I. Imperialism a. the policy in which stronger nations sought to extend their economic, political, and/or military control over weaker territories—conquest for colonial empires. b. By the 1880s, Imperialism was the trend around the world c. Where: Asia, Latin America, and Africa d. Reasons for Imperialism i. Industrial Needs—Create Foreign Markets and Gain Raw Materials 1. Efficient machines and abundant capital, farmers and factory workers produced far more goods than could be consumed at home 2. Industrialists also recognized the limit on raw materials in home countries 3. In response, industrialists looked to Africa, Asia, and Latin American for new customers and as a new source of raw materials 4. This would allow for the current overproduction as well as allow for new employment and help end the current depression (Panic of 1893) 5. To protect these new markets from foreign competition, nations tried to colonize these areas ii. Desire to Strengthen Military—Expand Military and Establish Defense Bases 1. Admiral Alfred T. Mahan was a strong advocate of creating foreign markets (colonies) in order to strengthen the military a. He believed that having foreign markets would allow for strategic bases b. He also believed that a strong navy was essential in protecting these new foreign markets. c. In his widely read book, The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, Mahan made this point: ―Having . No foreign establishments either colonial or military, the ships of war of the United states, in war, will be like land birds, unable to fly far from their won shores. To provide resting-places for them, where they can coal and repair, would be one of the first duties of a government proposing to itself the development of the power of the nation at sea” 2. As a result of the urging of Mahan and others, the U.S. built nine steel-hulled cruisers between 1883 and 1890 including battleships such as the Maine and the Oregon 3. U.S. became the world‘s third largest naval power iii. Belief in Cultural Superiority—Spread Political Ideas and Spread Christianity 1. Some Americans combined the philosophy of Social Darwinism (free-market competition leads to survival of the fittest) with a belief in the racial superiority of Anglo-Saxons 2. Many argued it was the moral responsibility of the U.S. to Christianize and civilize the world‘s ―inferior peoples‖ iv. Technology—Machine Gun II. U.S. Acquires Alaska a. William Seward, Secretary of State under Lincoln and Johnson, was a supporter of American expansion and had been eyeing Alaska b. Russia was in need of money due to costly ongoing war they were fighting c. Treaty of Cessation: in 1867, Seward arranged for the U.S. to buy Alaska for $7.2 million—two cents an acre (equivalent to about $1.67 billion in 2006 ) d. Many Americans believed it was a dumb purchase and called Alaska ―Seward‘s Folly‖ or ―Seward‘s Icebox‖ e. The United States Senate ratified the treaty on April 9, 1867, by a vote of 37 to 2—however, the appropriation of money needed to purchase Alaska was delayed by more than a year due to opposition in the House of Representatives and was not officially approved until July 1868 f. Seward got the last laugh as it was late discovered that Alaska was rich in timber, mineral (gold, silver, etc.), and oil III. Spanish-American War a. Cubans rebel against Spain i. American Interest in Cuba 1. U.S. long interested in Cuba; wants to buy Cuba from Spain a. Spain said they would rather see Cuba sink than sell to the US ii. During 1868–1878 war for independence, American sympathies with Cuban rebels 1. Rebellion was not successful but it did help force Spain to abolish slavery 2. Following emancipation of Cuba‘s slaves, American capitalists invested millions of dollars in large sugar cane plantations in Cuba b. The Second War for Independence i. José Martí—poet, journalist—launches second revolution in 1895 ii. Guerrilla campaign destroys American-owned sugar mills, plantations (Martí hoped to provoke US intervention) iii. Martí became a martyr for Cuban independence when he was killed in battle in October of 1895 iv. U.S. public opinion split: 1. business wants to support Spain to protect their investment 2. others favor Cuban cause because it reminded them of our own experience with Britain c. War Fever Escalates i. Spain Takes Action 1. 