CHAPTER 19, SEC. 2 EXPANDING ON THE SEAS

CHAPTER 19, SEC. 2 EXPANDING ON THE SEAS

The US gets wet.

Where are we at…. By 1900, the US had become the third ranking

naval power in the world (behind Britain and Italy). For better or for worse it was soon realized that the United States would stake its fortunes on expanding the burgeoning American Empire globally. At home a impending depression, labor unrest, and the growing problems of race relations, along with fights for female suffrage, and fights on how best to secure economic policies, would have to take a back seat (at least for awhile) as the US prepared to grow and do what it does best… tell others what to do.

Mahan and the sea power Captain Alfred Thayer

Mahan wrote The Influence of Sea Power upon History. (1890)

He made the claim in history (Greece, Rome, Britain) that it was sea power that made and kept a nation great!”

He believed that the US needed to secure foreign markets and have a strong navy to protect interests.

Supporters of Mahan’s theory…

Wealthy, Harvard Educated, Mass. Senator Henry Cabot Lodge agreed with Mahan and pushed for a stronger navy, annexation of Hawaii, a canal across the Isthmus of Panama and the purchase of the Danish West Indies.

Lodge is joined by Roosevelt… Lodge even wanted

to take Greenland and Cuba and to dominate the Caribbean.

Lodge’s colorful friend Theodore Roosevelt of NY agreed also. “Teddy” became the assistant Secretary of the Navy under President McKinley.

Renewed attempt to annex Hawaii

While the US wanted Hawaii, Hawaii was not crazy about the US

Queen Liliuokalani (the last Hawaiian Queen) in 1893 was overthrown by the ‘settlers’ with the assistance of the US Gov’t (and marines) Pres. Harrison was happy but the Democrats in the Senate stalled the annexation.

Click link above

http://library.kcc.hawaii.edu/~soma/cartoons/annex.html

Description: Several vignettes with captions."The bicycle will be in demand" "Make Dave Hill king of the Sandwich Islands." "Transfer Tammany to the wilds of Hawaii." "A great American institution will be at once adopted"- i.e. swindlers, cheats, etc." "Another great American institution will beautify the country" - i.e. saloon, liquor." "The enterprising Yankee agents will shortly afflict the inhabitants." "What a magnificent field for Dr. Parkhurst." "Queen Lily will have a great time"-i.e. in a museum (sic) side show attraction."

Courtesy of the Hawai'i State Archives

Finally getting Hawaii Grover Clevland,

returned to white house in 1893 and was against expansion

Hawaii wouldn’t be fully annexed until July 1898 with President McKinley.

The Venezuelan Boundary Dispute

The Venezuelan-British Guiana boundary was in dispute (and President Cleveland believed it put the Monroe Doctrine at stake). GB claimed 23,000 square miles of the border of Venz. And British-Guiana (now Guyana).

US defends Venezuela Venezuelans begged

the US to defend them against the British. –

Clevland’s sec. of state, Richard Olney, reaffirmed the Monroe Doctrine.

Some Americans agreed, some disagreed. War hawks and imperialist said we needed a war.

US gets the British to sit down.

Fortunately calmer heads prevailed. The British agreed to arbitration and in Oct. 1899 in Paris the two sides met and agreed to a deal (which generally favored GB but proved the US power to force a European power to come to the table and make a deal.)