The Imperial Republic

The Imperial Republic Chapter 20

“Progress” and Imperialism • 1. European Nations in Africa and Asia • 2. Americans in Appalachian West, Louisiana Territory, Florida, Texas, Oregon, Mexico Territory, Oregon/Washington… Alaska

William Seward • 1. Alaska (1860s) • Purchased for $7.2 million • “Sewards Folly” • 2. Midway Islands (1867)

Stirrings of ImperialismThe New Manifest Destiny Increase of Foreign Trade • 1870 exports $382 million • 1900 exports $1.4 billion “closing of the frontier” - Frederick Jackson Turner • demand for new territory • bitter social protests and the need for outlet

Senator Beveridgefrom Indiana “We are raising more than we can consume. Today, we are making more than we can use. Therefore, we must find new markets for our produce, new occupation for our capital, new work for our labor.” • Imperialist fever in Europe

Senator Henry Cabot Lodge • “we must not fall out of line of the march” • Social Darwinism and the advancement of the “Anglo-Saxon race” • Alfred T. Mahan and the importance of naval power • 1870s shipbuilding program • 1898 fifth in the world… 1900 third in the world Alfred T. Mahan Henry Cabot Lodge

Hemispheric Hegemony • Secretary of State James Blaine expands Americas influence in Latin America • Blaine wanted inter-American customs union and arbitration in disputes • Gets Pan-American Union… weak • Cleveland and a near war with Britain over boundary dispute with Venezuela

Hawaii • Pressure for American Presence • naval base? • Americans who had settled on the islands • Lead-in History • 1500 BC Polynesian people • 1790s first American settlers from New England • King Kamehameha welcomes traders • 1830s William Hooper = first sugar planter • Prime Minister GP Judd

Hawaii Continued • American Impact • Another genocide (disease and religion) • 1875 agreement allows sugar to enter USA duty free in trade for Pearl Harbor • sugar planters dominate and divide • Queen Liliuokalani • American Revolution and the fight against taxes becomes a fight for statehood • treaty of annexation tied up in party politics finally ratified: 1898

Samoan Islands • 1878 Hayes administration extracts treaty from Samoan leaders giving them access to harbor at Pago Pago … and a hand in their dealings with other countries • Great Britain and Germany have interest in Samoa… major division, but deal made where US keeps Pago Pago

War With Spain • Impact: changing American attitude from idea to fierce expression.

Controversy over Cuba • Cubans resisting Spanish rule since 1868… battle for independence in which US does not intervene • 1895 Cuba rises up again • due impart to bad economy caused by American tariffs on sugar • atrocities by Cubans, “Butcher Welyer”… American Press Butcher Welyer

Pulitzer vs. Hearst = Yellow Journalism • “you furnish the pictures and I’ll furnish the war” • Hearst and Pulitzer dressed as “Yellow Kid” cartoon (printed with yellow ink) and where term “yellow journalism” comes from.

Cuba Libre clubs • -Cleveland and McKinley: different attitudes towards war • -1897 Cuban insurrection loosing ground… looks as if war might be averted

Two events that changed everything • Dupuy de Lome wrote a letter that was intercepted that called McKinley weak • American battleship Maine blew up in Havana harbor • 260 dead • later reports concluded the explosion was caused inside the ship Dupuy de Lome Maine • “Remember the Maine!” • McKinley asks for Declaration of War April 25

“A Splendid Little War” • April to August 1898 • “mopping up” exercise • Problems facing the American Soldier • 460 Americans killed in battle / 5,200 others died of disease • supply problems • heavy uniforms • malnourishment • poor mobilization effort • from frontier to regimented battle • African American Soldiers • Segregated regiments • interesting travels through the South • Cuban insurgents fight blacks with whites (Antonio Maceo) • Major roll at San Juan Hill and won many medals

Seizing the Philippines • No agency in the American military had clear authority over strategic planning (pre-Pentagon) • Theodore Roosevelt • Assistant Secretary of the Navy • Ardent imperialist • Active proponent of the war • Minor figure in the military hierarchy… but orders Commodore George Dewey to attack naval forces in the Philippines (a colony of Spain) in the event of the war* • Theodore Roosevelt

Philippines Continued • On May 1 1898 Dewey sailed into Manila Bay and completely destroyed the aging Spanish fleet • Manila surrenders, Dewey is a hero, everyone celebrates… • What had begun as a war to free Cuba was becoming a war to strip Spain of its colonies

Battle for Cuba • hurried incompetence is the character of the US invasion • Colonel Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders • -jingo fever • -Kettle Hill and San Juan Hill • -TR unscathed, but 100 of his soldiers were killed or wounded • -“the greatest day of my life”

