I.New Imperialism
A.basic American attitudes
1.Monroe Doctrine - you keep out and we’ll keep out
2.U.S. resorts to isolationism - a better term might be withdrawal or preoccupation with
internal development
B.reasons for these attitudes
1.continentalism - no countries should acquire territory outside its continental boundaries
2.against American principles to rule without the consent of the governed
3.desire to avoid entanglements
4.desire to avoid military appropriations - particularly naval
5.desire to avoid absorbing alien races
6.preoccupation with domestic growth
7.obsolete navy
8.natural protection - wide oceans, weak neighbors
C.nevertheless, some attempts at involvement
1.Seward proposed purchase of Alaska, intervention in Korea, acquisition of Hawaii, Caribbean acquisitions
2.other attempts - annexation of Santa Domingo proposed, annexation of Canada proposed intervention in Cuba 1868-1878, naval stations in Samoa (1870s), naval harbors in Haiti (1880s)
D.foreign affairs activities
1.Pan-American Conferences (Blaine) 1881-1889
a.purpose was to establish a $100m customs union and arbitrate disputes
b.little accomplished except goodwill
c.real purpose was to control Latin America economically
d.Pan American Union formed
2.seal slaughter - Pribilof Islands - 1886
a.U.S. deems seals domestic animals who had wandered out of bounds during migration
b.U.S. seizes Canadian vessels
c.1893 arbitration orders U.S. to pay $500,000
3.Italian lynchings - 1891
a.11 Italians lynched in New Orleans
b.diplomatic relations severed - war possible
c.U.S. eventually pays $25,000
4.Chilean crisis - 1891
a.True Blue Saloon incident kills two American sailors
b.diplomatic relations severed - war possible
c.West coast seen as vulnerable
d.Chili agrees to pay $75,000
5.Venezuela - 1894-1895
a.boundary dispute between Great Britain and Venezuela - U.S. insists on arbitration
b.European problems eventually force Britain into arbitration
c.enhanced the Monroe Doctrine
6.Samoa
a.U.S. obtains naval rights in 1878
b.Germany attempts takeover by fostering a native rebellion
c.by 1887 it was said there was a new conspiracy every day
d.1889 - German and American ships face off - all six ships sunk by a hurricane - one
British ship makes it out to sea
e.1899 three powers agree to divide Samoa
7.Hawaii
a.by 1820 U.S. missionaries conspicuously present in Hawaii
b.by 1842 five-sixths of all ships visiting Hawaii were American
c.treaty attempts for duty=free Hawaiian sugar
d.renewed efforts made in 1884 - formally approved in 1887
e.1890 McKinley tariff removed it from the duty-free list
f.by 1890 Americans owned two-thirds of all the real estate - it was said that American missionaries came to Hawaii to do good, and did well
g.native revolt in 1893 overthrows Liliuokalani who was strongly nativist with open
help from the American navy
h.treaty of annexation proposed but Cleveland withdraws it because of U.S. involvement
i.eventually annexed during the Spanish-American War 7-7-98
II.Impulses toward New Imperialism
A.the passing of the frontier - developing American psychology of diminishing resources
B.panic of 1893 - desire to focus discontent elsewhere
C.reform and protest - desire to focus discontent elsewhere
D.exports - 1870-392m, 1890-857m, 1900-1.394b - the belief was that continued expansion
of overseas markets was necessary for continued U.S. economic development
E.world pressure - other nations were becoming imperialistic - “we must not fall out of line” -
get territory before all the good stuff is gone
F.Darwinian philosophy - if the natural world was governed by natural selection, social Darwinists
felt that the strongest and best should dominate human activity as well
G.Josiah Strong - missionary zeal - White Man’s Burden concept
H.political philosophy - superior institutions must be imposed for the benefit of the human race -
“There is no human right to the status of barbarism.”
I.yellow journalism
J.strong navy advocates sought something to emphasize the development of a strong U.S. fleet - Alfred Mahan - “The Influence of Sea Power Upon History - 1660-1783” - “Sea nations were the great nations.”
