Rank the following in terms of their ability to explain American interest in "imperialism" at the end of the nineteenth century:
a. racial theories
b. international rivalry
c. trading interests
d. religious humanitarianism
Justify your ranking.
Due Monday, February 22nd at 12am.
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I would say that the order should be
ReplyDeleteB. International Rivalries – The US’s goal was to expand and take over as much land as possible but they weren’t the only nation that had this agenda. Many European Countries wanted to expand also. For example America and Germany almost went to war over the Samoan Islands (over who could build a naval base there), while Spain and US went to war over the lack of democracy in Cuba. Cubans revolted against Spain, causing the US to support them. The US went to war with Spain that lasted 113 days. A treaty was fulfilled in Paris and the US received Guam and Puerto Rico and freed Cuba. President McKinley decided to purchase the Philippines for $20 million. Overall, the US was led by imperialistic thoughts and sought to gain as much land as possible. These international rivals only fueled the determination of the Americans to acquire more land and spread their rein.
C. Trading Interests – I ranked trading interests second because Americans wanted foreign land so that they could trade to their benefit. For instance America had their eyes on Hawaii. The US established treaties which allowed tariff free trade with the Hawaiians; this meant no tax on sugar canes. However in 1890 the McKinley Tariff was issued raising the tax on sugar cane. Many felt the only way to resolve this problem was to annex Hawaii. When Hawaii was annexed there was much revolt from the Hawaiian people. In the end Hawaii was annexed to the country primarily for trading reasons.
A. Racial Theories – During the late 1800s and early 1900s crazy theories such as white supremacy gained acknowledgment and were “proven” by scientist. Derived from this theory was the idea of the “The White Man’s Burden,” in which it was the white man who had to educate and forward other races even though it wasn’t pleasurable they were burdened with it. This theory was said by expansionists who wanted to keep the Philippines and civilize them. Though not as important as rivalries with other nations this belief still helped to expand the nation.
D. Religious Humanitarianism- I would say this was the least important because it was used as an excuse to dominate other nations. Americans knew what they wanted and were eager to gain land. To believe that Americans wanted land to just spread Christianity is a utter lie and cover-up for the greedy and imperialistic nation of the US.
The main goal of the United States at the end of the nineteenth century was to become a global power by gaining territory and money. Theories of racial superiority and humanitarianism served more to justify these goals. Therefore, the causes of imperialism rank: (1) international rivalry, (2) trading interests, (3) racial theories, and (4) religious humanitarianism.
ReplyDeleteInternational rivalry was key because it led to the acquisition of territories for military and strategic interests. Alfred T. Mahan wrote "The Influence of Sea Power on History" and stated that control of the seas was key to global dominance. In fact, many of the islands we captured such as Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Phillipines, were excellent points for military bases, such as at Pearl Harbor.
Commercial and business interests were the next most important cause of imperialism. As seen later in Taft's presidency, many believed that trade with other nations was key to forming international diplomacy. The United Sates increased exports and imports in this period and increased financial investments. These financial investments, such as in Cuba and Hawaii for their agriculture, often led to acquisition of those territories.
Social Darwinism was the next most important in causing imperialism. Many believed that it was the white U.S.'s duty to help lesser races, such as Rudyard Kipling's "The White Man's Burden" showed. However, this was merely a justification for taking over other countries for military and economic interests.
Finally, Religious interests were strong in acquiring territories, but were also used as a justification for military expansion. While there were missionaries in other countries, many natives resented them. In China, the Boxer Rebellion broke out, killing Christian Chinese people. Josiah Strong was a strong advocator of missionary work shown in his book "Our Country: Its Possible Future and Its Present Crisis."
I think that the abilities to explain American interest in "imperialism" at the end of the nineteenth century of the causes should be in this order:
ReplyDeleteB. International rivalry
The most important cause of American imperialism was international rivalry because the country wanted to obtain more territories for the money that would stem from them. In fact, the United States went to war with Spain over Cuba, and had used their victory in this war to procure the Philippines for $20 million. Spain also relinquished control over Puerto Rico and Guam to the United States. Germany and Britain wanted, like America, to have naval bases in Samoa. In fact, Germany had almost gone to war with the U.S. over this.