Cuba Continued • Spanish surrender • disaster seemed eminent because US ships could not enter the harbor at Santiago because of mines • Lack of Communication • the Spanish gov’t had already decided Santiago was lost • ordered Cervera to evacuate… out of the harbor • waiting American squadron destroyed his entire fleet • Terms of surrender • Spain recognizes Cuban independence • Ceded Puerto Rico and Guam to the United States • Accepted American occupation of Manila

Puerto Rico and the United States • many rebellions against Spain during the 1800s • annexation takes place with little controversy in the US • original relationship between PR and US was colonial • Jones Act of 1917 makes all PR citizens • economy very dependent on foreign trade • continued debate: closer ties to US or independence

The Debate over the Philippines • large and densely populated territory thousands of miles away • McKinley claimed divine guidance for his decision to accept responsibility for the islands • returning them to Spain “cowardly and dishonorable” • turning them over to another imperialist power would be “bad business and discreditable” • Filipinos as “unfit for self-government” • Solution: educate and Christianize them

Treaty of Paris 1898 • Confirmed terms of the Armistice re: Cuba, Guam and PR • Spain surprised when Americans demand Philippines • Americans offer $20 million for it

Debate Continued • Powerful anti-imperialist movement in the United States • against America’s commitment to human freedom • “polluting” of the American population • Industrial workers feared being undercut by cheap labor • Large standing army • Anti-Imperialist League • Powerful pro-imperialist forces • war as good • business opportunities • Republicans saw advantage of winning a war • People thought it would be easy… after all the US already owned the islands

Debate Continued • “Uncivilized” Filipinos = status of American Indians • 14th Amendment • William Jennings Bryan surprise support backfires • Treaty ratified Feb 6 1899 • McKinley wins re-election by a bigger landslide…with T. Roosevelt on the ticket

The Republic as Empire-Governing the Colonies • Some “American Dependencies” presented little problems: Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico • territorial status and citizenship • US navy took control of Guam and Tutuila

Cuba was a problem • US built roads, schools, hospitals and introduced legal, financial and medical advances • BUT imperial dominance / economic domination • Cuba passes a constitution with no reference to the US • US passes Platt Amendment • gave US right to intervene in Cuba • American naval stations in Cuba • Left Cuba with only nominal political independence • Rebellion to “Yankee Imperialism

The Philippine War • Results • One of Americas longest wars (1898-1902) • 4,300 American deaths (10x the number that died in combat during the Spanish American war) • 50,000? Filipinos • guerilla tactics by Filipinos • Brutality similar to Spaniards… • American miscalculations • numbers • level of support for Emilio Aguinaldo • Decision: more brutal • Filipino prisoners of war executed • Concentration camps • Destroyed villages, crops and livestock • “…shoot everyone over the age of 10” • 15 Filipinos for every one wounded… US Civil War 1 person dead for every five wounded • “Secure Possession” • Aguinaldo captured and signs treaty urging followers to stop fighting • War revived intermittently until as late as 1906 • William Howard Taft: first governor of Philippines • goal was to prepare islands for autonomy • schools, bridges, sewers, etc… • Gradual autonomy • Philippine economy totally linked/dependent United States • July 4, 1946 “independence” Emilio Aguinaldo

The Open Door • China had long represented a major economic interest to western powers • By 1900 England, France, Germany, Russia and Japan were beginning to carve up China among themselves • “concessions” and territory seizures • McKinley wants America to have trading power in China but wishes to avoid war • “Asking only the open door for ourselves, we are ready to accord the open door to others”

The Open Door Continued • John Hay comes up with “Open Door Notes” addressed to England, Germany, Russia, France, Japan and Italy and had three parts • Each nation with a sphere of influence in China was to respect the rights and privileges of other nations in its sphere • Chinese officials were to continue to collect tariff duties in all spheres • Nations were not to discriminate against other nations in levying port dues and railroad rates within their own spheres John Hay

The Open Door Continued, Again • Some negative response to “Open Door”, but Jay asserts that its “final and definitive” • unless US is willing to go to war, it could not enforce the policy • Boxer Rebellion • martial-arts society takes control of British embassy in Peking • Imperial powers send in combined forces to rescue diplomats • in August of 1900 breaks the siege • McKinley and Hay use the Rebellion as a springboard for Open Door policy

Modern Military System • Spanish American War demonstrated tremendous problems in American military • McKinley appoints Elihu Root, a corporate lawyer from New York, to supervise military overhaul between 1900-1903 • enlarged from 25,000-100,000 • National Guard = never again state militias to fight a war • Joint Chiefs of Staff: military advisory to Secretary of War • Establishment of a central planning agency… Elihu Root

The Imperial Republic