CH 28 Part 1[27 PART 2 IN OUR BOOK] Notes -- America on the World Stage 1899 -1909 p. 646 -653 “TR”
Note: if you are reading the digital edition just skip pp. 644 &645… we will come back to those as we begin the next chapter…remember that on the digital edition…ch. 28 is the same as 27 part 2 in our textbook J
“I never take a step in foreign policy unless I am assured that I shall be able eventually to carry out my will by force.” Teddy Roosevelt- 1905
“I bring you the stately matron named Christendom, returning bedraggled, besmirched, and dishonored from pirate raids in Kiao-Chou, Manchuria, South Africa, and the Philippines, with her soul full of meanness, her pocket full of boodle, and her mouth full of pious hypocrisies.” –Mark Twain, 1900
As America enters the new century, 20th, (later called the American Century), astonishing changes were happening… it was clear now that the USA was a WORLD POWER…these changes brought up difficult questions…What role should the United States play in the World? & Did this new power require a more powerful and potent Federal Government to secure American interest abroad?
Intro – see map p. 647 digital edition, “United States Possessions to 1917”
When the “liberty-loving” Filipinos learned that they would not be granted their independence, like the Cubans (limited we know – Platt Amendment) Bitterness toward the now “occupying” American troops erupted into open insurrection in 1899. The Philippines constitute over 7,000 islands, 175 languages- 20 taught in schools, and over 100 million people today.
*****The Filipino War 1899-1902, Moro Rebellion (southern) 1902 – 1913, was sordid and prolonged…more US soldiers killed and MORE SCANDAL (SEE ZINN***) than the SP-AM War. Many Americans wondered why we were fighting 10,000 miles away to “rivet shackles” on a people that asked for nothing but liberty—in the American Tradition.
“Little Brown Brothers” in the Philippines
As Filipino armies were defeated they melted into the jungle to fight a vicious guerilla war. The fighting was brutal, atrocities committed by both sides…these tales shocked the American People and did not reflect America’s better self; Water Torture, Concentration Camps, and killing women and children in mass slaughter. (The Native American might disagree?)
The first stage of the rebellion was broken by 1901, when the Americans capture the Filipino Rebel Leader, Emilio Aguinaldo. But sporadic fighting (see Zinn***) continued for many years, especially on the Southern “Moro” Islands.
McKinley, had to attempt now to govern the massive Philippine Archipelago. He appointed, future president, William H. Taft, to lead the “Philippine Commission,” and Taft’s mission was called, “Benevolent Assimilation.” Taft, who weighed about 350 lbs, formed a strong attachment to the Filipino’s so close that he called them his, “little brown brothers.”
The process was slow at first…Millions of American $$$ were sent to the islands to improve roads, sanitation, and public health…American Teachers set up a good school system…the sugar trade expanded…English became a strong second language…some thousands of Filipinos emigrate to the USA… Some continued to resist bravely until they earn their freedom after WW2 in 1946.
********************[note: our text does not really tell the full atrocious American effort in the Philippines…see Zinn to gain a much better understanding of what occurs here, ONE OF OUR DARKEST MOMENTS AS A NATION}
Makers of America: The Filipinos –
At the beginning of the 20th century the United States found itself in possession of the Philippines. Uncertain of how to manage this EMPIRE, which protested its status, the United States promised to build democracy in the Philippines and ready the islanders for “HOME RULE?”
Some Filipinos came to America…some for education so as to return to rule…most as laborers. Hawaii and the Pacific States turned to the Filipinos for cheap agricultural labor. By 1920, the Hawaiian Sugar Planters Association had brought thousands of young men to work in the Sugar or Pineapple fields.
Typically
Hinging the “OPEN DOOR” In China
The Empire of China, following its defeat by Japan in 1894-95, was crumbling…Imperialistic European Powers; Britain, Germany, France, and Russia –with Japan, were carving up “SPHERES OF INFLUENCE,” from the decaying Chines Empire.
Americans viewed this with alarm. Churches worried about their missions in China, Capitalists worried about the monopolization of the Chinese markets by Europeans, and the American public prodded by sensational stories in the “Yellow Press,” demanded that the Government do something.
Secretary of State, John Hay, does…in 1899…dispatched a communication to all of the Great Powers…called the OPEN DOOR NOTE I. This “note” urged the euros…that in their leaseholds, spheres of influence, 1 –they would respect Chinese Rights, and 2- have “fair competition”- free markets.
All of the countries accepted, but subject to the condition that all others do so as well…Russia, declined due to its want of Manchuria…however, John Hay announced that all countries had accepted this principle and proclaimed the OPEN DOOR in effect.
1900 – The Boxer Rebellion – The patriotic Chinese group known as the “Boxers” announced their mission to “Kill Foreign Devils,” over 200 whites were killed…and the diplomats in Beijing-(called Peking by us at this time) were surrounded and besieged.