C. Trading Interests
The United States was also fueled by trading interests toward imperialism. The U.S. government had chosen to annex Hawaii because of the important trade in those islands, mainly the sugar trade. Cuba became an American protectorate because of its strategic location in the Caribbean, that could be crucial to U.S. trade.
A. Racial Theories
Theories of white superiority, such as Rudyard Kipling's "The White Man's Burden," sprung up during this time. Many of these theories were supposedly "proven" by scientists, and indicated that it was a duty of the white man, as a member of the "superior" race, to take over other races in order to help them. This, however, was not true and thus only an excuse for imperialism.
D. Religious Humanitarianism
The idea that imperialism was instated to help "civilize" and bring the "superior" culture of Christian nations to so-called lesser nations provided an excuse for the United States to take over many foreign places. The nativist Reverend Josiah Strong was one of the people who supported such a policy. However, this justification was only used as a way to stop criticism behind the economic motives of becoming imperialistic, and did not actually act as a driving force of imperialism.
By the end of the nineteenth century, American interest in "imperialist" goals and strategies can best be explained by (b)international rivalry and (c)trading interests. (a)Racial theories and (d)religious humanitarianism served more to justify the tactics the United States used to exert economic, political, and militaristic control over weaker territories, rather than motives themselves.
ReplyDeleteInternational rivalry was the major driving force behind imperialism because it motivated stronger nations to exert more control over more territories. The United States needed this global competition to satisfy its own need to "expand or explode". Rivalries and wars over global dominance, such as American intervention in Spanish Cuba, may have been seen as diplomatic efforts at first, but soon changed into selfish national interests. These fierce, violent rivalries only subsided after America increased its power, in this case with the purchase of Guam, Cuba, and the Philippines. This shows how deeply-rooted international rivalry remained in America's imperialistic spirit.
The interest in trade was another major factor in America's need for territory. The want of more diverse, exotic ports and goods led to foreign diplomacy and intervention in such territories as Hawaii and Japan. In Hawaii, what began as a free trade agreement between the U.S. for cheap Hawaiian sugar led to the annexation of the region against Queen Liliukalani's wishes. Even still the annexation of Hawaii was only to further the trading motives of the U.S. in the Philippines. The opening of Japanese ports to the U.S. in the Treaty of Kanagawa also emphasized America's trading incentive as it ended centuries of Japanese seclusion.
Racial theories, such as social darwinism, served more as a justification and explanation for America's imperialist tactics. In Rudyard Kipling's poem, "The White Man's Burden", Kipling explained the takeover of a weaker nation by a stronger one was a necessity, even a burden, in order to help the poorer nation advance. The scientific analysis of a Hierarchy of Race also came about, stating the most advanced races will survive. As that advanced race always proved to be white, this darwinist-like thinking helped bring a moral justification to imperialism, however skewed.
The smallest of these factors was religious humanitarianism. Much like the racial theories of the time, missionaries sought to civilize and impose a supposed "superior" culture and religion upon "savage" natives. Missionaries like Josiah Strong, Reverend and author of the book "Our Country: Its Possible Future and Its Present Crisis", saw no wrong in such a policy, and these claimed motives again helped justify the brutal takeover of another territory.
I think the American's interest in imperialism would be in the following order:
ReplyDeleteB. International Rivalry - As Europe has started to become increasingly interested in the Far East and Latin America, the United States was forced to compete. They re-vitalized the Monroe Doctrine, giving them power in Latin America and won the Spanish - American War, giving them power in the Far East (the Philippines, Guam). Additionally, with their newly powerful Navy, the United States was able to fend off other countries like Britain, especially in Latin America.
C. Trading Interests - The United States was interested in imperializing territories for trading. In annexing Hawii, the United States gained a crucial strategic port in Pearl Harbor, as the Hawaiian Islands are halfway between Asia and North America.
D. Religious Humanitarianism - Many Christian missionaries used religion as an excuse to conquer weaker nations and bring them under American control. Many people, like Reverend Josiah Strong, were in favor of "christianizing" other cultures.
A. Racial Theories - Racial theories certainly played into the imperialization of other nations by the United States. Many Americans used "Social Darwinism" as their justification for white supremacy. Many said that because science was behind the theory, it was justified and therefore should be used as an excuse to conquer other nations when in reality it was a racist excuse to exercise dominance over weaker nations.
