Outline: American Imperialism

Crystal Dyson Cohort 4 U.S. History January 23, 2013

Chapter 17 Outline

I. The Lure Of Imperialism 1. Imperialist Activity a. Imperialism is the practice of extending a nation’s power by gaining territories for a colonial empire. b. Industrialized nations had flooded their own countries good and investment capital. They needed new sources for raw materials, new places to invest, and new customers. c. Militant needs included naval bases where they could refuel and repair ships. Industrialized nations sought foreign territory so they could build these coaling stations in strategic places. d. Two popular ideologies also contributed to imperialism. 1. One ideology was a strong sense of nationalism. They felt
In the late 1800’s many Americans believed the U.S had to claim foreign territory as the European imperials had taken control of territories in Africa and Asia. Military advantages, new markets and wanting to spread Christian faith were powerful attractions to many Americans. They thought their manifest destiny was to expand to the distant islands farther west to the Pacific Ocean. 2. Taking Control of Hawaii a. Expansionists were interested in acquiring Hawaii in the late 1800’s. In 1820 U.S. ships began arriving with traders and missionaries. Many missionaries came to convert Hawaiians to Christianity. The missionaries settled and began to raise crops such as sugarcane. The population of Hawaii decreased from about 300,000 in the 1770’s to about 40,000 by 1893 because of diseases foreigners brought. b. Investors in the sugar industry began increasing their control. Sugar planters grew very rich because Americans had a sweet tooth. To keep sugarcane plantations running, planters brought in works from China, japan and the Philippines. By 1874 Americans had gained control over Hawaii’s land ands economy, which King Kalakaua strongly resented. He allied himself with landowners to strengthen the economy. He also negotiated a treaty that allowed sugar to enter the U.S tax free, which boosted the Hawaiian sugar industry. Sugar tycoons wanted more power over Hawaiian
Randolph Hearst was famous for sensational news stories in the Journal, known as yellow journalism that stirred feelings of nationalism and formed public opinion for the Spanish-American War. The Journal threw its support behind the Cuban rebels and refused to use any Spanish sources for news stories. Relying only on Cuban sources made the Journal’s stories biased, but it also made for exciting reading—and sold more papers. Joseph Pulitzer was a newspaper publisher for the World; he established the Pulitzer Prize for public service and advancement of education. Not to be left behind, the World abandoned all attempts at objectivity. It used the same strategy as the Journal. Both papers told scandalous stories and splashed large, shocking illustrations across their pages. This style of sensationalist reporting became known as yellow journalism. c. On February 9, 1898, the Journal published a letter written by Enrique Dupuy de Lôme, Spain’s minister to the United States. The letter had fallen into the hands of a Cuban spy who sold it to Hearst. The de Lome letter ridiculed McKinley for being “weak and catering to the rabble.” Americans were outraged at the remarks. The Journal called it “the worst insult to the U.S. in