Showing posts with label McKinley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label McKinley. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Imperialism's Bitter Fruit

1. After the Spanish were forced out of the Philippines, why did fighting break out between American and Filipino forces?
a. After the Spanish were forced out of the Philippines, fighting started to break out between the American and Filipino forces because tension between the U.S. and Filipino forces was building. The Filipino's had believed that they would be granted independence after the departure of Spanish. But the U.S. troops had orders to establish control over the islands. There also was a shooting accident between an American soldier and a Filipino, where the American soldier shot and killed the Filipino. Later after this incident fighting had spread around the area Manila. The Filipino's believed that they were fighting for their independence.

How was this a different kind of warfare for American forces?
b. This was a different kind of warfare for American forces because unlike any other conflict that the U.S. had been in, there was no confronting an organized army, U.S. soldiers had faced a quick-striking guerrilla movement. Both the U.S. and Filipinos tortured their prisoners and killed them in many gruesome different ways.

2. Why were many African-Americans strong critics of the war against Filipino nationalists?
Many African-Americans were strong critics of the war against Filipino nationalists because they were discriminated against there just as they were at home. They were also extremely offended by the racist attitudes that typified the military's view of the Filipinos. Officers had enlisted Filipino's as "niggers". The African Americans also were prohibited from restaurants, barber shops, and other facilities marked, "white only."

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

a. The numerous amounts of legal questions about the status of the Philippines before The United States could annex these islands.

b. The realization of the difficulties of occupation. People, even Theodore Roosevelt, realized they weren't prepared to accept the burdens of the empire.


4. What were the positive effects of American occupation in Puerto Rico and Cuba?
The positive effects of American occupation in Puerto Rico and Cuba were that by dominating Puerto Rico they used this land as a territory. Also in Cuba, roads and telegraph lines were built, finances reorganized, schools opened, sanitation improved, and yellow fever stamped out.


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 policy


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


d. The United States was also 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 don't really think that the United States was justified in making these demands. The United States took advantage of Cuba, and definitely did not need all of these benefits. I think that they got a little cocky and weren't focusing on the necessities of making their economy, and country overall better. The United States should have focused more on foreign trade, and also the people of these places that they swore they would care for.


6. Do you believe the United States was imperialist? Why or why not?
I do believed that the United States was imperialist. They had taken control of Guam, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Philippines, and also taking over Hawaii. Though the push for imperialism slowly died out, America did attempt at imperialism, and still got control of these countries that benefited them and made their economy stronger.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Spanish-American War

1. What connections did the U.S. have to Cuba in the late 1800s? List at least two.
In the late 1800's the United States, Americans invested $50 million dollars in Cuba, most of it invested in the islands sugar industry. Also the Cuban American trade had reached about 100$ million.

2. What were the Spanish “reconcentration camps”?
Spanish reconcentration camps held thousands of Cubans in towns being policed by Spanish troops. These reconcentration camps lacked food, sanitation, and housing. Over 300,000 Cubans died from starvation and the spreading of disease.

3. List three reasons why the United States went to war with Spain in Cuba.
a. Yellow journalism causing American citizens to pity the Cubans.
b. The de Lôme Letter greatly insulted president McKinely
c. The U.S.S Marine explosion gave the U.S. an excuse to start a war against Spain

4. Which do you believe was the most important reason? Why?
I think the explosion of the U.S.S Marine was the most important because that was the overall reason, or excuse, for the Americans to call a war against Spain, blaming Spaniards for the explosion.

5. What did the Teller Amendment say?
The teller amendment said that the United States had no interest in asserting, sovereignty, jurisdiction, or control, over Cuba, and promised to leave the 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?
A portion of the Spanish-American war was fought in the Philippines because the United States saw the Philippines as a useful benefit to the United Sates, providing ports in the Pacific ocean that they wanted.

7. Dewey’s victory in the Philippines sparked an outpouring of volunteers in the United States.
Dewey's triumph caused great pride in the American citizens, and many volunteered to fight in Cuba, including the Rough Riders.

8. Why did Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders want to fight in Cuba?
Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders wanted to fight in Cuba because Dewey's victory had created pride in the American citizens causing them to volunteer themselves to fight.