At the end of the 19th century, the U.S was trying become a world power by expanding territory and getting more money. The interest in American imperialism was caused in order of significance: international rivalry, trading interests, racial theories, and finally religious humanitarianism.
ReplyDeleteInternational Rivalry – I feel that international rivalry is the most important cause of imperialism. The United States wanted to gain more money, and become a more powerful nation then the other world powers. The U.S was very competitive with expansion towards other countries. There was multiple times where the United States fought over a piece of land. In fact, the U.S had almost gone to war with Germany over the Samoan Islands because both wanted to put a naval base there. Also, when Britain found out that there was gold in Venezuela, the U.S immediately told the British that they were violating the Monroe Doctrine, and if they didn’t comply, they would be willing to fight.
Trading Interests – The U.S’s need for expansion was also the cause of trading interests. The need for new items caused imperialism. The U.S was very interested in sugar from Hawaii. Treaties signed in 1875, and 1887 allowed the U.S free commercial trade with Hawaii, until the tariff in 1890. This led to the U.S annexing Hawaii, so that sugar would be cheaper to trade for.
Racial Theories – In the late 1900s, the U.S had used Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest to justify the takeover of places that needed to be improved. Also, Rudyard Kipling’s poem, The White Man’s Burden, said that the stronger nation should help out the weaker ones by taking them over and thus improving them.
Religious Humanitarianism – I feel that religious humanitarianism has the smallest impact on American imperialism. Missionaries have always sought out to convert the weaker savages. Reverend Josiah Strong’s book spoke for Christianizing and civilizing savages. Therefore, this wasn’t as much of a factor in American imperialism as International rivalry, and trading interests.
By the early twentieth century, the beginning of the “age of empire”, America had its own empire. This was a great change considering America’s once anticolonial traditions. Overall American interests leaned towards imperialism in the late nineteenth century due to: first, international rivalry, second, trading interests, third, racial theories, and lastly, for religious reasons.
ReplyDeleteAmerica felt the need to keep up with other nations trying to expand. America saw many other nations expanding and felt they had to do the same. For example America and Germany nearly went to war in 1889 over the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific. America competed to have power of the seas causing conflict with the British which led to high tensions and made many Americans desire war. In the end the British had bitten off more than they could chew and started an era of “patting the eagle’s head”, it appeared imperialism was getting our country some respect.
The annexation of Hawaii is a prime example of how imperialism was for trading interests. America sought the island as a way to trade with Hawaii, who had valuable sugar, with no tariff. Hawaii also served as an aid to trading with the American territory of the Philippines. Like Hawaii Cuba served as an aid to American trade. Cuba allowed America to have a valuable location in the Caribbean’s, therefore increasing trade.
Ideas such as Social Darwinism justified America’s drives for new land. Americans felt they were the most apt to dominate, therefore what they were doing was acceptable. Some felt that it was the white mans responsibility to help those that were less advanced made clear by Kipling’s "The White Man's Burden.”
Imperialism was least explained with religious reasons. Many Christians felt that they were better or more superior than the natives and felt they had a responsibility to “civilize” the natives. Many were encouraged to spread their religion by people like Reverend Josiah Strong who wrote "Our Country: Its Possible Future and Its Present Crisis.” Although some had good intentions, many used religion as a cover-up for their true intentions.
-Jordan Tabor
Interests in imperialism stemmed from trading interests and international rivalry. Racial theories and religious humanitarianism also influenced it but only slightly.
ReplyDeleteTrade interests were the main driving forces behind imperialism. Americans wanted higher quality and cheaper goods which meant they had to look beyond their borders for bigger markets that could accommodate their desires. Hawaii is a perfect example of this; America started a free trade agreement for cheap Hawaiian sugar which eventually led to the annexation of Hawaii. The U.S. trade interests also caused them to interfere in the Philippines and work out agreements with other world powers like Japan to open up more ports and avenues of trade. Overall, trade is what kept the United States’ interest in foreign affairs.
While trade may have been most influential, international rivalry was a close second. The United States had to compete with other powerful nations to stay on top. This meant the U.S. had to build up their navy to own the seas and to exert as much power as they could on smaller territories. Trade and international rivalry go almost hand in hand as because this global competition allowed for markets to expand exponentially. Events like the Spanish-American war were caused by these rivalries for control of markets and territories. In the case of Cuba, however, America didn’t want other countries to gain from it and thus worked hard to keep it away from them. The purchase of Guam and the Philippines were also out of national interests because they were strategic areas that would benefit the U.S. power in the western hemisphere.
