Imperialism's Bitter Fruit

Questions for Epilogue: Imperialism’s Bitter Fruit (pages 32-37)

1. a. After the Spanish were forced out of the Philippines, why did fighting break out between American and Filipino forces?  

An American soldier fired on a Filipino patrol that refused to halt.  Within hours, fighting had spread around Manila.

b. How was this a different kind of warfare for American forces?
U.S. soldiers faced a quick striking guerilla movement.  The rules of war that were followed by Western nations were ignored and both sides tortured and executed prisoners and other horrible things.

2. Why were many African-Americans strong critics of the war against Filipino nationalists?
The African-Americans were critical of racist views that the military had of the Filipinos.  The African-Americans in the Philippines were harassed by the Filipino nationalists.

3. Explain two reasons why the United States lost some of its enthusiasm for imperialism in the early 1900s.

a.There were legal complications that came with the new territories.  The U.S. had to decide the legal status of the Filipinos under the constitution.  

b.Many American soldiers were dying.  The United States were just trying to gain more land and power, and then there were revolts in the countries they were taking over.  In suppressing these revolts, many soldiers were killed.


4. What were the positive effects of American occupation in Puerto Rico and Cuba?
American technology contributed to rapid development on the islands.  Roads and telegraph lines were built, finances were recognized, schools were opened and sanitation was improved.

5. After the Spanish-American War, the United States insisted that Cuba only receive independence after agreeing to several limitations set forth in the Platt Amendment. Four restrictions on Cuban independence set forth in the Platt Amendment were:

a.The U.S. had the right to oversee the Cuban economy


b.The U.S. had the right to exercise veto power over Cuban foreign policy 


c.The U.S. had the right to intervene whenever necessary "for the protection of life, property, and individual liberty."


d.The U.S. was allowed to build a naval base on the southeastern tip of the island at Guantanamo Bay

Was the United States justified in making these demands? Explain your reasoning.
I think that the U.S. was justified in making these demands since they won the Spanish-American War and Cuba was theirs.  They could have totally took over Cuba, but they decided to give it independence on a few conditions.  On the other hand, the U.S. didn't want to give Cuba total independence, they wanted to make sure they got something out of it.  I think the conditions were just because they did not demand much, and they were trying to help the Cubans, along with helping themselves.  

6. Do you believe the United States was imperialist? Why or why not?

I think that the United States was imperialist because they were taking over other countries.  Even though they didn't take over Cuba entirely, they had partial control over it.

Part II: Spanish-American War

Questions for Part II—The Spanish-American War

1. What connections did the U.S. have to Cuba in the late 1800s? List at least two.
The U.S. was a large consumer of Cuban sugar. Also there were U.S. military connections in Cuba.

2. What were the Spanish “reconcentration camps”?
General Valeriano Weyler herded hundreds of thousands Cuban peasants into towns policed by Spanish troops called reconcentration camps. They lacked food, housing and sanitiation. There was disease and starvation, which killed thousands of people.


3. List reasons why the United States went to war with Spain in Cuba.
a.To protect their sugar plantations because that was important to the U.S.

b.The Monroe Doctrine said that Spain had no business in the Western Hemisphere. Spain was going against this and the U.S. wanted to stop it.

c.A future Central American canal would be more profitable if the U.S. controlled nearby Cuba.

d.Also some believed that American should help ease suffering abroad, which was tied to a religious conviction.

e.The de Lome letter and The U.S.S. Maine,and how newspapers portrayed these events, with "yellow journalism"

f.the end of the western frontier

g.If the U.S. won a war with Spain it would gain control over many strategic ports which would increase trade with Asia. (Not just Cuba and Puerto rico in the Caribean, but Guam and the Philippines.)

4. Which do you believe was the most important reason? Why?
I think that "yellow journalism" was an important reason because it made many Americans gain sympathy for Cuba. It also made them angry at Spain.
Also the end of the Wester frontier was a very important reason because this made the U.S. want to gain other land like islands. This is a reason why the U.S. was interested in Cuba in the first place.

5. What did the Teller Amendment say?
The Teller Amendment said that the U.S. didn't have an interest in controlling Cuba in the future and promised to leave their government and control of the island to its people once peace was restored.

