Chapter 21, An emerging World Power

Battle of Santiago de Cuba Walter Millis

• In the years after the Civil War the United States allowed its Navy to decline. Of the 125 ships on the active list in the 1870’s only 25 were sea worthy. American Diplomacy was a mix of Diplomats who got their jobs from spoils, a Senate that held on dearly to its power to advise and consent, and American Missionaries who worked to Christianize The Native Populations of Asia, Africa, and the Pacific Islands.

Blaine proposes a Pan American Conference• Garfield’s Secretary of State

James G. Blaine tried to Intercede in a conflict between Chile & proposed a Conference with Latin American Countries. After Garfield’s Assassination Blaine resigned and The Pan American conference was cancelled but the idea of a Pan American community took hold in South America.

The Annexation of Hawaii

• American cattle ranchers and farmers had been moving into Hawaii for some time. When the McKinley Tariff imposed taxes on American Sugar growers on the Island, they plotted an American overthrow of the Hawaiian government .

American Sugar Planters in Hawaii wanted to annex the Islands to the U.S. Because the McKinley Tariff of 1890 raised tariffs for Foreign sugar and granted subsidies for domestic Sugar. In 1893, the planters and the

U.S. Minister with U.S. sailors present, stage a revolt against Queen Liliuokalani and negotiated a treaty of annexation with

• President Harrison but before Congress could ratify it, Grover Cleveland returned to the presidency and withdrew the treaty because he felt it would violate America’s Honor & morality.

In the late 1800’s, American Leaders felt that foreign markets had to be exploited because The U.S. had been a net importer of Capital with foreign investors receiving a great deal of interest & dividend payments and the country needed to balance the accounts by increasing exports. In addition to this, there was the trend toward radicalization every time there was a recession. During Recessions farmers embraced radical politics and workers embraced Union Strikes. Having foreign markets to sell surplus goods to, kept the

economy going strong, thus avoiding radicalism. Senator Orville Platt summed it up; “ a policy of Isolation did well enough when we were an embryo nation … and regard to our future demands an abandonment of the doctrines of isolation.”

Over 80 % of American foreign trade was with Europe and Canada.

• American businessmen and policy makers in the 1880s & 1890s determined they should adopt a more aggressive policy of expansion abroad because of the aggressiveness of European Expansion. Policymakers were concerned that they would lose out on markets to Europeans if they did not act to gain their own footholds in foreign markets.

• Alfred T. Mahan Inspired many politicians , including Theodore Roosevelt to believe that the United States must join the race for overseas territorial conquests and that in order to gain and maintain these possessions it was essential to build a world class navy.

• Mahan proposed a Robust Merchant Marine, the building of a large Modern Navy, strategic Overseas Naval bases and coaling stations, and a canal across central America to join the oceans.

• Britain had a Border dispute with Venezuela and it’s territorial claim of British Guiana and because of concerns that Europeans might attempt to colonize South America, in 1895, Cleveland’s Secretary of State Richard Olney Invoked the Monroe Doctrine and demanded that Britain bring

the issue to arbitration. Britain agreed

to arbitrate the boundary dispute.

• The Ideas of “Social Darwinism” a belief in applying Darwin’s Survival of the Fittest to the Development of Civilization and the belief that the Anglo Saxon people were the Superior race and had a “duty” to civilize the rest of the world, all encouraged the “drive for colonization. Historian John Fiske

revitalized the term “MANIFEST DESTINY” in describing these new American

adventures.

• In 1897, William McKinley became president and took a Much stronger stand against Spain, than Cleveland had. The Cuba rebels were trying to bring the U.S. into the conflict against Spain and McKinley resisted this until February 15 1898, The USS Maine was docked in Havana Harbor, to help evacuate Americans if it was necessary. The Maine Exploded

in the Harbor and a U.S. Navy board of Inquiry investigation determined it was

caused by a mine.

• In the face of a deteriorating situation President McKinley issued an ultimatum to Spain demanding an Armistice, (cease fire) the ending of the use of Reconcentration camps and the beginning of peace negotiations with the Rebels for the independence of Cuba. Spain could not agree to these terms. and when McKinley asked for a Congressional resolution empowering him to take action, The Teller

Amendment was added to the act

which promised that the U.S. had

no intention of Annexing

Cuba.

• Confronted With the possibility of acquiring territory in the war with Spain, President McKinley was not motivated by a wish to seize

territories from Spain, but at the same time he was not adverse to exploiting any

opportunities that arose. Meanwhile McKinley went forward with the Annexation of Hawaii as soon as it was clear that the U.S. would increase its it’s role in the Pacific.

• When war was declared on April 24 1898, volunteer regiments began to form up, Including Theodore Roosevelt’s “Rough Riders” They created Makeshift bases around Tampa Florida, but no provisions had been made for getting troops to Cuba, and the government borrowed yachts to take the soldiers across. There were no tropical uniforms, food was bad, sanitation was worse and rifles were in short

supply. But to add to the 200,000 Civilians that were turned into soldiers in two weeks, there were 28,000 regular army that were disciplined professionals. The Navy was in much better shape

especially compared to the Spanish fleet, the 7 modern battle ships and cruisers would easily put down the antiquated Spanish fleet.

• It was the navy that engaged the enemy first, with the victory at Manila . The Spanish fleet met Commodore Dewey’s small American Fleet near the Philippines and destroyed it. At the end of the war

McKinley and The Republicans Jumped at the chance to annex The Philippines because it wouldbe the key to influence the Asian markets.