America’s imperialist tendencies were not really influenced by religious humanitarianism or racial theories. Religious humanitarianism helped send missionaries to Asia and other parts of the world. These missionaries, while there to convert people, ended up helping the United States conquer or open trade in those countries. Although it helped with imperialism, religious humanitarianism was so slow and a lot of times just turned into ways to exploit the natives to make a lot of money.
Racial theories didn’t influence imperialism a whole lot. Instead, they were used more to explain why imperialism occurred. Rudyard Kipling’s piece, “The White Man’s Burden,” for example, helped explain that stronger nations had an obligation to take over smaller nations to help build them up. Social Darwinism was also used to justify a lot of things going on during the time period. It was also used to explain the Hierarchy of Race scientifically: the dominant race, which happened to be whites, was clearly fit for survival over other races.
I think the American's interest in imperialism would be in the following order:
ReplyDeleteB. International Rivalry - When Europe started becoming interested in the Far East and Latin America, the United States was forced to compete with them. Countries like Britain and Germany wanted navel bases in places like Samoa and soon America did too. With their new Navy, the United States was able to fend off other countries, like Britain and Germany, especially in Latin America. The United States wanted to obtain more territories for the potential revenue that would come from them.
C. Trading Interests - The United States was interested in imperializing territories for trading purposes. The United States sought to annex Hawaii to gain a crucial port in Pearl Harbor, for the sugar trade, and also for the Hawaiian Islands being halfway between Asia and North America.
A. Racial Theories - Many Americans used "Social Darwinism" to justify white supremacy. Many said that because science was behind the theory, it should be used as an excuse to conquer other nations. Others believed it was their duty in order to help them when in reality it was a racist excuse to exercise dominance over weaker nations.
D. Religious Humanitarianism - The Americans wanted to help the "superior" culture of Christian nations to “lesser” nations and they felt like the best way to do so was to take over foreign nations. Many people, like Reverend Josiah Strong, were in favor of "Christianizing" other cultures.
I think that the order should be...
ReplyDelete1.International Rivalries- because the US's main objective was to expand. But at the same time other nations were wanting to do the exact same thing. They felt that the bigger they were the more power they would have. For example, the fight over the Samoan island in 1889. Eventually in 1899 the island was split equally between Germany and America, but a little after that German Samoa became their own independent republic. Another example of how the US wanted to expand, is when we purchased the Philippines for $20 million. But I feel that without the rivalry with the other nations, we would not have been as determined to succeed in our expansion.
2.Trading Interests- because the US used trading with foreign countries to their advantage. For example, the US's foreign trade with Hawaii. Sugar was very important to the US and Hawaii had it abundantly, but sugar was also very important to Japan. So before Japan could get their hands on Hawaii, the US immediately annexed it and gave all Hawaiians US citizenship. As a way to make it easier for the US to get their hands on sugar cane.
3.Racial Theories- because during this time books like "The White Man's Burden" came along with theories that it's the white mans "duty" to take care of the other races. And also that sometimes this "duty" could be inconvenient. It also stated that the whites were in fact the Superior race.
4.Religious Humanitarianism- because during this time Christianity was used as a way to "civilize" the savages or in other words convert all other religions that weren't christian. Although some Christians really did want to help others, many abused their positions. One person that supported this policy was Rev. Josiah Strong, a nativist who wrote a book that talked about "civilizing savages". However, this strategy didn't have much of an effect on Imperialism.
c. trading interests
ReplyDeleteThe U.S wanted to expand mostly becaue of trade interest. Haiwaii is in the middle of the Pacific ocean, so it makes a great pit stop for ships on their way to Asia for trade. A treaty with the queen secured rights to harbors until assimilation into the US in 1898.
b. international rivalry
Second is International Rivalry. The Spanishp-American war was fought with Spain over the independance of Cuba. It developed into a conflict to try and unseat Spain from their Carribean outposts. The US was competing with Spain for land in the Carribean.
a. racial theories
By the late 1800's and early 1900's, the US was so diverse that race wasn't AS MUCH of a big deal (it was still a major thing in the south, mainly with black and the KKK). But the problems over race were at home, not over seas.
d. religious humanitarianism
The least important reason wasa Religous Humanitarianism. At this point in time, most of the people in the US didn't care about religion, all they wanted was more land. Missionaries may have gone to other countries as "ambassadors" that paved the way for the negotiators with the big sticks.
