American Imperialism

REMEMBER THE MAINE*

Key Points to keep in mind in determining how and why the United States became an Imperialist Power

• American Expansion in Asia prior to the Spanish-American War
• Forces Behind Expansion: Economic--trade with China and Japan; Religious--new fields for American Protestant missionaries; Strategic--acquistion of coaling stations for America's new navy (ex: PagoPago in Samao, Pearl Harbor in Hawaii)
• US interest in Hawaii: American sugar planters; Way station for trade with China; 1893 revolt against Queen Lilioukalini; 1898 Annexation. For additional information, see Age of Imperialism: Expansion into the Pacific
• The Spanish-American War
• What really did happen to the Maine and how did its sinking push the United States into war with Spain?--Compare an account written in 1898 "The Blowing up of the Maine" to a more recent study commissioned by National Geographic, What Really Sunk the Maine
• "Yellow Press"--did the media make a war? See "Effects of the Press on Spanish-American Relations"
• Was Roosevelt alone in Cuba or did he have some help? See Roosevelt's first hand account Rough Riders
• The Fruits of Victory: Filipino Insurrection 1899-1902
• The question remained. Should the United States make the Philippines an American colony, thus formally joining the ranks of other imperialist powers? Annexationists like Roosevelt saw annexation as confirmation of America's Great Power status. President William McKinley rejected independence inasmuch as the Philippines were unfit for self government. Instead, he declared that it was America's duty to to democratizeand Christianize the Islands. Anti-imperialists argued that annexation of the Philippines violated the principles on which Americans were governed and would unnecessarily entangle the United States in Asian politics.
• Even as the debate went on, the Filipinos made it clear that they had no desire to become an American colony. The Filipino insurrection began in 1899 just as the United States Senate was voting on the Treaty of Paris ending the Spanish-American war.  The Filipino Insurection was a bitter, bloody affair, resulting in far more casualties than Americans had experienced in Cuba. No quarter was given as this cartoon indicates. The caption reads "Kill everyone over ten. Criminals because they were born ten years before we took the Philippines."