6. Why was a portion of the Spanish-American War fought in the Philippines?
The Philippines was controlled by Spain and the U.S. wanted it. Spain thought that they were going to invade Cuba first and they weren't prepared for fighting in the Phillippines.


7. Dewey’s victory in the Phllippines sparked an outpouring of pride in the United States.



8. Why did Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders want to fight in Cuba?
They were proud of what happened in the Phillippines and wanted to help their country.

9. a. Why were many African-Americans eager to serve in the Spanish-American War?
They saw it as an opportunity to elevate the status of blacks in the U.S. They hoped that thier participation on the fighting would win the African-American community new respect.

b. What forms of discrimination and prejudice did they encounter?
They were denied promotion into the officer crops. Black volunteers were not given the chance to fight in Cuba.

10. How did racism influence American perceptions of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines? Give two examples of events where racism affected U.S. policy after the war.

a.After the war, many Americans believed that the Cubans needed guidance in managing all of their affairs.  They Cuban rebels were ignored by the U.S.

b.Congress interpreted the teller amendment to mean that the U.S. forces would stay in Cuba until a stable government could be formed.  This made American business return to Cuba, which took over land and railroads and dominated the economy.

Imperialism: The Origins of a Global Power

Questions for Introduction and Part I - The Origins of a Global Power

1. Why did American plantation owners and U.S. Marines topple Hawaii’s queen in 1893? Why was Hawaii considered to be a valuable prize? What was President Grover Cleveland’s reaction? Do you agree or disagree with his quote on page 1?

Since Hawaii was in the middle of the Pacific ocean, it offered a crucial stopping point for American ships traveling to East Asia. Also Hawaii had rich volcanic soil that was ideal for growing crops such as sugar, pineapples and coffee. This made Hawaii a valuable prize. American plantation owners wanted the islands officially under U.S. control and with the help of U.S. marines, this became a reality. But Grover Cleveland withdrew the treaty that allowed the U.S. to annex Hawaii. He believed that annexation would corrupt traditional American values of freedom and equality. I agree with his quote on page 1 because I don't think that taking over Hawaii was right. Hawaii was a happy, sovereign nation and the U.S. shouldn't have come in and toppled the Queen. The U.S. didn't have the right to invade like that.

2. Identify five important changes that transformed America in the nineteenth century. How did these five changes affect Americans?

1)Population Growth-Immigration to America was very high during this time. Many people living in America at this time were immigrants, which changed and broadened America's ethnic diversity.

2)Economic Expansion-Since many immigrants were coming into the country, and many of them most likely didn't have much money, the economy changed a lot. There was an increasing lower/working class.

3)Urban Growth-Many immigrants settled in cities where there were job opportunities. Cities grew tremendously. This made quite a few problems such as transportation issues, housing issues and diseases. This also affected the agriculture in the country, making it decrease.

4)Trade-The increase of manufactured goods made trade more important. Advances in transportation made trade easier. Since there were many European tariffs (taxes on imported goods), U.S. exporters looked towards less developed countries of Latin America and Asia to expand their sales. They were especially interested in China. This changed the selection of items Americans could buy since the country was trading with different countries who traded different products.

5)The 1893 Depression-When two major railroads went bankrupt, the New York Stock Exchange tumbled. Many banks and businesses went bankrupt. Prices declines and millions of Americans lost their jobs. This made many workers realize how vulnerable they were in an economy based on industry and manufacturing. This depression made many people concerned that the United States wouldn't be able to compete globally and that all of the changes during this century might not have been good for America.

3. How did the economic depression that began in 1893 deepen the divisions in American society? Which groups suffered the most during the depression?

The economic depression deepened the divisions in American society. There were two groups of Americans, those who favored "cheap" money and those who favored "tight" money. This had to do with their views on how to fix the country's economic problems. Those who favored cheap money, who were mostly farmers in debt, believed that an increase in the money supply to lower interest rates which they thought would ease their debt burden and raise crop prices. Those who favored tight money said that increasing the money supply would cause unstoppable inflation and cripple the national economy. Since the depression caused many Americans to lose their jobs, the working class suffered a large amount. Workers raliezed how vulnerable they were in an economy based on industry and manufacturing.

4. What were the values many Americans attached to the frontier? Why did many Americans fear that the closing of the frontier would harm America’s national character?

