IMPERIALISM BY THE

UNITED STATES

Essential Question: What role did the United States

play as an imperial power in Asia and Latin America?

115 years after gaining independence from Britain, the United States was an industrial and imperial power

How did this happen?

The United States: 1790-1820

The U.S. Economy:From 1790 to

1820, most Americans were

small-scale farmers

But, a few early textile mills were built in New England and…

The United States: 1790-1820

...Eli Whitney’s cotton gin led to a boom in southern cotton and slavery

The United States: 1790-1820

U.S. Territorial Expansion: The American population expanded across the Appalachian Mountains

In 1803, Jefferson doubled the size of the USA and gained control of the Mississippi River when he

bought Louisiana from French Emperor Napoleon

The United States: 1790-1820

U.S. Foreign Policy:In these early years,

the American government was

committed to neutrality in regards

to foreign policy

The United States: 1790-1820

The United States: 1820-1860The U.S. Economy:

From 1820 to 1860,

Southern cotton made up 60% of

American exportsThe North had a diverse economy based on farming, textile production, and manufacturing

Western farmers were connected to Northern industry by roads, canals,

and railroads

U.S. Territorial Expansion: From 1820 to 1860, the

USA claimed its “Manifest Destiny” and gained new

western lands in Texas, Oregon, and the southwest

The United States: 1820-1860

By 1850, the USA had all lands from the Atlantic to the Pacific

The United States: 1820-1860

U.S. Foreign Policy: In 1823, the U.S. declared a new

foreign policy called the Monroe Doctrine

The USA remained committed to

neutrality in Europe...but promised to

protect the Western Hemisphere from

European colonization

The United States: 1820-1860

The U.S. Economy:From 1860 to 1900,

the United States experienced an

Industrial Revolution

The United States: 1820-1860

The USA became a world leader in railroads, oil, steel, and electricity

The USA became a world leader in railroads, oil, steel, and electricity

As America became more industrialized, it experienced a rise in urbanization and immigration

As America became more industrialized, it experienced a rise in urbanization and immigration

The United States: 1860-1900U.S. Territorial Expansion: The USA expanded beyond

North America and imperialized by gaining

new colonies in Latin America and Asia

U.S. Foreign Policy: With its

industry and strong navy,

the USA became the

“police power” of the Western

Hemisphere

The United States: 1860-1900

American factories

needed new sources of raw materials and

markets to sell their goods

Why did the United States imperialize?

By 1890, there were no new lands in the west to expand into and

Americans wanted overseas colonies

Why did the United States imperialize?

Americans felt the need to keep up with European imperialists

Why did the United States imperialize?

Why did the United States imperialize?

The U.S. had a modern navy and belief that it could compete with other powerful nations

Why did the United States imperialize?

The U.S. had a modern navy and belief that it could compete with other powerful nations

Like Europeans, Americans

believed in Social Darwinism and felt

that they had a duty to “civilize”

the “inferior races” of the world

So, what did the USA gain during

the Age of Imperialism?

Why did the United States imperialize?

U.S. Imperialism: HAWAIIFrom 1820 to 1890, Americans moved to

Hawaii as missionaries and fruit plantation

owners

In 1891, Queen Liliuokalani came to power and tried to

reduce the power of Americans living in Hawaii

Americans overthrew Queen Liliuokalani in 1893 and Hawaii was annexed by the USA in

1898 (governed by Sanford Dole)

U.S. Imperialism: CHINABy the 1890s, European imperial powers carved China into spheres of influence, giving them exclusive trade rights in Chinese ports

In 1899, the USA declared an Open Door Policy in China to allow free trade by any nation in any port

U.S. Imperialism: CUBAIn 1895, Cubans declared their independence from Spain; to put down the revolution, Spain used brutal tactics (like starvation)

In 1898, the U.S. sent the ship USS Maine to Cuba to protect American interests there;

after the ship mysteriously exploded, Americans declared war on Spain

The U.S. easily won the Spanish-American War to free Cuba and the

Philippines from Spain

As a result of the Spanish-American War, Cuba gained its independence and the USA

annexed the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico

When the Filipino people were not given independence, they led an unsuccessful rebellion

against the USA in the Filipino-American War in 1899

AN AMERICAN WAR CRIMINAL

GENERAL JACOB H. SMITH

The Americans were able to stop the rebel Filipinos partly because of the brutal tactics used by one of the commanding officers, General Jacob H. Smith

In one region of the Philippines, Smith ordered any over ten years old to be executed

When his war crimes became public, Smith was court-martialed and kicked out of the U.S. military

America’s Role in Latin AmericaBy 1904, the USA was a major world power and declared that it had “police power” to protect

Latin America from European imperialism

U.S. Imperialism: PANAMA CANALBy 1900, one of America’s main goals was to build a canal in Panama, which would connect

the Atlantic and Pacific

After the Colombian government rejected America’s offer to build a canal in Panama, the

U.S. encouraged Panama to break from Colombia

In 1903, Panama allowed the U.S. to

build the canal and the Panama Canal was completed by 1914

Click here to see how the Panama Canal works

By the 20th century, the U.S. was a world power

The U.S. was a world leader in industry and had one of the most powerful militaries

in the world The USA gained

Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, Philippines……created an Open

Door Policy in China……and had influence over Latin America

Revamped and redone by

Christopher Jaskowiak

Original version by

Brooks Baggett