Imperialism and America

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Edwina Harrison
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1 Imperialism and America

American Expansionism: Americans had always sought to expand the size of their nation Imperialism the policy in which stronger nations extended their economic, political, or military control over

2 American Expansionism: Americans had always sought to expand the size of their nation Imperialism the policy in which stronger nations extended their economic, political, or military control over weaker territories With the belief of manifest destiny, Americans had already pushed their borders to the Pacific Ocean Three factors now fueled the new American Imperialism Desire for military strength Thirst for new markets Belief in cultural superiority

Desire for Military Strength: Noticing that other nations were establishing a global presence, American leaders pushed for a build up of military strength

3 Desire for Military Strength: Noticing that other nations were establishing a global presence, American leaders pushed for a build up of military strength Admiral Alfred T. Mahan of the U.S. Navy urged government officials to build up American naval power As a result, the United States built nine steel-hulled cruisers

Desire for Military Strength continued The creation and construction of the battleship (Maine, Oregon) transformed the country into the world s third largest naval

4 Desire for Military Strength continued The creation and construction of the battleship (Maine, Oregon) transformed the country into the world s third largest naval power In the early 1900s, the Navy s Great White Fleet was a sign of America s growing military power USS Connecticut leads the way for the Great White Fleet in 1907.

5 Thirst for New Markets: In the late 19 th century, advances in technology enabled American farms and factories to produce far more than American citizens could consume Now the U.S. needed raw materials for its factories and new markets for its agricultural and manufactured goods Imperialists viewed foreign trade as the solution to American over production and the related problems of unemployment and economic depression

6 Belief in Cultural Superiority: Cultural factors were used to justify imperialism Many argued that the United States had a responsibility to spread Christianity and civilization to the world s inferior peoples White Man s Burden

The United States Acquires Alaska: William Seward, Secretary of State under Lincoln and Jackson, was an early supporter of American expansionism In 1867, Seward arranged for the U.S. to buy Alaska from the Russians for 7.

7 The United States Acquires Alaska: William Seward, Secretary of State under Lincoln and Jackson, was an early supporter of American expansionism In 1867, Seward arranged for the U.S. to buy Alaska from the Russians for 7.2 million Many members of the House of Representatives called the purchase silly and referred to it as Seward s Icebox or Seward s folly Time showed how wrong these members of Congress were wrong In 1959, Alaska became a state and was rich in timber, minerals, Painting by Emanuel Leutze, depicting William H. Seward and Eduard de Stoeckl negotiating the Alaska Purchase.

8 The United States Takes Hawaii: Economically important to the United States (sugar, pineapples, bananas) American owned sugar plantations accounted for about three-quarters of the islands wealth White planters profited from close ties with the United States In 1875, the US agreed to import Hawaiian sugar duty-free

The United States Takes Hawaii continued The McKinley Tariff of 1890 provoked a crisis by eliminating the duty-free status of Hawaiian sugar American planters in Hawaii called for the US to annex the

9 The United States Takes Hawaii continued The McKinley Tariff of 1890 provoked a crisis by eliminating the duty-free status of Hawaiian sugar American planters in Hawaii called for the US to annex the islands so they wouldn t have to pay the duty U.S. military and economic leaders already knew the importance of the islands, Pearl Harbor was a strategic naval base dedicated to refueling American ships Ship's landing force at the time of the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, January 1893.

The United States Takes Hawaii continued American interests out way queen Liliuokalani power in Hawaii, and Ambassador John L. Stevens organized a revolution that would be headed by Sanford B.

10 The United States Takes Hawaii continued American interests out way queen Liliuokalani power in Hawaii, and Ambassador John L. Stevens organized a revolution that would be headed by Sanford B. Dole On August 12, 1898, Congress proclaimed Hawaii an American territory On August 12, 1898, the flag of the Kingdom of Hawaii was lowered to raise the United States flag to signify annexation

11 Five Objectives Which Guided U.S. Foreign Policy Destiny: desire to acquire land Dollars: ensure economic gains by increasing markets Defense: desire to aid less fortunate people Democracy: promote the spread of democracy Deity: promote the spread of Christianity

Why did the US want to claim small islands in the Pacific Ocean such as Midway Island and Wake Island?

US History & Government Imperialism Why did the US create an empire in the late 19 th Century? Social: Economic: Political: Religious: Military: China Why did the US want to claim small islands in the