Chapter 18 Section 1 Part 1

1. Chapter 18 Section 1 Part 1

2. American Expansionism • Extended control toward Pacific Ocean • American leaders had become convinced that the U.S. should join imperialist powers of Europe to establish colonies overseas • Imperialism – stronger nations extend their economic, political, and military control over weaker territories 

3. Global Competition European nations established colonies for centuries Africa emerged as prime target of European expansionism Imperialists competed for territory in Asia (China). Hoping military strength would bolster industrialization, Japan joined European nations in competition for China in the 1890’s.

4. Americans gradually warmed up to the idea of expansion overseas • Belief in manifest destiny, they already had pushed the U.S. border to the Pacific Ocean • Three factors fueled the Imperialism: • Desire for military strength • Thirst for new markets • Belief in cultural superiority 

5. Desire for Military Strength • As other nations establish global military presence, American leaders advised that the U.S. build up its own military strength • Alfred T. Mahan of the U.S. Navy was one of these • He urged government to build up American naval power in order to compete with other powerful nations • The construction of modern battleships such as the Maine and the Oregon transformed the country into the world’s third largest naval power.

6. Thirst for new Markets • Advances in technology enabled American farms and factories to produce far more than American citizens could consume • Now US needed raw materials for its factories and new markets for its agricultural and manufacturing goods • Imperialist viewed foreign trade as the solution the American overproduction and the related problems of unemployment and economic depression. 

7. Belief in Cultural Superiority Some believed in Social Darwinism – a belief in racial superiority of Anglo-Saxons Argued that the US had a responsibility to spread Christianity and “civilization” to the world’s “inferior peoples”

8. The United States Acquires Alaska • Early supporter of expansionism was William Seward • 1867 – Seward arranged to buy Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million • Had trouble persuading the House of Representatives to approve funding for the purchase • Some thought it was silly to buy what they called “Seward’s Folly” or “Seward’s Icebox” • Time showed how wrong they were • In 1959, Alaska became a state, for about two cents an acres, the US had acquired a land rich in timber, minerals, and oil