Explain the causes of American imperialism, the Spanish-American War, the territories the United States acquired, and policies such as the Open Door and the Panama Canal (Tennessee Academic Standards for Social Studies, United States History and Geography, US.11 and US.12).

What this topic is asking

Standards US.11 and US.12 ask why the United States became an overseas empire around 1900. For the EOC that means knowing the causes of imperialism (economic, strategic, ideological), the role of yellow journalism in starting the Spanish-American War (1898), the territories the United States gained, and key foreign policies like the Open Door in China and the Panama Canal.

The causes of imperialism

Several forces pushed the United States to seek overseas territory and influence around 1900:

The Spanish-American War (1898)

Tensions with Spain focused on Cuba, where Cubans were rebelling against harsh Spanish rule. American opinion was inflamed by yellow journalism, the sensational, exaggerated reporting of newspapers run by William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer, which dramatized Spanish brutality.

The spark came when the U.S. battleship Maine exploded and sank in Havana harbor in 1898 (the cause was uncertain, but the press blamed Spain, with the cry "Remember the Maine!"). The United States declared war and won quickly. The war is also remembered for Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders at San Juan Hill and the U.S. Navy's victory in the Philippines (Manila Bay).

The territories gained

The Treaty of Paris (1898) ended the war and made the United States an overseas empire:

• Puerto Rico (a U.S. territory).
• Guam (a Pacific island).
• The Philippines (purchased from Spain; the United States then fought a bloody war against Filipinos seeking independence).
• Cuba became independent but a U.S. protectorate under the Platt Amendment.

The United States also annexed Hawaii in 1898 (after American planters had overthrown the Hawaiian monarchy).

Open Door and the Panama Canal

Two policies extended American economic and strategic reach:

• The Open Door policy (1899 to 1900) called for equal trading access to China for all nations, protecting American commercial interests as European powers carved out spheres of influence.
• The Panama Canal (begun under Theodore Roosevelt after the United States backed Panama's separation from Colombia, opened 1914) connected the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, letting ships and the navy move quickly between them, a huge boost to American trade and military power.

Roosevelt's broader approach was summed up as "speak softly and carry a big stick," and the Roosevelt Corollary asserted a U.S. right to intervene in Latin America.

The debate over empire

Not all Americans supported imperialism. Anti-imperialists (including Mark Twain) argued that ruling other peoples without their consent betrayed American ideals of self-government, especially given the war against Filipino independence. The clash between imperialists and anti-imperialists is a point-of-view theme the EOC may test.

Try this

Q1. Name the three main causes of American imperialism with an example of each. [3]

• Cue. Economic (markets or raw materials), strategic (naval bases, Mahan), ideological (prestige, mission, sense of superiority).

Q2. List the territories the United States gained from the Spanish-American War. [2]

• Cue. Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines (with Cuba as a protectorate).