Chapter 10 Assignment on the Age of Imperialism

     The positive effects of imperialism are mostly about how America became a stronger country through it. America traded with China so that when China got money from their markets, we profited from it also. As a result getting America more money. When a nation has money they have the ability to interact with more world situations or issues. With money comes power. To be an empire means that a country has influence in the world because of their standing on the "flag pole" of world power. America wanted to be a world power so in order they had to put in work to be one. And that involves billions going into buildings, towns, cities, agriculture, trading, and war. America was spending the money we were getting to become an empire so fast but however, it was coming in just as fast.

     The negative effects of imperialism are about how the majority of the population was not sure about what would happen in the end. George Washington's Farewell Address specifically said not to get involved with other nations problems. He said to work on us and to not worry about other nations. America, being engulfed in power, decided to get involved with every other nation out there not even taking the time to stop and think about what Washington said. Not to say that pursuing empire is the worse thing but it was a risky move. It obviously helped the nation in the end so maybe it was the right move. Just because every thing is good now, doesn't mean that it was good then. We lost so many lives in World War 1 and it makes you think if there way another way to go about it without the lives of thousands being taken. 

     My overall opinion of Imperialism is that it was a good thing. There are positives and negatives of it though. There are both of those in every situation in life. There are risks to every decision we make. There are also up-sides to ever decision we make. Sometimes you have to go with what is best for you and sometimes you have to go with what is best for others. Imperialism, I think, was good for us and it made the country we have today. Without all of these events, we would not have all our freedoms that we have today. America has flaws and we are working them out. Better to focus on the good rather than the bad. 

Chapter 9 World War 1

Dear Diary,

     When the war began the United States proclaimed a united policy of strict neutrality. Woodrow Wilson's goal was to broker a peace and he sent his top aside Colonel House on repeated missions to the belligerents, but they were so confident in the victory that the peace was ignored. When a German U-boat sank the British liner Lusitania in 1915, Wilson said "American is too proud to fight" and demanded an end to the attacks on passenger ships. Germany complied. Wilson repeatedly warned that the U.S. would not tolerate unrestricted marine warfare, in violation of international law and human rights. Wilson was under a lot of pressure from the war hawks led by former president, Theodore Roosevelt, who denounced German acts as "piracy". Wilson realized he needed to enter the war in oder to shape the peace; indeed in 1919 he won the League of Nations at the Pairs Peace Conference.

     On April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson went before a joint session of Congress to request a declaration of war against Germany. Wilson cited Germany's violation of its pledge to suspend unrestricted submarine warfare in the North Atlantic and in the Mediterranean, as well as its attempts to entice Mexico into an alliance against the United States, as his reasons fro declaring war, In April 4, the U.S. Senate voted in support of the measure to declare war on Germany. The House concurred two days later. The United States later declared war on German ally Austria-Hungary on December 7, 1917.

     President Woodrow Wilson's 14 Points were a statement made on January 8, 1918 declaring that WW1 was being fought for a moral cause and calling for postwar peace in Europe. Europeans generally welcomed Wilson's intervention, but his main allied colleagues were not sure of the applicability of Wilsonian idealism. This speech was the only explicit statement of the war aims by any of the nations fighting in WW1.

Picture Sources: 

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~le20j/images/neutrality1.jpg

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3g00000/3g03000/3g03800/3g03859v.jpg

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Chapter 8 Foreign Policies Of Presidents

Dear Diary,

     President Theodore Roosevelt's Big Stick idea refers to the U.S. foreign policy of "speak softly, and carry a big stick". Roosevelt described his style as "the exercise of intelligent forethought and of decisive action sufficiently far in advance of any crisis". The idea of negotiating peacefully, simultaneously threatening with the "big stick", or the military, ties in heavily with the idea of Realpolitik, which implies a pursuit of political power that resembles Machiavellian ideals.

     President William Howard Taft's idea of Dollar Diplomacy was to further its aims in Latin America and East Asia through use of its economic power by guaranteeing loans made to foreign countries. Some argue that Dollar Diplomacy was nothing new to the United States, as the use of the diplomacy to promote commercial interest dates from the early years of the Republic. However, under Taft, the state government was more active than ever in encouraging and promoting American bankers and industrialists in securing new opportunities abroad. They find that Dollar Diplomacy was designed to make both people in foreign lands and the American investors prosper. Dollar Diplomacy wasn't always peaceful though.

     President Woodrow Wilson's Moral Diplomacy is a system in which support is given only to countries whose moral beliefs that are analogous to that of the nation. This promotes the growth of the nations ideals and damages the nations with different ideologies. It was used to support the counties with democratic governments and to economically injure the countries with non-democratic governments.

