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Imperialism

Imperialism

• Extending your way of life over other people

Opposition to Imperialism

• Did not need to acquire many raw materials from lands overseas as other countries did

• Imperialism contradicted their ideals: American had fought for their own liberty, could they now take away the liberty of foreign people?

Alaska

• Purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867• Important for national defense of the US

Became the 49th state in 1959

Hawaii

• Congress annexed the islands of Hawaii

• Hawaiians forced Hawaiian queen, Liliuokalani from power and asked US to annex them

• President Cleveland refused because the queen was removed from power illegally

• President McKinley came to office and agreed to the purchase

Spanish American War

• A Cuban revolution broke out.

Yellow Journalism

• Reporters twisted stories to make each one more exciting than the previous one

• William Randolph Hearst, owner of the New York Journal and Joseph Pulitzer owner of the New York World were the worst two.

William Randolph Hearst

Joseph Pulitzer

Two events caused the US to enter the war:

1. Letter written by Dupuy de Lome– He was the Spanish minister to the US– Insulted President McKinley

Dupuy de Lome

2. The explosion of the USS Maine– Mysteriously happened– Yellow press blamed Spain

• The US declared war on Spain on April 25, 1898

• Teller Amendment – the US had no intention of adding Cuba to the US

• War lasted 100 days and the US won every battle that we fought!

• Theodore Roosevelt led the Rough Riders

Panama Canal

• Connects the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean

• Panama was part of Columbia at the time• US offered Columbia $10 million AND

$250,000 every year to build it• Columbia refused

• Instead, the US helped the Panamanians gain independence

• Gave Panama the same deal• Signed the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty that gave

the US a ten mile wide strip of land to build the canal

• The Canal would be open to all nations in peace AND war

Roosevelt’s Big Stick Policy

• Use US military strength to persuade foreign nations to act properly

Dollar Diplomacy

• William Howard Taft’s foreign policy• Use American money to get foreign countries

to act a certain way

Moral Diplomacy

• Woodrow Wilson’s foreign policy• Use of negotiation to get countries to act a

certain way