Chapter 27 The Path of Empire
- Yellow press of Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst
o “You furnish the pictures and I’ll furnish the war”
- Missionaries inspired by books incl. Reverend Josiah Strong’s Our Country: It’s Possible Future and Its Present Crisis.
o Looked for new souls to harvest in.
o Same time aggressive TR and Henry Cabot Lodge interpreting Darwinism to mean imperialism.
- Development of new steel navy also focused attention oversees.
o Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan’s book The Influence of Sea Power upon History urged control of sea important.
- Interest manifested in America
o Secretary of state James G. Blaine pushed “Big Sister Policy”
§ Rallied Latin American nations behind US leadership.
§ Presided over first Pan-American Conference, which kind of failed, but sketched vague plan for econ cooperation through reciprocal tariff reduction.
o Near war conflicts w/ Germanyand Chile.
Monroe’s Doctrine and the Venezuelan Squall
- Gold discovered in disputed area b/w Venezuela and British Guiana.
o London said Monroe Doctrine not relevant.
o Cleveland mad
- British eventually agreed b/c Canada vulnerable and was attacked by other European countries and threat from Germany.
- When German Kaiser Wilhelm II cheered anti-British forces in South Africa, British mad at Germany so disputes concluded.
o Up Monroe Doctrine prestige.
o Latin American countries pleased w/ US protection and determination.
- Led to Great Rapprochement and/or reconciliation b/w two nations.
Spurning the Hawaiian Pear
- Hawaii 1820 first England missionaries for Protestant Christianity.
o Soon State Department told others to keep hands off.
o Honolulu a bit like New England town.
- Amer. Tightens grip.
o 1875 commercial reciprocity agreement
o 1887 treaty w/ native gov = naval base rights at Pearl Harbor.
- However McKinley Tariff raised barriers against Hawaiin sugar cultivation.
o Amer thought issue would be over if HI annexed, but Queen Liliuokalnani insisted that natives control islands.
- Whites small proportion of HI organized successful revolt 1893.
o Openly assisted by Amer troops.
o But president Harrison expired and Cleveland came in.
§ Suspected that powerful nation wronged Queen Liliuokalani.
- Investigator to HI, where majority of natives did not want annexation.
o White revolutionists in saddle and Cleveland could not probe them w/o armed force.
o Sugarcoated move for annexation criticized for stemming new Manifest Destiny.
Cubans Rise in Revolt
- Cubans rise against Spanish oppressor.
o Sugar production crippled by American tariff.
o insurrectos thought that if they did enough damage, Spanish would move out.
- American sympathies plus had investment of $50 million in Cuba.
o Spanish misrule in Cuba also menaced shipping routes.
o “Butcher” Weyler Spanish General wanted to crush rebels to he herded many civilians into barbed wire reconcentration camps.
- American public wanted Cleveland to act, but Cuban government of insurgents not better than few fugitive leaders.
o Cleveland was antijingoist (nationalist) and anti-imperialist.
The Mystery of the Maine Explosion
- Atrocities in Cuba = new yellow journalism.
o WILLIAM HEARST AND JOSEPH PULITZER
o Often invented, “You furnish the pictures and I’ll furnish the war”.
- Washington sent Maine to Cuba to protect and evac Americans, but exploded.
o In meanwhile Spanish minister Dupuy de Lome said bad things about President McKinley, which made him resign = increased tension.
- When Maine mysteriously blew up
o Amer. Insists that it was Spanish government.
McKinley Unleashes the Dogs of War
- Previously Madrid already agreed to end reconcentration camps and have armistic w/ Cuban rebels.
o McKinley did not want hostilities.
o Mark Hanna and Wall Street did not want war b/c it would mean business unsettled.
- But public prodded by Cuban exile appeals and yellow press wanted fight.
o McKinley had no faith in Spain’s promises, and thought war would be out sooner or later. Thought if he stood out against war, Demos would win.
- Adopted Teller Amendment
o Proclaimed to world that when US overthrows Spanish misrule, would give Cubans freedom.
Dewey’s May Day Victory at Manila
- American armies led by old Civil War veterans and unprepared for war under tropics.
o Relatively ready because of navy secretary John D. Long and assistant secretary T. Roosevelt.