Picture Sources:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Tr-bigstick-cartoon.JPG

http://apushcanvas.pbworks.com/f/1330990328/Tangled%20Taft.JPG

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Chapter 7 Latin America

Dear Diary,

     The Roosevelt Corollary was an addition to the Monroe Doctrine made by President Theodore Roosevelt in his State of the Union Address in 1904 after the Venezuela Crisis of 1902-1903. The corollary states that the United States will intervene in conflicts between Europe and Latin America countries to enforce legitimate claims of the European powers, rather than having the Europeans press their claims directly. Roosevelt tied his policy to the Monroe Doctrine, and it was also consistent with his foreign policy of "speak softly and carry a big stick". Roosevelt stated in that keeping with the doctrine, the United States was justified in exercising "international police power" to put an end to chronic unrest or wrong doing in the Western Hemisphere. While the Monroe Doctrine has sought out to prevent European invention, the Roosevelt Corollary was used to justify US intervention throughout the hemisphere. In 1934, President Franklin D Roosevelt renounced interventionism and established his Good Neighbor Policy for the Western Hemisphere.

     President Theodore Roosevelt oversaw the building of the Panama Canal from 1903-1914. He came to the realizations of a long term United States goal - a trans-isthmian canal. Throughout the 1800s, American and British leaders and businessmen wanted to ship goods quickly and cheaply between Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Although the Monroe Doctrine of 1823 was essentially passive (it asked Europeans not to increase their influence or recolonize any part of the Western Hemisphere), by the 20th century a more confident United States was willing to take on the role of regional policeman. In the early 1900s Roosevelt grew concerned that a crisis between Venezuela and its creditors could spark an invasion of that nation by European powers.

     The United States occupation of Nicaragua from 1912 to 1933 was part of a larger conflict called the Banana Wars. The formal occupation began in 1912, although several other operations were conducted before the full-scale invasion. American military interventions in Nicaragua were intended to prevent the construction of the Nicaraguan Canal by any nation but the Unites States. Nicaragua assumed a quasi under the 1916 Chamorro-Bryan Treaty. The occupation ended as Augusto C. Sandino led guerrilla armies against U.S. troops. The onset of the Great Depression made it too costly for the U.S. government to maintain the occupation so a withdrawal was ordered in 1933. 

Picture Sources: 

http://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/his1005spring2011/files/2011/03/teddy4.jpg

http://www.fasttrackteaching.com/burns/Unit_6_World/Panama_Gatun_locks_WS_dbloc.GIF

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http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42222000/gif/_42222810_canal_nicar_416.gif

Chapter 6 Anti-Imperialist League

Dear Diary,

     The American Anti-Imperialist League was an organization established on June 15, 1898, to settle the American annexation of the Philippines as an insular area. The anti-imperialist opposed expansion, believing that imperialism violated the fundamental principle that just republican government must derive from "consent of the governed." Rather than opposing American territorial expansion on economic or humanitarian grounds, the League argued that such activity would necessitate the abandonment of American ideals of self-government and non-intervention. The Anti-Imperialist League was ultimately defeated in the battle of public opinion by a new wave of politicians who successfully advocated the virtues of American territorial expansion in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War and in the the first years of the 20th century.

     When my father explained this one to me, I tried listening as well as I could. This whole government thing is so confusing. However, every time my father tells me a new concept, I get more interested in it.

     The Anti Imperialists League was administered by three permanent officers - a President, Secretary, and Treasurer - working in conjunction with a six-member Executive Committee. Unsurprisingly given the localized origins of the organization, the initial members of this group all hailed from the Boston metropolitan area. Chosen as the high-profile President of the League was former Massachusetts Governor, Congressmen, and the United States Senator George S. Boutwell, who remained in the position until his death in1905.

Picture Sources: 

http://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/img/imleag-th.jpg

http://www.marxists.org/history/erol/ncm-5/teng.jpg

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Chapter 5 China

Dear Diary,

     My father told me that China has a lot of power in the world and how they control a lot of the trade roots all over the world. he told me about The Door Policy and how it is a term for foreign affairs usually used to refer to the United States policy outlined in John Hay's Open Door Note. This policy proposed to keep China open to trade with all countries on an equal basis; therefore, no international power would have total control of the country. The policy called on foreign powers, within their spheres of influence, to refrain from interfering with any treaty or any vested interest, to permit Chinese authorities to collect tariffs on an equal basis, and to show no favors to their own nationals in the matter of harbor dues or railroad changes.

     In 1894 and 1895, U.S. Marines were stationed at Teinstin in China, and moved to Piking for protection purposes during the Sino-Japanese War. While the Marines were moving support the legation in Peking, a U.S. Navy ship, the U.S.S. Petrel, was benched and used as a fort at Newchwang for the protection of American nationals abroad. It became known as "Fort Petrel" as all hands on made for attacks and prayed for a fair outcome. The U.S. did this because we wanted to help protect the Chinese markets and other ways China makes money through trading with other countries. America makes money when China makes money in their markets. The U.S., wanting to become an empire, doesn't want their markets or any farming to go away.

