Chapter 18 Section 1
The Roots of Imperialism
Chapter objectives:
 Identify the key factors that prodded America to
expand.
 Explain how the United States took its first steps toward
increased global power.
 Summarize the chain of events leading up to the U.S.
annexation of Hawaii.
Key terms
 Imperialism: A policy by which strong nations extend
their political, military, and economic control over
weaker territories.
 Extractive Economy: Resources are extracted from the
colonies and are shipped to the home country.
 Social Darwinism: A belief that life consists of
competitive struggles in which only the fit survive.
Key People
 Alfred T. Mahan: A military historian and an officer in
the U.S. Navy
 Frederick J. Turner: Historian who believed that the
frontier had served as a fresh start for settlers.
 Matthew Perry: Commodore who sailed a fleet of
American warships into present-day Tokyo Bay.
 Queen Liliuokalani (lih lee oo kah LAH nee): A
determined Hawaiian nationalist who resented
increasing white power.
The cause of Imperialism
 From the mid-1800’s through the early 1900’s, countries
around the world engaged in a mad dash to extend their
influence.
 European colonies added colonies they had established
during the Age of Exploration, specifically in Asia and
Africa.
 Following Europe’s example, America and Japan began
to consider the benefits of imperialism.
Imperialists Seek Economic Benefits
 The main reason there was such a rush for expansion
was for the resources.
 Japan and Europe sought these resources, mostly tea,
rubber, iron, petroleum and other resources for
industries at home.
 This became known as extractive economies.
 These resources gave an edge to the competition for
global resources.
 America was the least worried about the shortage of
material, but on the contrast, the most worried about
the surplus of goods, and the waste of those goods.
 Turned to the idea of trading overseas
Causes of imperialism
Economic Gain
 Industrialists want raw materials for
industries in their home countries
 Entrepreneurs want to sell their goods
and invest in new overseas markets
Militarism
 Colonial powers seek bases for naval forces
that protect their global trade networks.
National and Social
Darwinism
 Imperialists feel a moral duty to spread
their culture to people they consider
inferior.
Senator Albert J. Beveridge
 “Today we are raising more [crops] than we can consume.
Today we are making more than we can use…Therefore we
must find new markets for our produce, new occupations
for our capitol, new work for our labor.”
-Senator Albert J. Beveridge, “The March of the Flag,” 1898
Imperialists Stress Military Strength
 To expand and protect their interests around the world,
imperialists built up their military strength
 Alfred T. Mahan believed that lots of powerful nations
owed their victories to navies. He believed that the U.S.
had to modernize their ships and also control foreign
naval bases for refueling and fresh supplies.
 Influenced by his ideas, the ships were rebuilt to be
steel plated, steam fueled battleships.
 By 1900, the U.S. had the third largest navy in the
world.
Imperialists believe in National Superiority
 To justify imperialism, imperialists used ideas of racial,
national, and cultural superiority.
 Social Darwinism: Certain nations and races were superior to
others and therefore destined to rule over them
 One reason they thought this way was because they felt
God had already granted them the land, which they
called “Manifest Destiny”.
 “Throughout American history, the frontier had traditionally
supplied an arena where ambitious Americans could pursue their
fortunes and secure a fresh start. It had thus served as a ‘safety
valve’, siphoning off potential discontent” (Frederick J. Turner “The
significance of the Frontier in American History”).
Americas first step towards world power
 Beginning in the mid-1800’s, America
focused more on expanding its trade and
acquiring new territories. One of Americas
first moves towards world power was before
the Civil War.
U.S. power grows in the pacific
 Matthew Perry was the first to push American power to
the Pacific. He sailed a fleet of ships to the closed off
parts of Japan. Due to seclusion from the world, Japan
realized they had fallen behind in military technology.
Japanese people described their steam ships as “giant
dragons puffing smoke.”
 After entering, Perry won the favor of the emperor with
gifts and within a year, had signed a treaty, opening up
the ports to trade.
Seward purchases Alaska
 In 1867, Secretary of State William Seward bought
Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million
 This purchase was looked at as unnecessary and earned
the nickname “Seward’s Folly” due to Alaska being
known for being a vast tundra.
 This purchase actually doubled America’s size,
extended the reach out in the Pacific, and was rich in
timber, oil and other resources.
U.S. influence in Latin America grows
 James Blaine, Secretary of State, expanded even
further into Latin America by sponsoring the first
International Pan-American Conference in 1889.
 This was to discuss the benefits of economic
cooperation, and helped to pave the way for the
construction of the Pan-American Highway system.
The U.S. acquires Hawaii
 Hawaii had been a central point for America. It became
a stopping point between East Asia and America.
Christian churches were set up there. American sugar
Plantations were owned there as well
 In 1887, American planters convinced King Kalakaua
(kah LAH kah oo ah) to change Hawaii’s constitution so
that voting was limited to wealthy landowners, which
were of course, white planters
American Planters increase their power
 American planters faced two problems
1. A new U.S. tariff law imposed duties on previously dutyfree Hawaiian sugar. This made Hawaiian sugar more
expensive than U.S. sugar.
2. Queen Liliuokalani resented white planters, and
abolished any political right to the white minority.
 Responding to this, the white planters overthrew the
queen, with the help of the Marines.
 Under the control of the wealthy planter, Sanford B.
Dole, President Benjamin Harrison was asked to annex
Hawaii.
The U.S. annexes Hawaii
 President Harrison signed a treaty of annexation but
couldn’t get the required senate vote before Grover
Cleveland became president.
 After a full investigation, Cleveland found out that most
Hawaiians did not support annexation. Later he
apologized for the “flagrant wrong doings done by the
reprehensible conduct of the American minister.
 After William McKinley became president, he favored
annexation and after the outbreak of the SpanishAmerican war, congress proclaimed Hawaii an official
U.S. territory.