AMERICAN IMPERIALISM A Journey into How the United States Become an Imperial Power
Transcript
Slide 1
A Journey into How the United States Become an Imperial
Power
Slide 2
I can explain the economic and cultural factors that shaped
American foreign policy at the turn of the 20 th Century I will be
able to analyze and compare the actions of the United States
between 1896- 1909 to action of the United States between
1945-present.
Slide 3
When a stronger country takes over an area through economics,
politics or military control. By 1900, it was a global trend
Slide 4
European nations were colonizing Africa By 1900, British Empire
controlled a quarter of the worlds land and people Japan joined
Europe in competing for control of regions in China
Slide 5
United States wanted new markets for their goods In the late
1800s, the United States was developing a modern navy and wanted to
gain naval based abroad to protect the nations interests The belief
by some that American culture was superior and should be spread to
other regionsextension of Manifest Destiny
Slide 6
America wanted to be like Europe and Japan in gaining control
of lands beyond the borders of North America By the end of the
1800s, there was a desire for the United States to extend their
imperial power into such areas as Hawaii, Cuba and the
Philippines
Slide 7
Late 19 th Century, Africa was the focal point for European
expansionconsidered before that as the Dark Continent because the
interior was virtually unknown Britain, France, Belgium, Italy,
Germany, Portugal, and Spain desired to gain resources from Africa
and create new markets for their goods By early 20 th Century, only
Ethiopia and Liberia remained independent in Africa
Slide 8
Great Britain expanded into Africa and Asia, coining the
phrase, The sun never sets on the British Empire During the reign
of Queen Victoria (1837- 1901), Britain built an empire that
included one quarter of the worlds land and people
Slide 9
Europeans avoided war through diplomatic agreements that
resulted in dividing Africa Nations claimed land for colonies, then
signed treaties with each other to reserve areas for colonies Mid
1800s, Germany and France called for a conference to discuss
African colonization 14 European nations and the United States met
in Berlin, Germany in 1884
Slide 10
Nations agreed to respect each others prior claims for colonies
in Africa Agreed to establish rules for future colonial development
First international agreement on imperialism in Africa
Slide 11
Late 19 th Century, Japan had political reform from feudal
order to a central government modeled after European nations Japan
believed that a strong military would increase industrialization by
obtaining raw materials in other areas Japan joined in the
competition with Europe for control in China in the 1890s US
watched other nations in the 1880s and 1890s gain economic success
and had a desire to expand trading opportunities with China
Slide 12
Extension of the old belief of Manifest Destiny, which had
pushed people from the Atlantic to the Pacific With the closure of
the North American frontier, by the 1890s, many Americans supported
the idea to expand beyond its borders for economic growth
Slide 13
United States wanted to join in the economic competition with
other industrialized nations United States by 1900 had a strong
naval force A belief in the racial and cultural superiority of
people of English descent
Slide 14
By the end of the 19 th Century, technology increased the
ability of American farms and factories to produce more items
Production was more than Americans could consume, so America needed
new markets With increased production, the United States needed to
find more raw materials for its factories and new markets to sell
the manufactured goods
Slide 15
Belief in the Imperialist view of increased foreign trade would
solve the issues of overproduction and economic issues such as
employment and the economic depression of the late 1880s
Slide 16
Senator from Indiana, he was a strong imperialist Advocated
obtaining new territories for economic gains Fate has written our
policy for us; the trade of the world must and shall be ours.We
will establish training-posts throughout the world as distributing
points for American productsGreat colonies governing themselves,
flying our flag and trading with us, will grow about our posts of
trade.
Slide 17
Exports had total $234 million at the end of the Civil War,
increased to $1.5 billion Exports exceeded imports to produce
favorable balance of trade Favorable balance of trade led to
American economic power
Slide 18
Admiral Alfred T. Mahan, president of the Naval War College
advocated a strong American military expansion Mahans book, The
Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783, stressed the need
for a strong navy to defend the peacetime shipping lanes, which
would increase Americas economy could grow Mahan believed the
United States needed to strategically locate bases in areas such as
the Caribbean where its fleet could refuel and urged to develop a
modern fleet
Slide 19
Urged the United States to construct a canal across the Isthmus
of Panama Increase desire to acquire Hawaii and other Pacific
Islands as naval bases and economic markets Between 1883-1890, US
built 9 steel-hulled cruisers After the construction of the Maine
and Oregon, the US developed the worlds third largest navy
Slide 20
Cultural factors justified imperialism Social Darwinism: a
belief that free-market competition would lead to the survival of
the fittestemphasized racial superiority Social Darwinism viewed
that it was the US responsibility to spread Christianity and
civilization to the worlds inferior people
Slide 21
Not only racial superiority was encouraged, but this belief
supported the idea of defining civilization by one cultures
standards
Slide 22
Believed imperialism as a threat American Anglo-Saxon heritage
based on moral and practical concerns in imperial practices Nothing
justified American domination over other countries
Slide 23
Constitutional protections were not granted to newly acquired
territories claimed by the US Maintaining a military large enough
to enforce American influence and protect newly acquired
territories was too high Cost of new territories prohibited
American economic growth
Slide 24
The Americans: Reconstruction through the 20 th Century.
McDougal Littell