University:
California State University, Northridge
Course:
HIST 271 | The United States Since 1865
Academic year:

2016
Views:

139

Pages:

19
Author:

Farneamvi

The Origins of the American Empire 1. Timing of an expansionist foreign policy - Why now? 1-- Industrial expansion convinces some U.S. politicians and businessmen to pay more attention to countries abroad as possible markets for American products. The European market offers tangible gains. Elsewhere, there is only "potential" for gains. Much of this "potential" is overstated - especially the so- called China market. 2-- The Depression of 1893 gives a sense of urgency - "We must gain foreign markets before the next depression hits." 3-- The other Great Powers - France, England, Germany, Japan, and Russia - appear to be expanding their influence into the non- industrialized world and the Americans fear they are being "shut out." Some argue: "Even if we don't yet have markets to exploit, we need to expand our influence in the developing world before other nations get ahead of us." 4-- Domestic Politics: Anti-British rhetoric ("Twisting the lion's tail") always plays well with voters. When a crisis in Venezuela erupts, the US insists it must mediate between the British and the Venezuelans. 5--Psychological Reasons? GENDERED LANGUAGE EMERGES late 19th Century -- Broader crisis of masculinity brought on by the closing of the frontier and urbanization and industrialization Men no longer "tame the West" or fight wars, they have sedentary office jobs and are "going soft." II. The Spanish-American War A. ORIGINS 1868-78. CUBA LIBRE! Movement begins. Spanish imperial government is corrupt and authoritarian. Small clique of Spanish landowners exploit the labor of native workers and treat them terribly. They're backed up by the Spanish military. U.S. government defends Cubans and protests Spain's policies. Spain promises reform. None forthcoming. U.S. doesn't do anything militarily - army is too busy policing the South during Reconstruction or fighting Indians in the West. U.S. offers to mediate - Spain rejects the offer 1895. Cuban rebels take up a new strategy. To get rid of the Spanish, cut their source of revenue. BURN the sugar cane fields. "Work is a crime against the Revolution! Blessed be the Torch!" - Maximo Gomez doesn't want war. Repeat his terms to the Spanish convinced they don't want war either. Last minute talks about an armistice brokered by the Pope fall through. April 19 Congress declares war WAR FOR CUBA BEGINS IN THE PHILIPPINES Admiral Dewey had been told to be ready to leave Hong Kong to attack the Spanish in the Philippines. 1 MAY - DEWEY STEAMS INTO MANILLA BAY Harbor mined with mines...without fuses. "Fire when ready, Gridley!" Spanish fleet wiped out in a matter of hours. U.S. Navy even had time to take a breakfast break. Eight US sailors wounded from flying wood splinters of exploding Spanish ships. (Dewey has 9 ships to the Spanish 16) US has first hero of the war (and a song): OH DEWEY WAS THE MORNING UPON THE FIRST OF MAY AND DEWEY WAS THE ADMIRAL DOWN IN MAILLA BAY AND DEWEY WERE THE REGENT'S EYES THOSE ORBS OF ROYAL BLUE AND DO WE FEEL DISCOURAGED? I DO NOT THINK WE DO! Babies named after him; GUM- Dewey's Chewies; laxative; had his wife not been a Catholic, he might have been nominated for president. ACROSS THE WORLD, THE FIGHT BEGINS IN CUBA Logistical nightmare. How to move 17,000 men from Florida to Cuba? Teddy Roosevelt's horse pushed off the ship and instead of heading toward land promptly swims off to sea. Luckily, he brought a spare. Uniforms stuck in a railroad depot for weeks -- Wool uniforms to wear in the tropics! embalmed beef "DISGUSTING IN TASTE EXCEPT TO THE MAGGOTS WHO GOT TO IT BEFORE THE SOLDIERS DID" Bad sanitary conditions; 5400 US soldiers DEAD -- only 345 of them in battle. The rest die from disease. Army leadership was poor- ex-Civil War generals, some Confederate One charges up San Juan Hill yelling, "WE'VE GOT THE DAMN YANKEES ON THE RUN!" No shortage of spirit though Incredible response → War Department estimates it will need to recruit 200,000 men; 500,000 volunteer. At Cornell University, you even got college credit if you fought in the war! Everyone volunteered - blacks, Indians, Wild West performers, Harvard types out to prove their manhood, Southerners out to prove their loyalty. Demonstrated during the charge up Kettle Hill. TR charges into a hail of bullets, sword drawn. Come on, boys! Are you afraid to stand up while I am on horseback?" Spanish troops, many