American historical review
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The document summarizes American isolationism and involvement in international affairs from the early 19th century to the post-Cold War era. It discusses key events and doctrines that influenced U.S. foreign policy such as Thomas Jefferson's opposition to foreign entanglements, Manifest Destiny and westward expansion, the Monroe Doctrine, U.S. intervention in Latin America and Asia in the late 19th century, American neutrality and entry into World Wars I and II, the Cold War and space race, and U.S. economic power after the Cold War ended. The document provides historical context on shifting U.S. perspectives from isolationism to global military and economic superpower.
American historical review
- 1. American Historical Review Conference by Dr. I. Ankikwicz. I. American isolationism Isolationism refers to United States longstanding unwillingness to become involved in European alliances and wars. Isolationists held the view that United States perspective on the world was different from that of European societies and that the USA could advance the cause of freedom and democracy by means other than war. -Thomas Jefferson complain The United States terminated its alliance with France, after which the U.S.'s third president, Thomas Jefferson, admonished in his inaugural address, "peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none." Jefferson preferred the United States "to practice neither commerce nor navigation, but to stand, with respect to Europe, precisely on the footing of China," clearly recognized after he had become president the necessity of development commerce and other forms of international intercourse -The USA is the least important and respected of all nations with embassies in Paris -Manifest Destiny and territorial growth of the USA The United States, after the Civil War, was really flourishing; it was a period of tremendous economic growth. Most of the people who were in the powerby that time believed that this was the time for the U.S. to expand itself overseas,it is important to say that not all of them approve this idea, since for many business men it was cheaper to buy products, etc.; instead of declaring war to most countries. Most of the territories they were interested in were Spanish colonies, for instance the first settlers of Texas were the Spanish missionaries and most of these territories became U.S. possessions. For example, the territory of Texas was part of the Spanish Empire for more than a century, so for more than a
- 2. decade Texas was a Republic but it had to change its status and adapt to a very different domain. Then it happen mostly the same with the other colonies. -Mexico later II. Monroe卒s Doctrine 1823 America in 19th Century: At that time the U.S. became independent and it was no longer interested on the European Countries, but on its own progress and economic development. -New spirit on the 1980s European claim by Britain, France and Germany U.S. positions Senator Orville 1893 A policy of isolation did well enough when we were an embargo nation, but today things are different -Cuba and other Spanish possessions The idea of waging a war against Spain starts over Cuba. Spain ruled Cuba, and there were Americans who felt that Spain should be expelled. In 1895 there was a continuity of several rebellions against Spanish rule in Cuba as a part of a war of Independence declared by the Cubans since 1868. -American newspaper propaganda William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer On 1898 the warship Maine was split in two by an enemy卒s infernal machine USA and Spain at War (Cuba and Philippines) In the case of Cuba they convinced them that it was time that they were finally an independent nation free from the Spanish domination and that they were the best option to accomplish the final end of a very prolonged war. One hundred years ago, the United States was actively involved in the decidedly less splendid struggle to subdue the movement for independence in the Philippines. The Philippines as many other territories become a strategic
- 3. and economic cause to the United States. All these countries were going to become a market for USA卒s manufactured products. In the thirties the Philippines became independent, but with strings attached. The notion of special economic ties with the United States still kept it very dependent on the U.S. -Annexation of the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Hawaii (1898), Panama (1904), and control over Cuba (since the Cubans sense of been independent was not to be annexed to another empire) III. Excuse for the American Empire Surely the Spanish War has not been a grab for empire, but a heroic effort to free the oppressed and teach millions of ignorant, debased human beings. The U.S. intervene in Latin America whenever it thought necessary since it had economic and political control over most Latin American countries at that time. -Follow-up American soldiers in Nicaragua, Haiti, The Dominican Republic, etc. IV. War World I -Woodrow Wilson impartial in thought and in action Wilson as president of the USA led the country during the hard years of WWI and as a part of his personality of great intellect and respectable statesman when it was the beginning of this war in 1914, Wilson proclaimed that the country should remain neutral with the effort to avoid war, even though the states also participated and became a close allied of Great Britain. -May 1915 British passenger ship Lusitania. The British liner Lusitania was sunk by a German submarine with a loss of almost 1,200 lives including 124 Americans. -Zimmermann卒s telegram,March 1917 -April 1917 American Congress declares war to Germany
- 4. -Wilson Fourteen points Speech is the US Senate. -America tried to stay away from war conflicts. -Idea of nation, of organization. V. War World II Great Depression (Black Thursday, 24 November, 1929 and terrifying Tuesday, 29 November, 1929) These three dates denoted the starting points of the collapsed in the economy and the stock market; that subsequently initiated one of the most terrible epochs of depression in the USA history. Terror in the world in the 30s Voice of isolation in America (Neutrality Acts of 1930s passed by Congress) The idea of isolationism was due to that most Americans did not want to participate in another war as in Europe was moving into another war and this time the Americans considered that there were more internal problems due to the depression and did not want to get involved and focused on domestic problems. -Suspension of Neutrality Acts per retime conscription in US, military supplies for Britain, Lend Pan -December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor -Conferences Teheran Nov, 1943 -Febrary, Yalta 1945 -Potsdam,July, 1945 VI. TheColdWar Many have seen the Cold war as a continuity of the preiviuos war since it included several conflicts mainly between the Comunist nations mainly led by the Soviet Union and the democratic nations led by the United States since
- 5. there was many different political and ideological ideas between these two nations. In this war countries like Spain remain neutral. -Iron Curtain -A Bomb and H-Bomb -Thurmans doctrine of containment -Marshall Plan 1947 -1950 53 Korea -Airlift Berlin 1948 -Nato 1945, U.S. military potential -Dulles brink manship policy -Cuba 1961/62 -Space Race Russian Sputnik(1957) and Gagarin 1961 vs. U.S. landing on the Moon 1969 -Vietnam War -D辿tente -1989/90 the end on the Cold WAR VII. Post-Cold War America -U.S. Economic Power The Cold War was in many ways a continuation of the battles of World War II. The discourse of a world sharply divided into opposing camps, one representing freedom and the other slavery, was reinvigorated in the worldwide struggle against Communism.
- 6. Tamara Guti辿rrez Espinosa 3rd Grade