III.The Spanish-American War (“this splendid little war”)
A.by 1898, only Cuba and Puerto Rico remained as Spanish colonies in the Western Hemisphere
B.in Cuba, frequent attempts were made to overthrown Spanish rule between 1868-1878
C.1890s find new attempts to overthrow Spanish rule
D.reasons for revolt
1.continued misrule
2.1894 Wilson-Gorman Tariff created serious economic consequence as sugar was taken
off the duty-free list
3.Cuban nationalism
E.by 1895, brutality existed on both sides
1.rebels attempted a scorched earth policy - if there wasn’t much left, Spain would leave
a.concentrated on destroying sugar crops and processing mills
b.even dynamited passenger trains
2.1896 - “Butcher” Weyler sent to lead Spanish attempts to recontrol
a.established reconcentration camps - purpose was to hold entire villages prisoner so they couldn’t supply rebels
b.sanitary conditions were abominable - thousand died from yellow fever
c.Bailey DH 454, 457 - Hearst - New York Journal - “It is not only Weyler the soldier...but Weyler the brute, the devastator of haciendas, the destroyer of families, the outrager of women...Pitiless, cold, an exterminator of men...There is nothing to prevent his carnal, animal brain from running riot with itself in inventing tortures and infamies of bloody debauchery.” - Pulitzer -New York World - “Blood on the roadside, blood in the fields, blood on the doorsteps, blood, blood, blood! The old, the young, the weak, the crippled - all are butchered without mercy...Is there no nation wise enough, brave enough, strong enough to restore peace in this bloodsmitten land? -
Senator Proctor of Vermont - March 17, 1898 - “Torn from their homes, with foul air, foul earth, foul water, foul food or none, what wonder that one-half have died and one-quarter of the living are so diseased that they cannot be saved? Little children are still walking about with arms and chest terribly emaciated, eyes swollen, and abdomen bloated to three times the natural size...I was told by one of our consuls that they have been found dead about the market in the morning, where they have crawled, hoping to get some stray bits of food from the early hucksters.”
- it is estimated that in two years over 200,000 (1/8 of the total population) was wiped
out
F.Cleveland refused to budge (as bull headed as he was bull bodied) - stated that even if Congress declared war he would not issue the necessary orders to mobilize the army
G.both Cleveland and Weyler left their positions in 1897
H.into this emotional dispute stepped William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer who were
engaged in a heated circulation battle
1.yellow journalism (Yellow Kid) thrived on sensationalism
2.in the absence of abuses, they manufactured them
3.Hearst sent the noted artist Frederick Remington to Cuba to send back drawings
a.reported that conditions were not as bad as expected
b.Hearst tersely reprimanded him - “You supply the pictures, I’ll supply the war.”
c.Remington sends back pictures of burly Spanish guards strip searching an American woman - searches were actually conducted by female guards
4.Evangelina Cisneros implicated as a rebel and jailed
a.Hearst - her only crime was to defend her virtue against the lust of a Spanish officer
b.sent reported to Cuba - somehow managed to spring Cisneros from jail
c.Hearst headlines - “An American newspaper accomplished at a single stroke what
the red tape of diplomacy filed utterly to bring about in many months.”
d.Bishop of London cables congratulations
e.governor of Missouri suggests that Hearst send in 500 reporters and free the entire island
I.1898 events leading to the Spanish-American War
1.2-9-98 - DeLome Letter
a.ambassador’s letter stolen - refers to McKinley as an “ear to the ground politician,
a bidder for the admiration of the crowd.”
b.with sensational exposure it causes quite a stir
- contrast his remark with those of the Undersecretary of the Navy (Theodore
Roosevelt) - “white livered occupant of the White House” - “having the backbone of a
chocolate éclair”
d.ambassador resigns, but the dignity of the U.S. is injured and emotions aroused
2.the battleship Maine pays a friendly visit to Havana harbor, actually there to remove American nationals should conditions worsen - Mark Hanna remarked that sending it was like “waving a match over an oil well just for fun”
a.2-15-98 - the Maine explodes and sinks
b.who did it - possibilities
1.Spanish - least likely because of its desire not to involve other nations in the conflict
2.Cuban rebels attempting to pin the blame on Spain in an emotionally heated environment - most likely
3.internal explosion - distinct possibility because of typical boiler problems
c.conclusions of commissions
1.U.S. commission determines that it was an external submarine mine
2.Spanish commission determines that it was an internal explosion
