Hi and welcome to this video lesson on American Imperialism, in which the young USA acts like
the honey badger and just takes what it wants.
Before we just jump into Imperialism, we need first need to understand a few things.
Number 1
Manifest Destiny.
This term was coined to describe a philosophy that began in the early 1800s.
Many leaders argued that the United States would inevitably span
from one ocean (Atlantic) to another (Pacific).
That's why Lewis and Clark were sent to explore the west.
it was, among other things, part of an agenda and PR campaign to popularize this expansionist view.
International Reputation is our second point. America was still competing with Great Britain.
American leaders were still very much aware that the US was the new kid on the block of world powers.
They had just had it out with Britain again during the War of 1812.
They were desperate to prove to the world that America was here to stay.
Growing Population and Economy.
The American population growth rate was astronomical at this point in time,
more than doubling in the 30 years from 1790 to 1820.
The booming economy and workforce provided even more incentive
for not only westward growth, but global growth as well.
The industrial revolution which began in the second half of the 19th century only made
this more necessary in the eyes of many.
So, now that we've laid a foundation for American Imperialism, let's actually talk about!
First, a timeline:
In 1845, President Polk reasserted American dominance in Oregon and Texas.
In the same year, O'Sullivan coined the term Manifest Destiny.
In 1848, President Polk offered to buy Cuba from Spain for $100,000,000.
A few years later, in 1856, the Guano Act was passed,
and Baker Island, Howland Island, and Jarvis Island all became annexed by America
in 1867, the midway Islands were also annexed.
in 1890, the McKinley Tariff was passed
In the same year, Admiral Mahan published his book on the needs for a strong navy, inspiring Theodore Roosevelt.
In 1893, the Hawaiian Queen was overthrown.
In 1898, the USS Main was sunk, and the Spanish American War began
In the same year, Hawaii was annexed,
And the Philippine Islands, Puerto Rico, and Guam were placed under American control.
In 1899, American Samoa and Wake island were annexed.
In 1901, Theodore Roosevelt became president.
In 1903, Panama Seceded from Colombia.
In 1907, The Great White Fleet displayed the strength of America's navy.
In 1914, the Panama Canal was finished.
In 1917, the Virgin Islands were annexed.
So, American power was growing. They had a navy that rivaled that of Britain's fleet.
They declared many uninhabited, as well as inhabited, islands territory of the US.
They also influenced international treaties and handily put former European powers in their place.
(take that Spain).
But what was really gained from all of this?
For America, international respect,
new global markets for trade, and territorial expansion, a continuation of Manifest Destiny.
What did the world get out of this?
Well, American products being shipped around the world gave new people access to goods they had not yet had,
but, perhaps more importantly was the draw of America to those people.
Immigration skyrocketed during the turn of the 20th century, as people hoping to escape
disease, poverty, oppression, and more, flocked to the US.
American leadership found their rise amongst the world powers
a confirmation of their philosophy and right to expand,
as was usually the attitude in the preceding centuries.
However, toward the end of the 19th Century, voices of a different opinion grew louder.
Some argued that it was wrong to declare American control
over territories over which protection of the Constitution would not extend.
Proponents of Imperialism often asserted that American control
would only benefit these small territories or countries,
and that beating other, less generous imperial powers, was of the essence.
People like Alfred Thayer Mahan, an Admiral, held this position for he believed that the
U.S. economy would soon need additional outlets for the massive amounts of industrial and
commercial goods being made in the States.
Mahan considered that guaranteeing access to these new international markets
was vital to America's continued growth.
The realization of this policy came with Theodore Roosevelt
forcefully intervening in Latin America to protect trade interests.
This became known as the Roosevelt Corollary,
which President Taft followed up with Dollar Diplomacy,
the goal of which was to create stability abroad, and, through this stability,
promote American commercial interests:
How convenient!
"The tremendous growth of the export trade of the United States
has already made that trade a very real factor in the industrial and commercial prosperity of the country.
With the development of our industries, the foreign commerce of the United States must
rapidly become a still more essential factor in its economic welfare.
The diplomacy of the present administration has sought to respond to modern ideas of commercial intercourse.
This policy has been characterized as substituting dollars for bullets.
-President Taft
So American power was exerted internationally, which became a problem during World War I.
Woodrow Wilson greatly desired to remain neutral
during the European conflict.
This became an issue when Germany attempted to convince Mexico to turn on the US.
This revealed the difficulty of being engaged in international commerce.
When something big went wrong abroad, it would be impossible to avoid.
This greatly reduced the desire of American leaders to annex small nations around the world,
but no so much that ended American international involvement, which would actually
escalate in the following years, with WWII and the Cold War.
Thanks for watching this intro to American Imperialism
Until next time, happy studying.