Imperialism
Foreign policy in which
strong nations extend their
political, military and
economic control over
weaker nations
European nations started
the trend
US catches on in late 1800s
Strong countries (GB, US,
Japan) in a mad dash to
grab up as many colonies as
possible
What is Imperialism
Who were the
Imperialists?
Trendsetter: Great
Britain leads the way
10 Mothers
(Imperialists): Britain,
France, Germany, Italy,
Japan, Netherlands,
Russia, Spain, Portugal,
and the United States
Late Comers: Japan
and US
Imperialism
What territories did
they take?
Asia
Africa
Latin America
Islands in the Pacific
Five Main Reasons:
◦Economic
◦Political
◦Military
◦Cultural
◦Religious
Can be summed up with “God,
Gold and Glory”
Why be Imperialistic?
Economics (Gold)
Countries need
places to get raw
materials from
Countries need
places to sell their
manufactured goods
Political (Glory)
Nationalism – a
nation’s greatness
could be measured
by the quantity of its
colonies
Competition with
rivals – prevent other
countries from
becoming more
powerful
Cultural (Glory and
God)
Anglo-Saxonism:
white race is superior
Manifest Destiny:
God’s intention for
America to expand
Social Darwinism:
only the strongest
nations will survive
◦ Strength=more
colonies
Religious (God)
◦ Christianity, seen
as superior,
should be spread
to lesser nations
of Asia and Africa
◦ Imperialism will
give US more
territories that
can be
Christianized
Military (Glory)
National Security
◦ Competition was
vicious; a nation had to
protect its own
interests
Military Advantage
◦ More bases in more
parts of the
world…better navy
Gas Stations
◦ A colony can serve as a
refueling/loading
station for the Navy
Alfred T. Mahan
Wrote The Influence
of Sea Power Upon
History
Suggested America
should build up a
stronger navy to
compete with other
nations
Also US needed naval
bases(refuel and
resupply) for the
navy
Alfred Thayer Mahan
Josiah Strong
A religious
missionary
Wrote Our Country
Argued that America
had a responsibility
to spread its value
by civilizing weaker
nations
◦ This is what God
wanted America to do
The White Man’s Burden
Written by
Rudyard Kipling in
1899
Urged America to
take up the
burden of building
an empire to
Christianize and
civilize other
inferior races
Became a rallying
cry for US
imperialists
Annexation of Alaska
Seward's Folly
Purchased by Secretary of State William Seward
from Russia for $7.2 million
Called Seward’s Folly because no one understood
why America would want an icy tundra, but…
◦ Doubled the size of America
◦ Alaska was rich in oil and timber
“Seward’s Folly”: 1867
$7.2 million
“Seward’s Icebox”: 1867
Annexation of Hawaii
Hawaiian who
conquered most of the
Hawaiian Islands and
established the
Kingdom of Hawaii in
1810
Was able to preserve
the independence of
Hawaii through several
treaties with Pacific
Colonial powers
Non Hawaiian’s were
not allowed to own land
until 1848 with the
Great Mahele
King Kamehameha
U. S. Missionaries in Hawaii
Imiola Church – first built in the late 1820s
U. S. View of Hawaiians
Hawaii becomes a U. S. Protectorate in 1849
by virtue of economic treaties.
Born in Hawaii to
American missionaries
Was crucial in the
creation of the 1887
Constitution of the
Kingdom of Hawaii
◦ Limited voting rights to
literate men of Hawaiian,
European, or American
descent
◦ Wealth and income
requirements to vote for
upper house
◦ Consolidated power with
the elite residents
Sanford Ballard Dole
First sugar plantation created in 1835
◦ Old Sugar mill of Koloa
Reciprocity Treaty of 1875
◦ Allows Hawaii to sell Sugar to the united States
without paying duties or taxes
◦ Greatly increases plantation profits
By 1890, 75% of all private land was
owned by foreign businessmen
Sugar Plantation in Hawaii
U. S. Business Interests In Hawaii
1875 – Reciprocity
Treaty
Free Trade with
Hawaii
1890 – McKinley Tariff
1893 – American
businessmen backed an
uprising against Queen
Liliuokalani.
Sanford Ballard Dole
proclaims the Republic
of Hawaii in 1894.
To The Victor Belongs the Spoils
Hawaiian
Annexation
Ceremony, 1898
Annexation of Hawaii
Sugar planters in Hawaii
are hurt over sugar tariff
◦ Made Hawaiian sugar more
expensive than US sugar
Queen Liliuokalani
removed the voting rights
of the white sugar
planters…with help of US
the planters overthrow
the queen
◦ Planters want Hawaii to be
annexed (added to United
States)
◦ Government wants to annex
because of sugar
Commodore Matthew Perry
Opens Up Japan: 1853
The Japanese View
of Commodore
Perry
Treaty of Kanagawa: 1854
Opens up two ports in Japan for trade
with the United States
◦ Opens up Shimoda and Hakodate
Permits the establishment of a US
consulate in Japan
Treaty of Kanagawa
Gentleman’s Agreement: 1908
A Japanese note agreeing
to deny passports to
laborers entering the U.S.
Japan recognized the U.S.
right to exclude Japanese
immigrants holding passports
issued by other countries.
1908
The U.S. government got the
school board of San Francisco
to rescind their order to
segregate Asians in separate
schools.
Root-Takahira Agreement.
Root-Takahira Agreement: 1908
A pledge to maintain the status quo in the
Far East.
Recognition of China’s independence and
territorial integrity, and support for
continuation of the Open-Door Policy.
An agreement to mutual consultation in the
event of future Far Eastern crises.
Lodge Corollary to the Monroe
Doctrine: 1912
Senator Henry Cabot
Lodge, Sr. (R-MA)
Non-European powers,
like Japan, would be
excluded from owning
territory in the
Western
Hemisphere.