9. a. Why were many African-Americans eager to serve in the Spanish-American War?
Many African Americans were eager to serve in the Spanish- American War because they aw this as an opportunity to elevate the status of blacks in the United States. They hoped that their participation in the war would win the African- American community some new respect.

b. What forms of discrimination and prejudice did they encounter?
The African Americans encountered many forms of discrimination in the Spanish- American war. For example, they were denied promotion into the officer corps. Also black volunteers were not given a chance to fight in Cuba, and were discriminated against at the U.S. bases.

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.The Americans didn't once consider that the African Americans or Asians who lived in Cuba, could be a force for progress. Very few Americans believed that the inhabitants of these islands were capable of developing stable democracies.

b. The United States ignored the Cuban rebels. Many Americans believed that the rebels, including blacks, needed guidance in managing all their affairs. As a result of this belief, American businesses went back to Cuba taking over their land, railroads, and dominating basically their entire economy.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Imperialism: The Origins of a Global Power

1. American plantation owners and U.S Marines toppled over Hawaii’s queen in 1893 because Hawaii would have been a huge benefit to America. They had many natural resources, very soil land that could be used, and now foreign trade could occur. Grover Cleveland saw this as absolutely absurd and thought this violating the freedom of all people. He thought it went against what America was about, independence and the rights of people being protected. I sort of do in a way agree with his beliefs, but then again I know that taking over Hawaii was overall the best decision for America. It was sad that the queen had been completely stripped of all her power, and that Hawaii had no choice in maintaining their independence, but it overall was a smart move of America.

2. Five important changes that transformed America in the nineteeth century were:
Urban Growth: Made the United States stronger economically

Immigrants: the vast amount of immigrants immigrating to America for jobs, and hoping to escape the poor treatment of their own country’s.

Concept of the Frontier: Made the United States stronger,

Expanding West/Imperialism: gave America more political power, and natural resources.

Trade: made the United States grow massively economically, United States also made a lot of money off this.

3. At this time two railroad companies had gone bankrupt which left other companies in the same situation since they couldn’t transport the goods, which prevented any selling and profit from happening. Laborers and farmers were most effected by this, leaving them with no jobs, and no money to support their families. This definitely deepened the divisions in American society, leaving many laborers going on strike.

4. The values that many Americans attached to the frontier was, bravery, boldness, patriotism and individualism. Many Americans feared that closing the frontier would harm America’s national character, because they believed that America had reached it’s physical limits, and was overall running out of the necessity of resources and space.

5. Some Americans suggested greater involvement overseas because there were many other country’s to take into the U.S that would bring in even more money and power to America. For example China’s trade was very successful and if the U.S. was able to gain control of the Chinese trade they would be making even more money and it would greatly benefit America. Also rules were being made for Chinese, European, and Japanese trade.

6. The policy of expansionists sad that in order to ensure the economic success of the United States, the U.S. needed to catch up to the other big countries that were expanding themselves and bringing in tons of money. The Imperialists said that America should take over countries to make territories, this way there would be more resources.

7. The theories of social Darwinism and scientific racism lended support to the cause of American imperialism because, social Darwinism first was the belief that the strongest will survive and the weakest will not, basically survial of the fittest. Also that it’s the poor’s fault that they are poor, because they’re “lazy”. This relates to imperialism since the smaller weaker countries would be taken over by bigger stronger ones and have no say in it all. For example, America taking Hawaii. Hawaii was a weak country and could not overcome America. Scientific racism supported the cause of American imperialism because if a person was of a different ethnic group they could or could not expand.

8. Many Protestant churches say that America’s role in the world was to send missionaries all over the world.

9. The United became involved in several Latin American nations in the nineteenth century because America wanted to ‘civilize them’ and kind of more, ‘americanize’ them. They became more involved in Samoa, Hawaii and other Latin American nations so that they could obtain the land and gain more power/money, also because other big countries were looking to control these lands also.

10. The United States was concerned about British involvement in Venezuela because they didn’t want European countries to think that they could divide up the Latin America for other colonies, and leave America out. Richard Olney used the Monroe Doctrine in response.