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Chapter 27Imperialism in the Americas

Section 4

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Imperialism in the AmericasOverview

• By 1898, much of the world had already been claimed—many lands claimed by European powers through imperialistic actions

• The question is did America foster its own brand of through legal actions like the Monroe Doctrine

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Imperialism in the Americas

• Main Idea: Latin Americans largely opposed the growth of American influence in their region

• Terms to define: arbitration• People to meet: James Monroe, Jose Marti,

William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, Benito Juarez, Porfirio Diaz, Emiliano Zapata, Francisco “Poncho” Villa, Venustiano Carranza, Woodrow Wilson

• Places to locate: Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Isthmus of Panama, Mexico

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Imperialism in the AmericasThe Monroe Doctrine

• Even before the independence of all the Latin American countries was established, Spain had sought the support of other European Powers to reconquer its former colonies lost win they had fought for their independence– The U.S. and Britain opposed the plan; they didn’t

want a European power so close—can you blame them

– Great Britain had developed good trade relations with Latin American countries

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Imperialism in the AmericasThe Monroe Doctrine

• Concern over the return of Spain to the Western Hemisphere, Britain suggest to the U.S. that they issue a joint warning to various European powers

• U.S. decided to issue the statement itself– President James Monroe and Secretary of

State John Quincy Adams made the decision – The statement warned other countries not to

interfere in the countries of the Western Hemisphere

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Imperialism in the AmericasThe Monroe Doctrine

• The Monroe Doctrine contained two parts– “The American continents…are not to be considered

as subjects for future colonization by any European powers”

– “We should consider any attempt on their part to extend their system to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous to our peace and safety”

• Although it was not sure what the U.S. would do, it seemed apparent that this statement considered it an act of aggression if European powers crossed the line

• War was surely possible

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Imperialism in the AmericasThe Monroe Doctrine

• The Monroe Doctrine was supported by the British—the British Royal Navy helped secure the admonishment (warning)

• The Latin American countries were fledgling at the time

• Question: Did the strong warning of the Monroe Doctrine mean that the U.S. was interfering with other countries or watching out for other countries in the hemisphere and being cautious with its own security?

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Imperialism in the AmericasThe Monroe Doctrine

• The United States grew in strength during the 1800s and early 1900s

• With increased strength, the U.S. made its power felt in Latin America– In 1895, Great Britain was in conflict with Venezuela

over boundaries with British Guiana– The U.S. urged the dispute be submitted for

arbitration by a third party– The U.S., referring to the Monroe Doctrine, insisted

the British accept arbitration

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Imperialism in the AmericasThe Monroe Doctrine

• The United States admonishes Great Britain (cont)– The British certainly felt the pressure and were aware

of the growth of U.S. might– The British agreed to a peaceful settlement

• Was the United States right to get tough with the British over this issue?

• After helping Venezuela then, what is the attitude of Venezuela today towards the U.S.?

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Growing Involvement

• The Roosevelt Corollary– President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt issued

the “corollary”• The U.S. would intervene to help compel the South

American countries to pay their debts

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Imperialism in the AmericasThe Spanish-American War

• After the Guiana dispute, the U.S. turned attention to Cuba– Both Cuba and Puerto Rico were still Spanish

colonies in the late 1800s– Cuba important to Spain—lots of $ from

tobacco and sugar plantations– The question would come up—should the

U.S. help these two nations in its hemisphere

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Imperialism in the AmericasThe Spanish American War

• Jose Marti, writer/political activist, led Cubans in revolt against the Spanish– The Spanish led a bloody attack on rebel

forces– Marti was killed in battle– Spanish troops round up thousands of

Cubans and send them to prison camps• Disease and starvation soon claimed 400,000 lives

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The Spanish-American WarRemember the Maine

• The struggle for the Cubans for freedom attracted much sympathy in the United States

• American newspapers printed many stories about the cruelty to Cubans

• Prominent Americans and business who had invested in Cuba began to clamor to help Cuba

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The Spanish-American WarRemember the Maine

• How to help the Cubans—– President William McKinley ordered the

battleship Maine to Havana to demonstrate American interest in the fate of Cubans

– An explosion sunk the Maine in the harbor, killing 260 American sailors

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The Spanish-American WarRemember the Maine!

• The cry “Remember the Maine!” swept across the United States

• American newspapers pointed the finger at Spain for the disaster

• In April 1898, President McKinley asked congress to declare war on Spain

• The Spanish-American War lasted four months and ended in U.S. victory

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The Spanish-American WarAmerican Territorial Gains

• In the late 1800s, the U.S. made significant territorial gains– 1867: purchased Alaska from the Russians– 1898: annexed Hawaii—American business people

on the island overthrew the queen– From Spanish-American War: gained Philippines,

Guam, and Puerto Rico– Although independent, Cuba was under American

protection– 1917: U.S. purchased the Virgin Islands from

Denmark: (St Thomas, St John, and St Croix)– After helping Cuba, what is our relationship with Cuba

today?

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The Panama Canal

• The winning of the Spanish-American War made the U.S. a world power

• To project power, America needed better mobility and logistics

• President Theodore Roosevelt took on the task of building the Panama Canal

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The Panama Canal

• Roosevelt tried negotiating with Columbia to permit the U.S. to build a canal through the Isthmus of Panama—Columbia refused– Roosevelt outraged– Took matters into his own hands

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The Panama Canal

• American agents encouraged the people of Panama to revolt against Columbia– They did: Nov 3, 1903– Helped by the U.S. Navy

• Stopped Colombian troops from landing

– The rebellion was over in one day and the U.S. got its treaty with Panama to build a canal

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The Panama Canal

• Construction of the canal began in 1904– Took 10 years to complete, 40,000 workers– Many died of Yellow Fever and Malaria– A sanitation program and control of the

mosquitoes ended the disease problem– The first ship sailed through in 1914– The canal hailed as one of greatest world

achievements

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The Roosevelt Corollary

• The United States, through the Monroe Doctrine and the Roosevelt Corollary, mad it clear that it would intervene in Latin America– Mostly for payment of debts owed Europeans

and others—why?• Stability and non-intervention• Democracy

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The Roosevelt Corollary

• Many Latin American countries interpreted American actions as moves toward colonization and exploitation of business interests

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Mexico

• Class reading---