Discussion Question
Foreign Affairs and the Reemergence of Manifest Destiny
Professor Meeks
The New Manifest Destiny
“jingoes” – believed that domestic tensions could be resolved by focusing on foreign policy and creating a stronger national identity.
“jingoes” = expansionists
Expansionists also influenced by foreign competition (Americans were looking at imperialism abroad)
Specifically what happen at the Berlin Conference in 1884-1885, when the political lines that define the current shape of Africa were drawn
US was also looking at the Far East and China
“We don’t want to be left out!”
Alfred Thayer Mahan
The embodiment of imperialism
Beliefs:
Countries that were great naval forces were the great nations of history. (This meant that you needed colonies – remember England)
We needed naval defensive bases in the Caribbean and the Pacific and we needed to possess Hawaii
Reality Check – We ain’t got it like that… Yet!
Shipbuilding Program
During the 1870s and the 1880s we launch a shipbuilding program
By 1898 we are fifth among the world’s naval powers
By 1900 we are third
Foreign Affairs
Alaska – 1867 William H. Seward purchased Alaska from Russia for ~$7M
Journalist called the purchase “Seward’s Folly”
Eastern Asia
We begin trade relations with China 1784 after the Revolutionary War
1844 China gains most-favored-nation status
We are trading with the Chinese
We send missionaries to China
We also force Japan and Korea to trade with us
We are very interested in the Pacific
Specifically Hawai’i
Hawaii
Hawaii was important to US trade with China from early in the nineteenth century – because it was a way station for American ships
By 1880s we want Pearl Harbor as a permanent base for U.S. Ships.
There are also a good number of Americans who have established themselves in Hawaii
Hawai’i
1500 B.C. Polynesian people settle Hawai’i
1790s A.D. Americans start to arrive from New England
They bring their diseases with them
1810 a series of battles erupts among the Hawaiians
King Kamehameha establishes his rule and welcome American traders and helps them establish trade relations with China (of course We want MORE!)
1819 Missionaries from New England go to Hawai’i
They are trying to convert Hawaiians to Christianity
Other whites bring alcohol, guns, and luxury items
1830 William Hooper of Boston established the first sugar plantation
1840s planters are spread out across Hawai’i
1874 King David Kalakaua improved relations between US and Hawai’i
1875 Treaty – opens door for Hawaiian sugar to come to United States duty free
Issues:
Americans insert themselves into the economic and political structure of Hawai’I
Hawaiians not comfortable
1887 US negotiates a treaty with Hawai’i that allowed the US to open Pearl Harbor as a Naval bases
Revolution in Hawai’i
1893 Revolution breaks out due in part to:
American tariff rates on Sugar – McKinley Tariff stipulated that all sugar could enter the United States without paying a tariff
Hawaiian planters start talking about annexing Hawai’i to the United States
Queen Lili’uokalani comes to power in 1891 (she is a nationalist)
1893 John Stevens U.S. marines orders 150 marines to land in Hawai’i and Queen Lili’uokalani surrenders
New republic recognized and Hawai’i was recognized as a protectorate of the United States and we raise the American Flag
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Presidential Response
President Harrison rejected what Steven’s had done but he negotiated with representatives of the new republic anyway
Grover Cleveland becomes president before the Senate received the treaty for annexation. Cleveland would only consider annexation if the Hawaiian people wanted it
Latin America
1890 because of the McKinley Tariff Cuban Sugar can enter the United States free
1894 there is a new tariff that reinstated the tariff on Cuban sugar
Cuba wants to be free of Spanish rule
1896 Spain establishes a detention policy – General Valeriano Weyler
Civilians were put into camps
Civilians in camps were insurgents (rebels)
Disease killed many Cubans in these camps
American Response
Journalists – Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst reported these Spanish atrocities
Yellow Journalism
Americans want to save the Cubans
President Cleveland wanted to avoid American involvement
Things Heat up in Cuba
January 1898 pro-Spanish Cubans riot in Havana against the idea of a free Cuba – Cuba libre
Americans are neutral and this causes Anti-American sentiment to rise in Cuba
McKinley sends in the Maine because he is under so much pressure
Feb. 15, 1989 the Maine explodes, 266 Americans are killed and the Spanish are blamed
April 25, Congress passes a resolution calling for war against the Spanish
April 11 McKinley sent letter to Congress, stating the war in Cuba must stop and asked permission of Congress to act
April 19 Congress replied with four resolutions
Declaration that Cuba was and should be independent
Spain withdraw immediately
Authorized the president to use force to compel Spain to withdraw
Disavowed any intention to annex the island (Teller Amendment)
April 25 resolution passes
But Why are we in this Fight?