• The war in Cuba was less spectacular. The Americans tried to take the city of Santiago but were blocked by Spanish troops on San Juan Hill . Most of the fighting was done by 4 black regiments, (commonly known as the buffalo soldiers for their experience fighting Indians) … and the real credit for the battle belongs to the black regiments. Although prejudice and politics gave credit to the Rough riders.

• After the War the Spanish ceded over to the U.S. , The Philippines, Cuba, Puerto Rico, & Guam. The Philippines were the more difficult issue, but McKinley stated that the Filipinos were unable to govern themselves and therefore they would remain a U.S Territory. Emilio Aguinaldo the new president of the Philippines protested and began a bloody 3 year Guerrilla war which far exceeded the violence and viciousness of the 3 month war with the Spanish.

• The Constitutionality of the U.S. taking a territory by force was questioned. After all If a people are made part of the U.S. do they not receive the constitutional protections? In 1901 the Supreme court ruled the Constitution did not follow the flag and denied Filipinos rights given by the constitution.

In the Treaty of Paris (1899) the Spanish gave up Guam, Puerto Rico, Cuba & the Philippines and the U.S. paid Spain $20 million dollars. Legal scholar John Bassett Moore said that by acquiring several new territories the U.S. had attained the status of a “World Power”.

• In fighting the Filipino “insurrection” The Americans resorted to the same tactics the Spanish used against the Cubans, such as reconcentration camps, burning crops & villages, indiscriminant attacks outside the “perimeter” . Corporal Daniel J. Evans testified that U.S. Soldiers tortured Filipino insurgents.

Hay –Paunceforte Treaty• In 1901 Britain sought to warm up relations with

the U.S. by signing the Hay-Paunceforte agreement in which Britain accepted The U.S. as having a sphere of influence in South & Central America and surrendering Joint rights to build a Central American Canal. The U.S. would have exclusive

rights to a canal project in Central America.

• John Hay Secretary of State & personal Sec. for Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)

• Theodore Roosevelt, now the President of the United States, establishes an aggressive foreign policy, which he declares the U.S. will Speak softly but carry a “big Stick!” The big Stick policy means the U.S. will back up its policies with Action and not just words. Roosevelt Establishes the “Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, where Roosevelt states the U.S. will act “unilaterally “to regulate the affairs of any Caribbean Nation. In other words; Europe stay out of Central America, but we will assert ourselves any time.

• Roosevelt, determined to make Mahan’s Idea of a central American Canal come to reality, begins negotiations with Columbia for a lease of land across the Isthmus of Panama. But the Columbian Senate wanted more money than was originally agreed to. Some in the U.S. Senate felt it would be better to build the canal in Nicaragua . The French engineer Philippe Bunau- Varilla informed Roosevelt that Panama was already brewing up a revolt , and the U.S. sent cruiser ships to help a successful bloodless revolt against Columbia. The New President of Panama, Philippe Varilla , signed the Hay -Philippe Bunau- Varilla Treaty giving the U.S. a renewable lease on the Canal zone.

• The European nations & Japan had carved up china into spheres of influence and this would have denied the U.S. access to a large market to sell surplus product to. Sec of State John Hay sent out a note claiming the right for an “OPEN DOOR” policy in China that would allow every country to trade with all of China. Although the

Europeans sent onlynon-commital responses , Hay

chose to accept these as acceptance of the Open Door Policy.

• Roosevelt determined that the U.S. would play a role as a world power, and felt the need to restore balance of power in the Pacific, he stepped in to mediate a settlement to the Russo- Japanese war and won the Nobel Peace prize for doing so.

U.S. Japanese relations were complicated by the San Francisco School board’s decision in 1906 to segregate all Asian Students in a separate school, which angered the Japanese and led to the “Gentlemen’s Agreement” where the Japanese agreed to restrict immigration to the U.S. in return for ending segregation.

• In 1906 Britain and France had agreements over spheres of influence in North Africa But the Late comer Germany decided to stake a claim in Morocco, where the French had already claimed that region. Kaiser Wilhelm turned to Theodore Roosevelt to mediate and the crisis was defused with the help of U.S. diplomats.

• William Howard Taft. Taft’s Foreign Policy took a commercial view toward the South American Region and Asia. American Investments in the Caribbean grew dramatically after 1900, particularly investments in Fruit and Sugar exports, which had increased by 4 times in 15 years. Taft led his policy with “Dollar Diplomacy” a coupling of American diplomatic and economic interests encouraging banking and Industrial

investment abroad.

• When Woodrow Wilson became president in 1913, he pledged that the U.S. would not seek out any more territorial conquests. Wilson was an Ideologue who tried to guide the world according to his principles. When Mexico ‘s President Madero was murdered in 1913 by Victoriano Huerta who then took power, President Wilson refused to recognize the Huerta Government and he was determined to force him out of power. He offered aid to Venustiano Carranza to help him take out Huerta, Carranza rejected the offer as an effort to intervene in Mexican affairs.

• Americans were happy about the International peace movement launched by the Hague Peace Conference of 1899 and the establishment of the Court of Arbitration for the settlement of international disputes. Both Roosevelt & Taft administrations negotiated arbitration treaties with other countries which submitted to the will of the courts, but both times the Senate was unwilling to give up any national sovereignty. When Wilson became President he made the great advocate for peace William Jennings Bryan , his Secretary of state, Who also failed to stop the inevitable conflict between Imperialist nations.

END Chp 21 An Emerging World Power