Evan van Aalst
b. International rivalry- America clearly at this time was looking for ways to take over land when they fought Sapin over the independance of cuba and Alfred T. Mahan wrote "the influence of sea power on history" advince the us that control of the sea would lead to dominance of the world. Also the US was quick to use the monroe doctorine to get britain to stay away from gold in venezuela.
ReplyDeletec.Trading Interests- The US was interested in Hawaii due to its availability as a port for ships coming from asia and it also had enormous amounts of sugar and every one in the US loved sugar and to keep other countrys away from hawaii the United States immediately annexed it.
a. Racial Theories- Although there was problems with white americans discriminating against asian immigrants coming over to work and it was a seriouis problem it doesnt really show as much about the United States interest in imperialism it mainly just showed that the US had an abundancy of nationalists who hated the idea of people taking jobs even though they worked a lot of jobs that many people did not want.
d.Religious Humanitarianism- Yes there was some american christians who wanted to "civilize" savages by teaching them religion but it too didnt really show americas imperialistic mind it mainly showed how many chirstian people at this time were crazy and thought that there was no way you could be civilized without being christian! (not that i hate religion just saying!)
American interest in imperialism at the end of the nineteenth century can be explained in this order:
ReplyDeleteB. International rivalry - Under the idea of "expand or explode" the United States felt motivated to have control over more territories. The Spanish-American war was caused by a rivalry over the control of territories. As a result of the war America gained the territories of Guam and the Philippines in the Pacific Ocean. Also, the U.S.A. applied the Monroe Doctrine to Britain when the British discovered that there was gold in Venezuela. International rivalry was important in American imperialism because in order for America to become more powerful we needed to gain more land and money.
C. Trading Interests - The need for new items is also a cause of American imperialism. The U.S.A. imported large amounts of sugar cane in from Hawaii. The U.S. created free commercial trade with Hawaii by creating treaties signed in 1875 and 1887. A later tariff in 1890 led to the U.S. annexing Hawaii so that sugar would be cheaper to import.
A. Racial Theories – The use of Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest also contributed to interest in imperialism in America. Social Darwinism was used to explain white superiority. Also theories of white superiority can be seen in the poem "The White Man's Burden" by Rudyard Kipling. These theories promoted the idea that it was the duty of the white race, as the superior race, to take over other races in order to help them.
D. Religious Humanitarianism - Christian missionary positions were established across the globe in order to spread the word of God to the non-believers. Although missionaries did convert many people to Christianity they also used religion to conquer countries and bring them under American control.
The interests of imperialism would be in the following order:
ReplyDelete1.Trading interests
Trading interests, alongside economic gain, was the main reason to American imperialism. Americans wanted more products at cheaper prices and sought to control territories that could offer them such benefits. Hawaii was one of the places America had its eyes on because of its abundance of sugar cane. The Reciprocity Treaty was signed in 1875 which allowed for free trade between US and Hawaii. This way, America could obtain cheap sugar from Hawaii without taxes. Later in 1898, Hawaii was annexed. In Japan, the Treaty of Kanagawa of 1854 opened up Japanese forts for US.
2.International rivalry
In order to gain control of territories, America had to compete with the other leading powers. Over Cuba, the US had went into war with Spain. Over Somoa, US fought with Germany in order to build a naval base there as it was believed that the key of global dominance was to control the seas with a powerful navy. This concept was discussed in Alfred T. Mahan's book--The Influence of Sea Power on History.
Racial theories
3.The idea of white supremacy was further encouraged by the theory of social darwinism. Whites were the most superior and had to help the lesser races, as shown in Rudyard Kipling's "The White Man's Burden". It was necessary for white men to 'control' and educate the other races even though it was a burden.
Religious humanitarism
4.Missionaries saw Christianity as the solution to civilizing and helping the 'savage' natives. Similar to the notion of white superiority, Christians saw themselves as more superior, They wanted to convert the natives and therefore took over the nations. "Our Country: Its Possible Future and Its Present Crisis" by Josiah Strong justified this action.