3.1912 commission confirms it was an external explosion
4.1976 Rickover Commission concluded it was an internal explosion
3.Hearst headlines - “The Warship Maine was split in two by an enemy’s secret infernal
machine: the whole country thrills with war fever; the Maine was destroyed by treachery”
4.thus the battlecry - “Remember the Maine, To hell with Spain”
J.U.S. issues an ultimatum to Spain
1.end reconcentration
2.establish an armistice with the rebels
3.submit the dispute to arbitration
4.Spain agrees to U.S. demands 4-10-98
5.nevertheless, McKinley sends a war message to Congress 4-11-98
6.4-25-98 Congress declares war retroactive to 4-21-98 - note the lag time between the
message and the declaration
K.the Teller Amendment is attached
1.designed to show that the U.S. had no imperialistic motives in war with Spain
2.declared that the U.S. would grant Cuba their independence if we won
L.who wanted war
1.big business was not in favor of it because prosperity was returning and war provides a
degree of economic instability
2.McKinley didn’t want it
3.the people did want it
a.hyped up by sensationalism to an emotional fever pitch
b.desire to focus attention externally - hadn’t happened since the Mexican War
4.McKinley succomes to political pressure
a.support for the Congressional party
b.desire for reelection
M.songs portray the spirit in which the U.S. approached the war
1.“There’ll Be A Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight”
2.“Hail, Hail, the Gang’s All Here”
N.the balance sheet
1.U.S. forces totaled 28,00 - still largely on the frontier - increased to 68,000
2.volunteers estimated at 80,000-130,000
3.Spain had 200,000 troops in Cuba alone
4.on paper the Spanish fleet was superior - in fact it was in wretched condition
5.U.S. fleet was largely of recent construction
O.the war
1.Admiral Dewey stationed in Hong Kong
2.Undersecretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt - cabled Dewey that in the event of war, he was to descend on the Philippines
3.Secretary Long always hated leaving Roosevelt in command - afraid that his jingoistic
attitude would cause mischief
4.5-1-98 Dewey descends on Manila Bay
5.Dewey battles 10 Spanish warships with 6 of his own - sinks the entire Spanish fleet - 400 Spanish killed (one from heat stroke)
6.Dewey becomes a national hero - “Oh , dewy was the morning, upon the first of May, and Dewey was the admiral down in Manila Bay, and dewy were those Spanish eyes, them orbs of black and blue, and dew we feel discouraged, I dew not think we do.”
7.Dewey was unable to follow up because of a lack of troops
8.spends the summer sitting in Manila Bay until an attack can be launched 8-13-98
9.tension develops between German ships and U.S. but the British intervene on U.S. behalf
10.Hawaii annexed on 7-7-98
P.war in Cuba
1.organization for the war is very poor
2.17,000 troops show up in Tampa Bay - so many that troops literally had to fight their way
on board and fight to hold their position
3.issued heavy woolen uniform and long johns geared toward fighting Indians on the
frontier in the winter time
4.Rough Riders one of the most colorful groups
a.Roosevelt resigned as Undersecretary of the Navy so he could join the fight
b.composed of cowboys, polo players, and convicts
c.Leonard Wood commands - they become known as Wood’s Weary Walkers because their horse had to be left behind
5.Admiral Cervera dispatched from Spain to provide naval assistance
a.4 cruisers, one with no guns
b.6 torpedo boats (three sunk on the way)
c.nevertheless, U.S. east coast goes into a panic
1.vacationers abandon beaches
2.deposits are withdrawn to inland banks
3.Civil War vessels reactivated for coastal defense
d.takes the U.S. 5 days to land troops with no resistance
6.battles of San Juan Hill and El Carney
- General Shafter in charge - 300 pounds - needs to be carried around the battlefield on
a door
b.Spanish are able to concentrate only 13,000 troops around Santiago despite
having 200,000 in Cuba
c.can get only about 2000 into battle
d.Roosevelt was so nearsighted he brought along 12 extra pair of glasses - got to
shoot a Spaniard and reveled at how he “curled up like a jackrabbit.”
e.Mr. Dooley (Puck) - says Roosevelt’s accounts of his own importance are so bloated that they should be entitled “Alone In Cuba”
f.these two battles constitute the only major battles of the Spanish-American War
in Cuba - they are both solid U.S. victories
7.naval battle - the Battle of Santiago
a.Cervera kept his fleet bottled up in Santiago Harbor until ordered to engage
b.7-3-98 Battle of Santiago Bay Spanish fleet is destroyed
c.500 Spanish killed - 1 American killed - “Don’t cheer boys, the poor devils are dying.”
8.General Miles descends on Puerto Rico and easily captures it 7-13-98 - so easy that Mr.
Dooley suggests it be titled “General Miles’ Grand Picnic and Moonlight Excursion.”