1896, General Valeriano Weyler sent to Cuba and made governor in order to restore order a. He came to the same conclusions that to win Cuba back for Spain, he would have to separate the rebels from the civilians b. He did so by putting more than 300,000 Cubans in concentration camps c. However, he failed to provide for them adequately and these areas became cesspools of hunger, disease, and starvation where many hundreds of thousands died. ii. Headline Wars 1. Newspapers exploit Weyler‘s actions (calling him ―The Butcher‖) in circulation war between the American newspaper tycoons William Randolph Hearst (New York Journal) and Joseph Pulitzer (New York World) 2. Stories of poisoned wells and of children being thrown to the sharks deepened American sympathy for the rebels 3. Hearst and Pulitzer fanned the war fever 4. This new form of journalism was known as Yellow journalism a. Yellow Journalism: sensational writing used to lure and enrage readers—all in an effort to sell newspapers b. The term originated during the circulation battles between Joseph Pulitzer's New York World and William Randolph Hearst's New York Journal c. The name came from references about the World and the Journal, which both carried comic strips—the first popular comic strip was ―The Yellow Kid‖ d. Spain Tries to Calm Things i. Cuba, fearing American intervention and wanting to avoid war, made several changes: 1. Recalled General Weyler 2. Modified the policy regarding concentration camps 3. Offered Cuba limited self-government ii. The outcry in the US settled until the De Lôme Letter was printed e. The De Lôme Letter i. a private letter written by Enrique Dupuy de Lôme, the Spanish minister to the United States ii. The letter criticized President McKinley, calling him ―weak‖ and a bidder for admiration of the crowd‖ iii. The letter was stolen from a Havana post office by a Cuban rebel and leaked to US newspapers iv. It was printed in the New York Journal in February 1898 v. War fever spurred again as Americans were angered over the insult to their president f. USS Maine Explodes i. President McKinley ordered the U.S.S. Maine to Cuba to bring home American citizens in danger and to protect American investments ii. On February 15, 1898, the ship blew up in the harbor of Havana killing more than 260 men iii. The cause was uncertain; however, US newspapers blamed Spain iv. The Journal‘s headline read ―the warship Main was split in two by an enemy‘s secret infernal machine‖ v. Hearst‘s paper offered a reward of $50,000 for the capture of the Spaniards who did it g. War Erupts with Spain i. The explosion of the U.S.S. Maine gave the pro-war side all the ammunition it needed 1. ―Remember the Maine!‖ became the rallying cry for U.S. intervention in Cuba ii. Despite Spain giving in to almost every demand, the public still favored war iii. On April 11, 1898—McKinley asked Congress for authority to use force against Spain iv. After several weeks of debate, Congress agreed and on April 20th, 1898 the US declared war on Spain v. Congress also adopted the Teller Amendment 1. stated that once Cuba won its independence from Spain the U.S. would ―leave the government and control of the Island to its people‖ h. The War in the Philippines i. First battle with Spain occurs in Spanish colony of the Philippines ii. Commodore George Dewey destroys Spanish fleet in Manila harbor, Philippine capital iii. Filipinos, led by Emilio Aguinaldo, supported Dewey and over the next two months fought the Spanish iv. August 1898, Spanish troops in Manila surrender to U.S. i. War in the Caribbean i. U.S., under the command of Admiral William T. Sampson, blockades Cuba ii. blockade sealed up the Spanish fleet in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba harbor iii. Unlike navy, U.S. army has small professional force, with many volunteers 1. volunteers were ill-prepared and ill-supplied a. Received brief training at ill-prepared camps with poor leaders b. Not enough modern guns to go around c. Outfitted with heavy woolen uniforms instead of tropical clothing j. Rough Riders i. Rough Riders—a volunteer Cavalry unit under the command of Leonard Wood and Theodore Roosevelt ii. Their horses had not been shipped to Cuba so they had to fight on foot iii. Most Famous Battle of Cuba and the Rough Riders 1. 1st Part of Battle: An uphill charge of Kettle Hill that cleared the way for the strategic attack on San Juan Hill 2. 2nd Part of Battle: An uphill charge at the Battle of San Juan Hill iv. The Rough Riders played only a minimal role in the second part; however, the newspapers declared Roosevelt and the Rough Riders the heroes of San Juan Hill v. Two Days after the Battle of San Juan Hill, the Spanish fleet tries to escape the blockade and is destroyed in naval battle vi. U.S. troops then invade Puerto Rico k. Treaty of Paris i. The war was costly: large expense and the loss of 5,400 soldiers (only 400 in battle and the rest from disease or food poisoning) ii.