1) International Rivalry
ReplyDeleteI would consider the foremost reason for American imperialism to be international rivalry. During the late nineteenth century a global imperialist attitude existed; the nations of Europe had carved up Africa and many island nations and were exerting influence over China. The United States felt pressured to become an empire if it was to have power in the global political arena. "The Influence of Sea Power on History" by Alfred Thayer Mahan argued that control of the oceans was the key to world dominance, and thus the United States built up its navy and decided to gain control of strategically significant island nations. The American public too were seized by a spirit of jingoism, spurred on by the "yellow press" and the music of John Philip Sousa. The martial spirit nearly thrust the US into a war with Britain, and provoked a war with Spain when the public jumped to conclusions about the explosion of the US ship the "Maine," imagining it had been blown up by a Spanish submarine mine. A war ensued for the "liberation" of Cuba and the Philippines from "misguided" Spanish rule. The expansionist spirit was also goaded on by beliefs that the American frontier was crucial to the American experience, and without new territory to expand into, America might explode.
2)Trading Interests
America also desired control of island nations in order to expand and control trade. American farming and manufacturing was booming, and the US sought new markets to sell their products. Islands like Hawaii and Cuba were also important for naval trade, and Hawaii was important for its success with sugar. Interests in economic dominance were an important incentive, though secondary to pursuits for political dominance.
3)Religious Humanitarianism
Desire to gain converts and to "civilize" was more of a justification than an actual motivational factor, but it did play some part in expansionist desires. Protestant missionaries hoped to gain converts from Catholics under Spanish rule, and McKinley felt it was his "Christian duty" to "educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize and Christianize them and by God's grace do the very best we could by them."
4)Racial Theories
White supremacy acted more as a sick justification for American authority as an empire than an actual reason for the takeover of island nations. There was some attitude that whites were obligated to "uplift" the other races, as exemplified in Rudyard Kipling's poem "The White Man's Burden." However, this was used as more of a justification than an actual motive.
I would rank them like so
ReplyDeleteInternational rivalries. Americas expansion was because they wanted more land so they could be the most powerful country. They gained more land at steep costs at times. We narrowly escaped a few wars and didn't stop there. We more or less forced Hawaii to join the US.
Trading interests. This was a big part of our expansion and Imperialism. I think the places like Alaska and Hawaii were taken almost completely for econonmic interests. This way Hawaii's sugar produced would be sold better and to more places yielding American benefits.
Racial theories. Rudyard Kipling's "The White Man's Burden" was written in this time which said that us as white people need to help inferior races. This is one of the most racist things in history, in my opinion. Not only is he saying whites are better, he's saying we need to help them because they can't help themselves. Clearly non of this was true so it was an excuse to conqure and expand.
Religious humanitarianisms. This is similar to Racial theories. They believe that their religion is superior and that everyone should convert. Thus, they send missionaries and try to peacefully take them over (calmer imperialism).
All in all America was basically a bully and used power to take over. I'm starting to see a pattern...
-Scott Shortino
Racial theories, international rivalries, trading interests, and religious humanitarianism all contributed to the United States’ concentration on the ideal of imperialism at the turn of the nineteenth century. In my opinion, the overall of American interest in imperialism for the time period should be attributed to these terms in this order:
ReplyDeleteC) Trading Interests- Among the most important of goals for any self-sustaining nation is to be financially secure. This universal fact alone lends itself to the ranking of trading interests at the top of the list.. This fixation manifested itself in the United States’ annexation of Hawaii for the trading benefits that the territory brought, most notably in providing a closer connection to territories on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, making foreign exchanges for products such as sugar easier and cheaper. Trade was the main way that America imperially asserted its power on the global scale, and competed with other nations.
B) International Rivalries- Rivalries with other nations provided more substantial motivation that drove America’s imperialist attitudes. The drive to stay militaristically ahead of other nations was the primary reason behind the United States’ expansion and reinforcement of the armed forces, particularly the Navy. A victory in the Spanish- American war also established the United States as an international authority.