- One day cabled to commodore George Dewey which commanded that they descend upon Spain’s Phillipines in event of war.
- Attack at Manila Bay w/o warning, very quickly defeated opposition.
- Spain’s navy also in wretched condition
Unexpected Imperialist Plums
- Foreign warships begin to move to Manila.
o Germans sent ships but British moved to prevent German ships from blowing Americans.
- Amer reinforcements arrived and captured Manila, then collaborated w/ Filipino rebel leader Emilio Aguinaldo
- Attention on Hawaii, believed that Amer needed it to reinforce Dewey’s position, but did not need Hawaii.
o However white dominated HI eager to compromise neutrality and risk anger of Spain.
o Residents of Hawaii granted US citizenship w/ annexation and full territorial status in 1900.
The Confused Invasion of Cuba
- After Spanish-American War, warships sent to Cuba commanded by Admiral Cervera who thought they were going into suicide b/c very weak.
o Ill-prepared Americans not ready for war in tropics.
o Rough riders part of invading army.
- Volunteers of cowboys.
- Commanded by Leonard Wood and organized by Theodore Roosevelt.
- Victory at San Juan Hill where his horseless rough riders charged and won.
· Later Mr. Dooley would criticize their attack, but in humorous air.
Curtains for Spain in America
- If Spaniards held out few months longer, Amer army would have died because of malaria, typhoid, dysentery, yellow fever.
o Others suffered from embalmed beef – canned beef that was infected.
o 500 to bullets, 5000 to bacteria and other causes.
McKinley Heeds Duty, Destiny and Dollars
- America secured Guam and Puerto Rico, last remnant of Spanish Empire.
- McKinley, after much debate but sensitive to public opinion, took Philippine Islands.
o Protestant missionaries wanted more souls.
o Welfare of Filipinos a concern.
o Use of guns had profits in Philippines.
o Then went to inner voice which told him to take all of the islands and Christianize them.
- Though US paid Spanish $20 million.
America’s Course (Curse?) of Empire
- Previous gains thinly peopled, but Philippines thickly populated by people of difference race, culture and religion.
o Led to Anti-Imperialist League to fight McKinley administration’s expansionist moves.
§ Incl. William James, Mark Twain, Samuel Gompers (labor leader) and Andrew Carnegie.
- Wealthy Americans justified saying they must help underprivileged, underfed of world.
o William Jennings Bryan unlikely ally (b/c silver issue was dead, now was anti-imperialist) and said that war could not officially end until Amer ratified pact, so better first get it and secure indep.
Perplexities in Puerto Rico and Cuba
- Puerto Rico in deep poverty.
o By Foraker Act Congress gave Puerto Ricans limited degree of popular government.
o 1917 US citizenship.
§ Many inhabitants still wanted independence.
- Question was: Did the Constitution follow the flag?
o In Insular Cases, flag did outrun the Constitution, and annexation did not necessarily mean Constitution applied
o Filipinos and Puerto Ricans subject to American rule, but not all American rights.
- In Cuba, Amer military government under General Leonard Wood of rough riders had a lot of reforms.
o Experiments by Dr. Walter Reed found that mosquitoes were carriers of yellow fever, so removed fear of epidemics in Southern cities.
o Amer honored Teller Amendment and withdrew.
§ BEFORE THEY WITHDREW, FORCED CUBA TO SIGN Platt Amendment which made them:
· Cuba not to impair independence by treaty or contract
· US might intervene w/ troops to restore order
· Cubans sell or lease coaling, naval stations ultimately one (Guantanamo)
§ Because Amer wouldn’t abandon Cuba to foreign powers.
New Horizons in Two Hemispheres
- Spanish American party only underscored fact that nation already a world power.
o Citizens continue their indifference to adequate preparedness.
o National pride goes up by what John Hay called a “splendid little war”.
- Amer did not start w/ imperialist motives but later became imperialistic and colonistic.
- Captain Mahan’s big navyism had popular support for better battleships.
o Organizer Elihu Root in charge of War Department.
o Founded the War College in Washington.
- Further closing of North and South.
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