A multi-national rescue force, 18,000 (2,500 Americans) strong, comes to the rescue of the besieged diplomats and stopped the rebels. After the rebellion was squelched the Nations involved hammered the Chinese with REPARATIONS (payments for damages) totaling 333 million$$$ (America received 24.5 million)
America returns 18.5 million to China…and the Chinese Govt in a gesture of goodwill set aside the $$$ to educate Chinese students in America…these students later play a significant role in the westernization of Asia.
John Hay was not finished in China, OPEN DOOR NOTE II, is announced; that as of the end of the boxer rebellion, all powers would respect the territorial integrity of China…along with the previous free market guarantee.
China was spared complete dismemberment during these troubled years…it salvation was due to the strength of the various powers interests that offset each others desires for complete control…
This conflict in China begins the process of ending the Dynasties and beginning a revolutionary period…from Dynasty to Sun Yat Sen to Warlord’s to communist revolution….
Imperialism or Bryanism in 1900? – the presidential election of 1900 ****
Pres. William McKinley is nominated again by the Republican Party….of course.
He had led us to victory in war… acquired new territories… established the Gold Standard… and Prosperity was in full swing… His platform in 1900 focused on continued expansion, supporting the Gold standard, and more prosperity.
********Key Event*******Teddy Roosevelt, the popular; current Gov. of NY, ex-roughrider- asst. sec. of navy, rancher, etc… was being considered for the VICE-PRESIDENCY…under McKinley… as Gov. of NY this popular REFORMER… was causing some PROBLEMS with the BIG BUSINESSMEN AND POLITICAL MACHINE BOSSES IN NY….they wanted to get rid of him…and put him in a job with no power or influence…the VP- in reality, this job does not have much influence….BUT…IF THE PRESIDENT WERE TO DIE…HE IS A HEARTBEAT AWAY FROM BECOMING PRESIDENT… of course that would never happen would it???
William Jennings Bryan is nominated again by the Democrats…as he was in 1896… (not Populists this time) Free-Silver as an issue was dead due to the increased amount of Gold discovered around the World which led to the wanted inflation and increase in prices…that populists wanted… not the other reforms though…but they will come soon…we will see TR and the progressives in action, soon. BRYAN’s main campaign issue was ANTI-IMPERIALISM…
Election of 1900 results – McKinley/TR win clearly…by almost a million votes and 292 to 155 in electoral votes…(remember the EC elects the President) and the Bosses in NY were happy that TR would be gone…so they thought…
TR: Brandisher of the “BIG STICK”
McKinley is murdered by a deranged anarchist in Buffalo, NY in Sep. 1901 after a little more than 6 months into his 2nd term…
TR BECOMES PRESIDENT – AGE 42 – YOUNGEST EVER…(youngest ever “elected” is JFK in 1960)
Who was TR….Wealthy, from NY…passionate believer in physical fitness due to a sickly childhood… Graduated from Harvard, phi beta kappa (top of class), author, ranch owner in the Dakotas, politician…
ELECTRIFYING – PERSONAL CHARISMA… TR LOVED TO FIGHT…unconventional…and loved people of all backgrounds… A REFORMER-A RADICAL (when it suited him or his goals) A liberal in domestic policy and a conservative in foreign policy… ENORMOUSLY POPULAR WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE…AND BELIEVED IN DIRECT ACTION…
“Speak softly and carry a big stick, and you will go far.” TR
TR BELIEVED THAT THE PRESIDENT MAY TAKE ANY ACTION IN THE GENERAL INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE …AS LONG AS IT WAS NOT SPECIFICALLY FORBIDDEN BY THE CONSTITUTION…(JACKONIAN-HAMILTONIAN- LOOSE VIEW OF CONSTITUTION… FOR HIM)
AN “imperial” President… The first of a few in this century that lead America by the force of his personality…and did just about anything he wanted…Things are about to change dramatically and begin the PROGRESSIVE ERA 1901-1920***********
Columbia blocks the Canal – building and protecting the PANAMA CANAL(1904-1914)*****
Now that the US had possessions in the Pacific…How would we effectively protect those possessions?
BUILD A CANAL THROUGH CENTRAL AMERICA…(main purpose was to allow our NAVY to go more quickly between oceans….business too…
OBSTACLES TO BUILDING CANAL:
1 Clayton-Bulwer Treaty- w/GBritain, 1850, - according to this treaty the US could NOT…have EXCLUSIVE CONTROL OVER A CANAL…
This is overcome by another treaty, THE HAY-PAUNCEFOTE TREATY IN 1901, - gave the US the ability to build the canal and right to fortify the canal as well.