A) Racial Theories- Ranking third, but with notably less influence than the previous two terms, is racial theory. The theory with the most combined relation to the notion of American imperialism and dominant societal mindsets of the time is social Darwinism. This survival of the most socially fit way of thinking provided the springboard for ideas that it was the duty of the white man to expand his successful way of life to less developed peoples. This attempt to educate races and countries that were seen as intellectually or technologically inferior led to the territorial expansion of the United States.
D) Religious Humanitarianism- Religious attempts to spread the doctrine of Christianity rank last on the list primarily because they are merely a part of the actions that resulted from a social Darwinism line of thought. The process of converting non-Christians also did not necessarily produce the end result of a stronger imperial nation, just more people globally who held similar moral beliefs and values as the majority of people in the United States.
My 2 cents is:
ReplyDeleteB. International rivalry- The U.S wasn't looking to defend what it had. It was all or nothing. The massive growth of the U.S navy was a catalyst for imperialism. With the creation of rotating turrets and powerful new shells, the U.S was truly a forced to be reckoned with on the sea. Seeing how aerospace wasnt close to be pioneered, so that says a lot. Our interest in other territories were the motivation, Hawaii was a solid landmass to capture dude to its convienient location in the Pacific ocean and it accessibility by ships. Alfred T. Mahan wrote "The Influence of Sea Power on History" he basically said that world domination could only be aquired by control of the seas. The U.S were very adamant on his words and pushed for a superior navy.
C. Trading interests- Back on the topic of Hawaii it was the prime rib of trading posts. It was a straight shot to Asia and all of its wealth. Hawaii was plentiful in sugar and America demanded sugar. This led to the annexing of Hawaii in 1890 so the costs of sugar import were drastically reduced.
A. Racial Theories- Social Darwinism was at an all time high. Whites believed themselves to be the guardians of the other races. So was this taken in a brotherly love sense? Not at all, the whites thought it was their duty to take over other races in order to aid them. The genius (insert sarcasm here) who proposed this noble cause was Rudyard Kipling in his poem " The White Man's Burden". The feeling of white superiority quickly led to white notoriety.
D.Religious Humanitarianism- Now religion is important to many people, and it spreads a feeling of good will. However, Jesus was never to be taken into the context of imperialism. Missionaries were placed around the world to premote Christianity as a means of conquering countries. Christians thought of it was a way to "civilize" savages, but really it was a mean of domination, which helped put a few more offerings into the priests pocket. Talk about being "civilized"..... Just in time!!!
1.) International rivalry became obvious in American expansion, with competition against European and Asian countries. The book called "the influence of sea power" greatly motivated the US to build a supreme Navy, which would help mark them on the map as a superpower."Yellow journalism" became prominent during this period, sparking the thought of expansion as it over exaggerated the need to do so. The US competed against Spain numerous of times with the cases of the Philippines and Cuba. The Spanish lost their grip in the Philippines after Commodore George Dewey fought and took it. In Cuba, Spain docked warships nearby, panicking the Americans which resulted in a small conflict, ending in the Spanish defeat. Around the same time, US took Puerto Rico and Guam with little resistance. When China eventually fell to the Europeans and Japan, US passed the Open Door note, to prevent influence that might restrain chinese rights, as well as restrict US trade. In 1898, the US annexed Hawaii and would later become the 50est state of the US. As soon as one country made a move for another, it was almost guaranteed the US was there. The strong idea for the American Frontier was all over the US, demanding expansion at the risk of exploding.
ReplyDelete2.) Trading interests in America became huge with the conquering of the islands of Hawaii phillipines and Cuba. As some places like Hawaii provided for an excellent sugar source. Before, the US was mainly isolated until their exports rised greatly. This would promote their power, wealth, and manufacturing ablity.
3.) Religious conversion became popular with the newly added territory such as the Phillipines. As seen through much of history, once a land is conquered, religious missionaries are sent to win the minds of the people, or in this case to "save them". Protestant missionaries were often sent to the Phillipines, in hopes of civiling and educating these people who in American standards were lost and beneath them.
4.) Social Darwinism would come into play in terms of racial theories. This thought said that there was a great race between which race of people would become dominant. However it was the Caucasians who held the power, wealth, and technological strength. It was the "white man's burden" to help the other "ignorant" races who were lower than the supreme class of whites.
Sorry about it being late, my internet has been acting up, it started to start slowing down when I was in the middle of typing this.