of them barefoot teenagers who don't want to be there anyway can't figure out these Americans. The Americans charge into rifle fire coming at them from higher ground, and having reached the top of the hill, Spanish POWs recall: "THEY TRIED TO CATCH US WITH THEIR HANDS!" NO COLOR LINE "HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THAT NEGRO CAVALRY, THE ROUGH RIDERS WOULD HAVE BEEN EXTERMINATED." Says one of TR's men. Within five months, the Spanish surrender. A SPLENDID LITTLE WAR, declared the US Secretary of State. US TAKES CONTROL OF CUBA, PUERTO RICO, GUAM, PHILIPPINES IV. Aftermath of the War What now? What to do with new territories? Teller Amendment forbids US from keeping CUBA as a colony US DECIDES IT MUST PURSUE AN IMPERIAL POLICY AND TAKE CONTROL OF THESE TERRITORIES, BUT IT DOES SO VERY RELUCTANTLY... US buys Philippines for $20 million from Spain WHY keep the Empire? - MOTIVATIONS 1. DUTY Spiritual UPLIFT and MISSION. Bring American "know-how" to those "less fortunate." To be fair, the Americans actually did quite a bit of good: - Opened schools - Improved health facilities Paved Roads Introduced a banking system Mechanized/modernized farming Set up an efficient government and improved public services 2. DESTINY Had it stopped at DUTY, perhaps things would have been ok. But racism was tied closely to notions of DESTINY. Americans had no interest in receiving input from the native residents, many of whom saw how the Americans could help them, but wanted a voice in their own country. When the Americans ran into resistance, they justified their attacks on the natives as "God's will" and appealed to social Darwinism ("survival of the fittest race") to justify atrocities. Anyone who opposed the US impeded "progress." First two "D"s are IDEALISTIC motivations. Second two "D"s are REALISTIC motivations 3. DEFENSE US feels it must retain a presence in Philippines or other nations will move into the power vacuum and keep the U.S. from having coaling stations. This is an argument discussed in Washington, but the average person does not think in such sophisticated ways. A small group of elites think in strategic terms and read Alfred Thayer Mahan's theories about projecting naval power, but the "defense" argument doesn't sell well with the people. They prefer the "uplifting" and idealistic arguments. 4. DOLLARS Some claim "Big Business" wants captive/sheltered markets and raw materials - not really Sugar Trust doesn't want access to more sugar - Colonies would glut the market and drive down the price of sugar; That's good for consumers, but not for the Sugar Trust. Maintaining empire costs money; HIGH TAXES Business doesn't like high taxes Filipinos hardly seemed a good market for US steel, woolens, and cotton. China market more a myth than an immediate reality Europe remains the United States' primary market. Competing with European powers for colonial markets could result in retaliation - Europeans cut off their markets to US goods. That would be a real economic loss. Losing "access" to possible markets is only an imagined (or "potential") loss. CODA THE PHILIPPINE INSURRECTION 1899 Filipinos want their independence. One faction is led by Emelio Aguinaldo, who thought he had a deal with Dewey for independence when his soldiers helped the Americans capture the capital, Manilla. Aguinaldo launches a guerilla war; 7000 Americans die in battle, more than had died during the Spanish-American War. Costs US $400 million US retaliates with a re-concentration policy (sound familiar?) 200,000 Filipino civilians die. This looks suspiciously like the Spanish policy the US had condemned. Ultimately, US triumphs since Aguinaldo had never won the support of a majority of Filipinos, many of whom joined with the US in fighting Aguinaldo's forces. (He was upper class and most Filipinos believed his rule would be no less oppressive than that of the Spanish or the Americans. The disaster in the Philippines spurs debate at home. Soldiers supposedly sent out to show their manliness were being turned into savages in the jungle - atrocities evidence this. Racism surfaces. Imperialists claim natives are incapable of self- government and must be "supervised." Many anti-imperialists want nothing to do with the "low" races and argue that the U.S. should pull out altogether. The US doesn't retreat into isolation, but imperial adventures in Asia are put on hold. KEY TAKE AWAY → American "idealism" had landed the

American Empire

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