     China played a major role in the Age of Imperialism for America. They helped us get money faster. They helped us in the trade system. When America was trying to become an empire, China already basically "ruled" the world. They are the biggest country with the right resources to "rule" the world. Therefore, without China, we would not be a national power house as we are today.

Picture Sources:

http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/kensmind/1278588/1011540/1011540_600.jpg

http://www.heritage.org/~/media/Issue%20Highlights%20625x175/Media%20Reports/2012/10/China%20History/Chinese%20Dock%20Workers.ashx

http://www.collectorsprints.com/_images/map/miniature/china-japan-400.jpg

http://k.b5z.net/i/u/2183976/i/usr/16887/Open_door.jpg

Chapter 4 Spanish-American War

Dear Diary,

      My dad loaded information on me today. Apparently the Spanish-American War was filled with a bunch of information. The first was the De Lome Letter written by Señor Don Enrique Dupuy de Lôme, the Spanish Ambassador to the United States. This letter tells his opinion on the Spanish involvement in Cuba and United States President McKinley conducting negotiations between representatives of states. 

     Next is the U.S.S. Maine. The U.S.S. Maine is the first navel ship to be named after Maine. This ship was commissioned in 1895 and was originally supposed to be used as an armed vessel. On February 15, 1898 the U.S.S. Maine was recovered in Havana Harbor in Cuba. Since the sinking, it was decided that it was becoming an official observation sight. This was the climax in pre-war tension. Many Americans believed it was Spain's fault for the sinking of this vessel.

     Yellow journalism, or as my dad calls it the yellow press, is a type of journalism that prints little to no real and accurate news and instead uses eye-catching images and big printed words to sell more papers. They do this by using exaggeration of news events, scandal, or sectionalism. By extension, the term yellow journalism is used today as a derogatory to decry any journalism that treats news in an unprofessional way.

     Under the Treaty of Paris, Spain relinquished all claim of sovereignty over a title to Cuba with the island to be occupied by the United States. Under the Teller Amendment Congress had already decided against annexation. Under the new Cuban constitution, however, U.S. retained the right to intervene in Cuban affairs and to supervise its finances and foreign relations through the Platt Amendment; this, however, was later renounced as part of the Franklin Roosevelt's Good Neighbor Policy. Puerto Rico was invaded by the United States with a landing at Guanica. As an outcome of the war, Jones-Shafroth granted all the inhabitants of Puerto Rico U.S. citizenship in 1917. The US granted Puerto Ricans the right to democratically elect their own governor in 1948. In Guam, settlement by foreign ethnic groups was small at first. After WW2 showed the strategic value of the island, construction of a huge military base began a large influx of people from other parts of the world. Guam today has a mixed population of 164,000. The indigenous Chamorros make up 37% of the population which consists of Whites and Filipino with smaller groups of Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Micronesians, Vietnamese and Indians. The Philippine Revolution against Spain began in April 1896. The Spanish-American War came to the Philippines on May 1, 1898, when the United States Navy's Asiatic Squadron, commanded by Commodore George Dewey, defeated the Spanish Pacific Squadron under Admiral Patricio Montojo y Pasarón during the Battle of Manila Bay. On June 12, Philippine revolutionaries declared independence and establishment of the First Philippine Republic. On December 10, 1898, the Treaty of Paris which ended the Spanish-American war was signed. The treaty transferred control of the Philippines from Spain to the United States. This agreement was not recognized by the Philippine revolutionaries, who declared war against the United States on June 2, 1899. The Philippine-American War ensued. In 1901, Emilio Aguinaldo, president of the Malolos Republic, was captured and pledged his allegiance to the American government. The U.S. unilaterally declared an end to the conflict in 1902. Scattered fighting continued, however, until 1913. 

     When the Spanish-American War began, Roosevelt resigned as assistant secretary of the Navy and volunteered for service as commander the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, a unit known as the Rough Riders—an elite company comprised of Ivy League gentlemen, western cowboys, sheriffs, prospectors, police officers, and Native Americans. Once in Cuba, Roosevelt distinguished himself by leading them on a charge—on foot—up San Juan Hill (actually Kettle Hill) on the outskirts of Santiago. The contingent suffered heavy casualties. The Rough Riders returned to the United States as war heroes. Their varied backgrounds, colorful leader, and bravery on the battlefield brought them considerable attention. Roosevelt personally reveled in his time in the military. He later wrote about his military exploits: "I would rather have led that charge and earned my colonelcy than served three terms in the United States Senate. It makes me feel as though I could now leave something to my children which will serve as an apology for my having existed."

Picture Sources: 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Uss_maine_bb-10.jpg

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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/28/SanJuanHeightsUSArmyJuly1898VictorsKettleHill.jpg