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UNIT 7 TOPIC 2

Debates about American Imperialism H E I M L E R S H I S T O R Y. C O M

THEME : America in the World

LEARNING OBJECTIVE : Explain the similarities and differences in attitudes about the nation’s proper role in the world.

THE CONTEXT FOR AMERICAN IMPERIALISM

Imperialism is a term that describes the of one country’s political, economic, and military
influence over country. In other words, it’s the expansion of .

America dipped its toes into the imperialist waters with the purchase of in 1867. Recall
that both Russia and Great Britain laid competing claims to this territory, and so , who was
Lincoln and then Johnson’s secretary of state, proposed a purchase of the territory for million dollars.
The act was branded because the territory was viewed as a polar icebox with no particular
value. That is until 1898 when was discovered.

So with this territory in the bag—a territory with no to the main territory of the United
States, and furthermore a territory with gold buried in it—imperialistic all of the sudden
felt a lot more desirable. Not to mention that territorial expansion was basically in the of Americans.
The whole 19th century is basically the story of further expansion across the continent.
And when Frederick Jackson Turner told everyone the dangers of the closing of the ,
Americans began to look outside their continental borders.

For now, it’ll be important for you to know that there was a fierce concerning imperial
expansion between two groups: the and the .

SUMMARIZE the notes above in your own words. (2-4 sentences)

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UNIT 7 TOPIC 2

Debates about American Imperialism H E I M L E R S H I S T O R Y. C O M

THEME : America in the World

LEARNING OBJECTIVE : Explain the similarities and differences in attitudes about the nation’s proper role in the world.

THE IMPERIALIST ARGUMENT FOR EMPIRE

The imperialists looked to discovered in Alaska and concluded that there would be valuable
resources elsewhere too.

In addition to the desire for expanded access to , imperialists also wanted to secure
for American made goods, including both items and
goods.

Additionally, imperialists took up that pseudoscientific theory of to justify

expansion. Remember, Social Darwinism said that if the natural order of things is that the strong eat the weak and
only the survive, then why shouldn’t that also be the case with and
. To the imperialists, American expansion was the means by which America could get upon
the stage.

After all, nations had been expanding their empires for centuries, and if America didn’t
join the game, they might be seen as a -class nation.

Additionally, there were motivations for expansion: case in point, the reverend
’s book, Our Country: It’s Possible Future and Present Crisis, which was published in 1885 but
really found purchase in this period. Essentially, Strong argued that the white, race was the
pinnacle of human evolution, and therefore was the to survive.

He argued that it was the Christian duty of the race to expand itself abroad and bring the
glories of and western to the dark and backward lands of the world.

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UNIT 7 TOPIC 2

Debates about American Imperialism H E I M L E R S H I S T O R Y. C O M

THEME : America in the World

LEARNING OBJECTIVE : Explain the similarities and differences in attitudes about the nation’s proper role in the world.

THE IMPERIALIST ARGUMENT FOR EMPIRE cont’d.

Also influencing the imperialists was a book published in 1890 by called The
Influence of Sea Power on History. Mahan argued that any country that was strong on the world stage got that way
because they had a robust . And this, he argued, was the only way to truly secure the foreign
that the industrialists were lusting after.

Therefore, persuaded by Mahan’s argument, approved the construction of a massive new

steel fleet of .

If you’re going to rule the world through a navy, then you’re going to need many strategic pieces of
throughout the world where you can land that navy and refill it with and
supplies. Thus, under Mahan’s influence a great race began to secure many and
territories that could facilitate American naval dominance.

SUMMARIZE the notes above in your own words. (2-4 sentences)

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UNIT 7 TOPIC 2

Debates about American Imperialism H E I M L E R S H I S T O R Y. C O M

THEME : America in the World

LEARNING OBJECTIVE : Explain the similarities and differences in attitudes about the nation’s proper role in the world.

THE ANTI-IMPERIALIST ARGUMENT AGAINST EMPIRE

The main arguments for Anti-Imperialists began with the principle of for nations.
Self determination is the idea that a nation should be able to decide for itself who it and
what were passed. If that sounds familiar, it’s because those were the exact same arguments
Americans used to reject rule. So the Anti-Imperialists argued
that if America began taking over less-powerful countries, they would be of the
to self-determination.

Add to that, Anti-Imperialists argued that America had a long history of from
foreign affairs. They invoked George Washington who, in his farewell speech, warned against foreign
. They said that if we enmesh ourselves in territories and peoples around the globe, it’s
going to have that are beyond our control: we’ll be drawn into and
disputes that we have no business participating in.

The anti-imperialists also argued against expansion with arguments just like the
imperialists did. One of the main debates between these two groups was this: did the follow
the flag? In other words, if America plants a flag in the Philippines, for example, do those people become American
endowed with American and privileges? Anti-Imperialists argued
that the Constitution follow the flag. But that was not because they, in general, thought
other nations should be granted rights.

For anti-imperialists, this was a kind of ruse to what their true argument against imperialism
was, namely, what happens when we take over a country full of people—are they going to
become citizens with full rights? Of course not. So might as well not at all.

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UNIT 7 TOPIC 2

Debates about American Imperialism H E I M L E R S H I S T O R Y. C O M

THEME : America in the World

LEARNING OBJECTIVE : Explain the similarities and differences in attitudes about the nation’s proper role in the world.

SUMMARIZE the notes from the previous page in your own words. (2-4 sentences)

RESPOND to the learning objective with an evidence-based, argumentative thesis.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE : Explain the similarities and differences in attitudes about the nation’s proper role
in the world.

© Heimler’s History TM
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