The document summarizes America's emergence as an imperial power in the late 19th century. It describes how the US acquired Alaska and Hawaii, and led to war with Spain over Cuba which resulted in the US gaining control of Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines. The US then took on roles protecting its economic and strategic interests in China and building the Panama Canal, cementing its rise as a global power.
2. IMPERIALISM AND AMERICA
Throughout the 19th century
America expanded control of
the continent to the Pacific
Ocean
By 1880, many American
leaders felt the U.S. should
join European nations and
establish colonies overseas
Thus began Americas foray
into Imperialism the policy
in which stronger nations
extend control over weaker
nations
3. WHY IMPERIALISM?
1) Desire for Military
strength Mahan
advised strong navy
2) Thirst for new
markets to spur
economy & trade
3) Belief in Cultural
Superiority a belief
that Anglo-Saxons
were superior
4. THE U.S. ACQUIRES
ALASKA
In 1867, Secretary of State
William Steward arranged
for the United States to
buy Alaska from the
Russians for $7.2 million
Some thought it was a silly
idea and called it
Stewards Icebox
Time has shown how
smart it was to buy Alaska
for 2 cents an acre
Alaska is rich in timber,
minerals and oil
k
Alas
a
5. U.S. TAKES HAWAII
Hawaii had been
economically important to
Americans for centuries
To avoid import taxes
(tariffs), sugar growers
pleaded for annexation
The U.S. knew the value of
the Islands they had
built a naval base at Pearl
Harbor in 1887
Led by Sanford Dole,
American annexed Hawaii
in 1898 and it formally
became a state in 1959
6. SECTION 2: THE SPANISH
AMERICAN WAR
America had long held an
interest in Cuba
When Cubans
unsuccessfully rebelled
against Spanish rule in
the late 19th century,
American sympathy went
out to the Cuban people
After Spain abolished
slavery in Cuba in 1886,
Americans invested
millions in Cuban sugar
Cuba is just 90 miles south
of Florida
7. CUBAS SECOND WAR FOR
INDEPENDENCE
Marti
Anti-Spain sentiment
in Cuba soon erupted
into a second war for
independence
Led by poet Jose
Marti, Cuba attempted
a revolution in 1895
Marti deliberately
destroyed property,
including American
sugar plants, hoping
to provoke American
intervention
8. WAR FEVER ESCALATES
Newspaper
publishers William
Randolph Hearst
(New York Journal)
and Joseph Pulitzer
(New York World)
exaggerated
Spanish atrocities
and brutality in
Headline Wars
Political cartoon: Pulitzer (left) and
Hearst escalating and instigating war
between the U.S. and Spain
9. U.S.S MAINE EXPLODES
Before
After
Early in 1888,
President McKinley
ordered the U.S.S.
Maine to Cuba in
order to bring home
American citizens in
danger
On February 15, 1898
the ship blew up in
the harbor of Havana
More than 260 men
were killed
11. WAR ERUPTS WITH SPAIN
There was no holding
back those that
wanted war with Spain
Newspapers blamed
the Spanish for
bombing the U.S.S.
Maine (recent
investigations have
shown it was a fire
inside the Maine)
Remember the
Maine! became a
rallying cry for U.S.
intervention in Cuba
12. THE WAR IN THE PHILIPPINES
U.S. forces surprised
Spain by attacking the
Spanish colony of the
Philippines
11,000 Americans joined
forces with Filipino rebel
leader Emilo Aguinaldo
By August, 1898 Spain
had surrendered to the
U.S. in Manila
13. THE WAR IN THE CARIBBEAN
A naval blockade of
Cuba was followed by
a land invasion
highlighted by
Roosevelts Rough
Rider victory at San
Juan Hill
Next, the American
Navy destroyed the
Spanish fleet and
paved the way for an
invasion of Puerto
Rico (Spanish colony)
15. U.S. WINS; SIGNS TREATY OF
PARIS
The U.S. and Spain signed
an armistice on August 12,
1898, ending what
Secretary of State John
Hay called a splendid little
war
The war lasted only 16
weeks
Cuba was now
independent
U.S. receives Guam,
Puerto Rico, and bought
the Philippines for $20
million
Treaty of Paris, 1898
16. SECTION 3:
ACQUIRING NEW LANDS
The U.S had to decide
how to rule the new
lands
Puerto Rico wanted
their independence
but the U.S. had other
plans
Puerto Rico was
important to the U.S.
strategically
The U.S. set up a civil
government, full
citizenship, and a
bicameral system
17. CUBA AND THE UNITED
STATES
The Treaty of Paris granted
full independence to Cuba
The U.S signed an
agreement with Cuba
known as the Platt
Amendment 1903
Key features of Platt
included the right of the
U.S. to maintain naval
stations on the island and
the right to intervene in
Cuban affairs
Cuba had become a
protectorate of the U.S.
Today the U.S. has a
prison in Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba
18. FILIPINOS REBEL
U.S. troops fire on rebels
Filipinos reacted with
rage to the American
annexation
Rebel leader Emilio
Aguinaldo vowed to
fight for freedom and
in 1899 he led a
rebellion
The 3-year war claimed
20,000 Filipino rebels,
4,000 American lives
and $400,000,000 (20x
the price the U.S. paid
for the land)
19. FOREIGN INFLUENCE IN CHINA
China was a vast
potential market for
American products
Weakened by war and
foreign intervention,
many European
countries had colonized
in China
In 1889, John Hay, U.S.
Secretary of State,
issued the Open Door
Policy which outlined
his plan for free trade
among nations in China
Foreign
nations were
opening the
door to
Chinas trade
20. BOXER REBELLION
European nations
dominated Chinas cities
Resentment arose in the
form of secret societies
determined to rid China of
these foreign devils
The Boxers were a secret
group that rioted in 1900,
killing and vandalizing all
things foreign
Foreign Troops were
called in to put down this
Boxer Rebellion
21. AMERICANS PROTECT RIGHTS
IN ASIA
After the Boxer Rebellion,
John Hay again issued a
series of Open Door
Policies
These policies reflected
American beliefs in the
importance of exports, the
right of America to
intervene to keep foreign
markets open, and the
belief that Americas
survival depended on
access to foreign markets
22. SECTION 4: AMERICA AS A
WORLD POWER
The Nobel
Peace Prize
is awarded
annually
Two events signaled
Americas continued climb
toward being the #1 world
power
1) Roosevelt negotiated a
settlement between Russia
and Japan who had been at
War his successful efforts
in negotiating the Treaty of
Portsmouth won Roosevelt
the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize
2) Construction of Panama
Canal
23. THE PANAMA CANAL
By the early 20th century,
many Americans
understood the
advantages of a canal
through Panama
It would greatly reduce
travel times for
commercial and military
ships by providing a
short cut between the
Atlantic and Pacific
oceans
The shortcut
24. BUILDING THE PANAMA
CANAL 1904-1914
Cost- $380 million
Workers Over 40,000 (5,600 died)
Time Construction took 10 years
The French had
already
unsuccessfully
attempted to build a
canal through Panama
America first had to
help Panama win their
independence from
Colombia which it
did
Construction of the
Canal stands as one
of the greatest
engineering feats of
all-time
25. This view, provided by NASA, shows the thin blue line
(canal) cutting across the middle of Panama
26. Almost 1,000,000 ships have passed through the canal,
which became sole property of Panama in the year 2000