The Americans looked at the frontier as being abundent of fertile land and other natural resources. They also attached words like bravery, individualism and patriotism. Many Americans feared that the closing of the frontier would harm America's national character because the frontier defined what America was all about. Some people thought that America wouldn't survive without this abundance of land to draw immigrants to the U.S. and westward in the country.

5. Why did some Americans suggest greater involvement overseas?
They believed that this would fuel economic growth. Overseas there were many people who where potential customers of American trade (this would help control the surplus of American products).

6. What policy did expansionists say would ensure the economic success of the United States? What did imperialists say?

Expansionalists said that trading with other foreign nations would ensure the economis success of the U.S. Imperialists believed that the U.S. should build a sizable overseas empire which would rule over foreign territories. This would enable the U.S. to secure export markets, raw materials, and cheap labor.

7. How did the theories of social Darwinism and scientific racism lend support to the cause of American imperialism? How were these pseudo-scientific theories used to justify racist policies and imperialism? Are they still used today?
They believed in social Darwinism and thought that the cultures of western Europe had shown their superiority by taking over most of the world. They believed that imperialism reflected the "survival of the fittest." Scientific racism (the belief that certain races were more intelligent than others), was based on a foundation of false biological research. These pseudo-scientific theories backed up the idea that the U.S. and some European nations were destined by nature to dominate the world.  

These pseudo-scientific theories are not still used today because they have been proven wrong.

8. What did many Protestant churches say was America’s role in the world?

Many Protestant churches said that America's role was to civilize the world.  Missionaries were sent overseas to civilize other nations.

9. Why did the United States become involved in several Latin American nations in the nineteenth century? Summarize why the United States became involved in Samoa, Hawaii, and other Latin American nations.
The U.S. became involved with Samoa because is ensured a permanent, secure resting and refueling point for American ships on their way to Australia, where they could trade.  Hawaii had many sugar plantations and it provided a stopping point in the middle of the Pacific Ocean for ships heading to East Asia.  This made the U.S. interested in Hawaii.  Hawaii became a colony of the U.S. in 1898.

10. Why was the United States concerned about British involvement in Venezuela? What concept did U.S. Secretary of State Richard Olney invoke in response?

The U.S. was concerned that Britain was bullying Venezuela.  If Britain made Venezuela a colony, the U.S. couldn't expand it's commercial ties to Latin America.  Richard Only invoked the Monroe Doctrine, which tried to prevent Britain from doing this.

U.S. Imperialism Begins

1. Name at least five factors that fueled American Imperialism.

-Global Competition

-Manifest Destiny

-Desire for Military Strength

-Thirst for new Markets

-Belief in Cultural Superiority

2. Choose two of the above five factors and describe them in your own words.

-The leaders of the United States thought it would be a good idea to create a strong military because other countries' militaries were growing in presence.

-There was an overproduction of agricultural and manufactured goods because technology was advancing.  Imperialists though that foreign trade would help fix this.

3. What was known as “Seward’s Folly” and why?

A folly is an act of foolishness or an expensive thing with no purpose.  William Seward wanted to bye Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million.  The house of representatives called Alaska "Seward's Icebox" and "Seward's Folly."

4. What plantation-based product accounted for three-quarters of Hawaii’s wealth in the mid-19^th century and who controlled this product? 

Sugar Cane, Yankee Missionaries' children and grandchildren were in charge of the crops.

5. Using as much detail as possible, outline the sequence of events that led to America gaining possession of Hawaii? In other words, why was the United States interested in these Pacific islands?

-The Hawaiian Islands were economically important to the United States because merchants stopped there on their way to China and East India.  Sugar planters sold most of their crops to the U.S.

-The American planters in Hawaii wanted it to be annexed because they were unhappy with the McKinley Tariff of 1890 which eliminated duty-free trade of sugar.

-If Hawaii was annexed, the sugar would be duty-free again.

-The king of Hawaii died and then his sister became queen.  She was going to remove the property owning requirements for voting, but business groups, the ambassador and the marines overthrew her and set up a government run by Sanford B. Dole.

-Cleveland directed that the queen be put back into power, but Dole refused.  Cleveland formally recognized the Republic of Hawaii but didn't want to annex it unless the majority of the Hawaiians were in favor.

-In 1898 McKinley made Hawaii a U.S. territory

-In 1959 Hawaii became a U.S. state