Q.peace is worked out on 8-12-98 (note, the day before Dewey captures Manila)
R.U.S. troops are in dire straights in Cuba - 25,000 suffering from yellow fever
1.they are finally removed to Long Island where their summer uniforms finally arrive
2.many die as a result of the embalmed beef scandal (later effects regulation of the meat
packing industry
S.total deaths from the war - 460 killed in battle - 5200 die from disease
T.Treaty of Paris of 1899
1.U.S. gains Puerto Rico, Philippines, Guam
2.Cuba granted their independence
a.forced to write the Platt amendment into their constitution
b.no foreign nation was allowed to secure leases
c.limited indebtedness so that foreign nations would not have a right to intervene
d.U.S. could intervene in order to protect order
e.Cuba would sell or lease the U.S. a naval base (Guantanamo)
f.the real reason the U.S. didn’t annex Cuba was a $400m debt it would have to assume
3.Puerto Rico and Guam were retained by the U.S. - Teller amendment didn’t apply to it
4.Philippines a dilemma - to annex or to grant independence - U.S. ends up paying Spain
$20m for them
a.reasons for retaining
1.White Man’s Burden - Kipling - Take up the White Man’s burden, Ye dare not stoop to less, Nor call too long on freedom, To cloak your weariness.
2.business, which had not favored the war, saw economic benefit in retaining them
a.tremendous source of raw materials
b.possibility of new markets
c.possibility of stimulus to far eastern trade
b.reasons for freeing them
1.dearness of the principle of self government
2.fear of incorporating an alien population into the U.S. population - relate this
to immigration restriction sentiment of the time
3.big name opposition
a.William James and Mark Twain
b.Samuel Gompers and Andrew Carnegie
c.William James (Harvard) - “Goddamn the United States for its vile conduct
in the Philippine Isles.” He couldn’t believe the U.S. could “puke up its ancient soul in five minutes without a wink of squeamishness.”
d.Nash 689 -Take up the White Man’s Burden,
Send forth your sturdy kin,
And load them down with Bibles
And cannonballs and gin.
Throw in a few diseases
To spread the tropic climes,
For there the healthy niggers
Are quite behind the times.
They need our labor question, too,
And politics and fraud-
We’ve made a pretty mess at home,
Let’s make a mess abroad.
5.Bryan turns out to be the champion of the treaty
a.believed that the Republicans would receive blame for ratification
b.wishes to use it as a campaign issue in 1900
6.Senate approves the treaty by one vote - 2-6-99
U.significant of the Spanish-American War
1.showed the U.S. had attained the status of world power
2.increased prestige for the U.S. - Bismarck - “There is a special Providence that looks
after drunkards, fools, and the United States of America.”
3.made the U.S. a far eastern power - both in trade and military power
4.showed the distinct advantages of naval power
5.lessened the tension of the Civil War (Bailey) - Fighting Joe Hooker in the heat of battle
cried - “To Hell with the Yankees! Damn it, I mean the Spanish.”
6.showed the need for an isthmanian canal - Battleship Oregon had to travel around Cape
Horn to get into the Battle of Santiago
IV.The election of 1900
A.Republicans stand pat with McKinley and the full dinner pail
1.run on prosperity
2.continued talk of the menace of free silver
B.Democrats and Bryan insist that imperialism was the critical issue
1.remember Bryan’s support for the Treaty of Paris 1899
2.to some degree he is still interested in the free silver issue
C.kicking Roosevelt upstairs
1.the vice presidency was a death bed, a burial ground
2.Roosevelt was unruly as governor of New York
3.deal made between Hanna and Platt - Hanna - “”only a heartbeat between that wildeyed
madman, that damned cowboy, and the presidency.”
4.Roosevelt had no desire for the vice presidency other than to show he could get it
D.election never comes down to a mandate on imperialism
1.Bryan the untried v four more years of the full dinner pail
2.outcome - McKinley - 7.2m - 292 EV - Bryan - 6.3m - 155 EV
- Morton writing to Cleveland - “It is a choice between evils, and I’m going to shut my eyes,
Hold my nose, vote, go home and disinfect myself.”
V.Additional foreign policy issues
A.Open Door policy
1.John Hay is Secretary of State - aggressive, stubborn, arrogant, and good
2.background - Sino-Japnese War 1894-95 had exposed the pathetic weakness of the
Chinese government
3.European thus sought to maximize economic gain
4.China is partitioned into ‘spheres of influence’
5.these posed a threat to Chinese territorial integrity because they granted a certain