
• U.S. sees China as vast potential
market, investment opportunity
• France, Britain, Japan, Russia
have settlements, spheres of
influence
• U.S. Secretary of State John Hay
issues Open Door notes
• Notes ask imperialist nations to
share trading rights with U.S.
John Hay

30. In this cartoon
called “the
Boxers”, Uncle
Sam tells the
Boxer that “I
occasionally do a
little boxing
myself!”

31. The Boxer Rebellion in China
• Europeans dominate most large Chinese
cities
• Chinese form secret societies, including
Boxers, to expel foreigners
• Boxers kill hundreds of foreigners, Chinese
converts to Christianity
• U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Japan put
down Boxer Rebellion

32. A "Boxer" in 1900

33. Allies attack the Forbidden City in Peking

34. Protecting American Rights
• Hay issues new Open Door notes saying U. S.
will keep trade open
• Open Door policy reflects beliefs about U.S.
economy:
▫ growth depends on exports
▫ U.S. has right to keep markets open
▫ closing of area threatens U.S. survival

35. The Impact of U.S. Territorial Gains
• The Anti-Imperialist League
• McKinley’s reelection confirms most
Americans favor imperialism
• Anti-Imperialist League has prominent
people from different fields
• For various reasons, agree wrong to rule
others without their consent

36. Cartoon depiction
of the Anti
Imperialist
League

37. America as a World Power
• The Russo-Japanese War, the Panama Canal,
and the Mexican Revolution add to
America’s military and economic power.

38. Teddy Roosevelt and the World
• Roosevelt the Peacemaker
• Roosevelt does not want Europeans to
control world economy, politics
• 1904, Japan & Russia dispute control of
Korea (Russo-Japanese War)
• Roosevelt negotiates Treaty of Portsmouth:
• Roosevelt wins Nobel Peace Prize

39. Teddy Roosevelt
wins Nobel Peace
prize for
negotiating the
Treaty of
Portsmouth,
ending the Sino-
Russian War

40. Panama Canal
• U.S. wants canal to cut travel time of
commercial, military ships
• Negotiates with Colombia to build Panama
Canal; talks break down
• U.S. gives military aid to Panamanian
Revolution
• U.S., Panama sign treaty; U.S. pays $10
million for Canal Zone

41. Harpers Weekly
Cartoon depicting
the challenges of the
Panama Canal

42. Constructing the Canal
• Construction of canal is one of world’s
greatest engineering feats
• It is 10 miles wide, 50 miles long, and took
10 years to build.
• It was finished just in time for WWI

43. Contemporary Drawing of the building of the Panama Canal

44. Roosevelt’s Big Stick Diplomacy
• Roosevelt’s foreign policy was referred to as
Big Stick Diplomacy after an African
proverb.
• It meant the U.S. would try diplomacy first
but would be prepared to use force if
necessary to get what we want.
• The Roosevelt Corollary is part of this.

45. Teddy Roosevelt’s Big Stick Diplomacy – Walk Softly but Carry a Big Stick

46. The Roosevelt Corollary
• The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe
Doctrine
• Roosevelt fears European intervention if
Latin America defaults on debts
• Reminds Europeans of Monroe Doctrine,
demands they stay out
• ·Roosevelt Corollary—U. S. to use force to
protect economic interests – act as world’s
policeman

47. Taft’s Dollar Diplomacy
• Dollar diplomacy—U.S.
guarantees foreign loans
by U.S. business to Latin
American countries
• Sometimes called “Dollars
for Bullets” – it is about
using money not force.
Theodore Roosevelt

48. Wilson’s Missionary Diplomacy
• Missionary Diplomacy, also called Moral
Diplomacy:
• U.S. has moral responsibility:
▫ will not recognize regimes that are
oppressive, undemocratic
• U.S. fears for investments during the Mexican
Revolution
• A series of Mex. Presidents are overthrown and
murdered.
• Wilson refuses to recognize these
governments

49. Rebellion in Mexico
• Francisco “Pancho” Villa,
Emiliano Zapata oppose
Carranza as president
• Wilson recognizes
Carranza’s government;
Villa threatens reprisals
▫ Villa’s men kill
Americans in Mexico
and New Mexico Francisco “Pancho” Villa

50. Chasing Villa
• General John J.
(Blackjack) Pershing
leads force to capture
Villa
• Carranza demands
withdrawal of U.S. troops;
Wilson at first refuses
• ·U.S. faces war in Europe,
wants peace on southern
border
• Wilson orders Pershing
home to lead troops in
WWI.
General John J “Blackjack” Pershing