Topic 3

American Imperialism

 

These notes will help guide you through the reading assignment dealing with American imperialism in the late 19th century, pages 435-442.

 

A. Setting the Stage: the United States and the Spanish-American War

 

  1. For a variety of reasons, Americans in the last two decades of the nineteenth century began taking more interest in world affairs and thinking more about the American role in world affairs. One reason: we had not fought a war since the end of the Civil War in 1865! Also, European imperialism: we gotta get on the train!

 

  1. Cuba brought this increasing interest into focus. Cubans in 1895 began fighting for their independence from Spain, and it was a very dirty war, not a conventional war in which armies fought armies.

 

  1. American sympathies lay with the Cubans. A replay of our own revolution.

 

  1. American sympathies were increased by the way in which the press covered the Cuban revolution. This was the age of “yellow journalism.” And the press ignored Cuban atrocities while Spanish atrocities, both real and imagined, were played up.

 

  1. Grover Cleveland refused to be drawn into the fight. Offered American mediation and when the Spanish refused, he washed his hands of the Cuban situation.

 

  1. William McKinley came into office in 1897. While he was not a war monger spoiling for a fight (he had his fight in the Civil War), he wavered back and forth on the question of peace or war, and in April 1898 he finally asked Congress for authority to use American military forces in Cuba. Congress gave him this authority (in effect, a declaration of war on Spain), and the granting of this authority was followed by the Spanish-America War.

 

  1. Questions:

 

–        A war of choice or a war of necessity?

 

 

–        Whose choice?

 

 

–        Why did McKinley give in?

 

 

–        Were Americans motivated by idealism or imperialism?

 

 

B. Questions to answer from your reading:

 

–        Who was Alfred Thayer Mahan and what did he say about the United States becoming a world power?

 

–        What was “yellow journalism?”

 

–        Where did the U.S. win its first victory over Spain in the Spanish-American War?

 

–        When did the U.S. acquire the Hawaiian Islands? What argument did we use to justify taking over the islands?

 

–        At the end of the Spanish-American War, the U.S. paid Spain $20 million for what island chain?

 

–        After the end of the Spanish-American War, where did U.S. forces fight rebels who were opposed to American rule? What was the “water cure” and why did we use it?

 

–        What was the Anti-Imperialist League?

 

 

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