1898 America goes to war with Spain over Cuba, but why
Cubans steal a letter from Enrique de Lome where de Lome criticized President McKinley as “weak and a bidder for the admiration of the crowd.”
February 15 the USS Maine blows up and over 260 Americans are killed.
McKinley calls for mediation, and end to fighting, an end to detention, and Cuban independence
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If This is a war to Free Cuba, why are we in the Philippines???!!
Philippines were also a Spanish colony
Strategic location
May 1 United States defeats Spain in Manila
Theodore Roosevelt – assistant secretary of navy was influenced by British friends to believe that the war in Cuba was a most opportune time to expand the American empire.
So What Does Roosevelt do?
He sends the Navy’s Pacific Fleet to the Philippines, with orders to attack as soon as the US declares war.
May 1, 1898 Commodore George Dewey led the fleet into Manila harbor and obliterated the Spanish fleet and forced the Spanish to surrender Manila.
Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders
African Americans in “The Splendid Little War”
Large number of invasion forces consisted of black soldiers
Volunteers
Members of the four black regiments in the regular army
Racial tensions are extremely high in the US and in Cuba
Blacks played a major role in the Battle of San Juan Hill
Buffalo Soldiers
Cuba
The Spanish try to flee Cuba July 3, they are destroyed by the Americans
Spanish surrender July 16 in Santiago
July 25 United States occupies Puerto Rico
War lasted sixteen weeks
August 12 and armistice is signed ending the war
The Treaty of Paris
Major issue the Philippines
August 12 cease fires
December 1898 Treaty of Paris signed
Terms of the treaty:
Spain to surrender Cuba
Cede Puerto Rico and Guam
Sell the Philippines for $20M
No U.S. citizenship to the residents of these areas
No provision for future statehood
What are we doing???
We just became imperialist (colonizers)
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1902 Cuba became a protectorate of the United States
Philippines
Filipino people are not happy about being annexed to the United States of America
Reality check America – the Philippines is thousands of miles away from the US – what do you really want over here???
We had options – we could have given the Philippines back to Spain, but then we look weak
We could have turned them over to France, Germany, or Britain – um no we would be discrediting ourselves
So What’s the Solution?
“take them all and educate the Filipinos, and up lift and Christianize them, and by God’s Grace do the very best we could by them.” - McKinley
American Resistance
Anti-imperialist movement rises to oppose the purchase of the Philippines
Belief that imperialism was immoral – it went against our commitment to human freedom
Some believed that we were “polluting” the American population with inferior Asian races
Industrialist fear being undercut by cheap laborers flooding our borders
Conservatives were thinking about keeping standing armies that would threaten American liberties
Sugar growers do not want competition
Anti-imperialists League is established in 1898 in Boston, Ma to fight against the ratification of the Paris Treaty
Pro-Imperialists
Theodore Roosevelt
Belief that acquiring an empire was the way to give the nation new life
Businessmen saw this as a way to dominate Asian trade
Republicans saw this as a way of building up political favor
Best argument for annexation, however, was the fact that we had already bought the islands.
Governing the Colonies
Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico – were no threat they had territorial status (their residents were American citizens)
The navy took control of Guam and Samoa
Cuba was a huge problem
Americans remain in Cuba until 1902 building roads, schools, hospitals, helping build up the infrastructure, they introduce medical and sanitation reforms
They also paved the road for American economic domination
Cuba’s Constitution
The original constitution in 1900 did not mention the US
Congress says hold up wait a minute, naw that ain’t gone work.
Congress passes that Platt Amendment in 1901
Platt Amendment
Cuba could not make agreements with any foreign power that hindered its independence
The United States could intervene in Cuba to preserve Cuban independence and maintain law and order
Cuba has to lease facilities to the United States for naval bases and coaling stations
Cuba is only free in name, not practice
Philippine War
It ain’t easy being an imperial power
From 1898 to 1902 the Philippines wages war against the US
Over 200,000 American troops involved
4,300 American deaths
~50,000 Filipino deaths
Emilio Aquinado claimed to be the legitimate head of government
Intense racial undertones – Filipinos were called “niggers” by American soldiers
African Americans realize the similarities between tehmselves and the Filipinos
America Wins the War
March 1901 Aguinaldo is captured and forced to sign a document urging his followers to stop fighting