2 Where to build the Canal – Nicaragua or (Columbia- later Panama) – Phillip Bunau-Varilla (representative of the canal co. that owned the land on the proposed route- and later the 1st President of an newly independent Panama) dropped the price of the “Panamanian route” land from 109 million$ to 40 million $ …
Congress in 1902, decided on the “Panama” route…BUT…”Panama” was part of Columbia…and they did not want to allow the US to control and build the Canal…FOR ANY PRICE…
Uncle Sam Creates Puppet Panama
The “Panamanians” had rebelled numerous times against Columbia in the past…and time was ripe for another revolt… They expected a large flow of $$$ would come to their area with the building of the CANAL… and feared that Columbia’s refusal to allow the USA to build the CANAL would take that $$$ away to Nicaragua.
Phillip Bunau-Varilla, leader of the Panamanian-French Canal Co., raised a “Patriot” army and began a “Revolution” on Nov. 3, 1903. US Naval forces prevented Columbian troops from interfering and so the “Revolution”( one Chinese Worker and a Donkey were killed in the uprising) was successful. President Teddy Roosevelt OFFICIALLY RECOGIZED THE NEW NATION OF PANAMA THREE (3) DAYS AFTER THE “REVOLUTION.” Phillip Bunau-Varilla became the Leader of the NEW Govt of Panama, despite his French citizenship.
****The HAY-BUNAU-VARILLA TREATY- CREATES THE PANAMA CANAL…A TEN MILE WIDE STRIP OF LAND ACROSS THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA- 40$ MILLION. This strip of land was US Soil…all of those born here were US Citizens…. And US law was sovereign.
****Reactions: relationships with Latin American Countries begins a downward spiral…. lifted by the “BIG SISTER” policy of Blaine-Cleveland, 1st Pan-American Conference, in the 18880’s into the early 1890’s….The rapacious policies of McKinley during the Spanish-American War, in Puerto Rico, Cuba, and now Under TR…in Panama….led to the Latin American nations fearing the “BIG BROTHER” “COLOSSUS OF THE NORTH” USA…and this “Protective” trend continued to hurt our relationships with those nations and the ERA OF THE BIG BROTHER POLICY IS LAUNCHED.
TR BUILDS A CANAL: claimed that he had a “mandate from civilization” to build the CANAL… the “DIRT BEGAN TO FLY” in 1904 in Panama… GEORGE WASHINGTON GOETHELS, West Point engineer, and Col. WILLIAM C. GORGAS, Dr. who sprayed for mosquito’s to prevent YELLOW FEVER…(As they had done in Cuba) Both…contribute to the amazing success of the CANAL PROJECT… in 1914 THE CANAL WAS COMPLETED AT A COST OF 400$ MILLION…(XC- use an inflation calculator to determine the cost$ of building the canal today) – it is completed just as WWI is beginning in Europe.
TR’s perversion of Monroe Doctrine – The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine****************
The concern of the USA at this point was that the “IMPERIALIST” Europeans were looking to expand to Latin America…(Africa had two (2) independent nations left on its entire continent at this point…Asia…was similar… the “undeveloped areas” of the world were being “CIVILIZED” at a rapid rate by the European Powers.
It seemed as if there was a “RACE” to grab territory around the world….
**********TR was concerned about the possibility that European Countries would begin to DEFY THE ANCIENT MONROE DOCTRINE…and begin to attempt to colonize Latin America…and in doing so threaten the USA.***************
********************Evidence of the European activity was seen in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic…both nations had borrowed huge sums of $$$ from European countries and NOT PAID IT BACK…Germany sent its navy to collect….sinking ships and bombing towns in early 1903. TR’s concern was that this “tactic” of loaning huge sums of $$$ to these struggling Latin American nations…who they suspected could not and would not pay these loans back… this would give the European Nations an “EXCUSE” to INVADE THESE NATIONS TO COLLECT A DEBT…. Once the European Troops were in they would never leave…thus setting up “colonies” in the Western Hemisphere in VIOLATION OF THE MONROE DOCTRINE…
TR devised-and DECLARES - a policy of “PREVENTITIVE INTERVENTION” – [The Roosevelt Corollary of the Monroe Doctrine****************
In the event of future financial wrongdoings by Latin American nations, THE UNITED STATES itself would intervene, take over the customhouses of the particular country in debt, pay off the debt for that country and KEEP THE TROUBLESOME “IMPERIALIST” EUROPEAN NATIONS OUT OF THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE. UNCLE SAM BECAME THE POLICEMAN OF THE CARIBBEAN AND LATIN AMERICA.
This “BIG STICK POLICY” began to be enforced in 1905 (TR’s second term – 1st elected term) when the USA sent troops to the Dominican Republic to manage Tariff Collections to pay off a debt… and do so successfully in two years.