7.2

• imperialism: expansion of one country’s political, economic, military influence over another country
  • expansion of empire
• 1867: purchase of Alaska
  • Russian + GB laid competing plans → purchase for $7.2 million dollars - “Seward’s Folly” until gold was discovered there
  • territory w/ no connection + huge amt. of gold → imperialistic expansion = more desirable
• continuing 19th century theme of expansion
• fierce debate between imperialists + anti-imperialists
  • imperialists:
    • gold in AL → gold in other places
    • new markets for American-made goods
    • pseudo-science Social Darwinism
    • expansion = means to get on internat’l stage
    • racial motivations: Josiah Strong - white Anglo-Saxon = pinnacle of evolution → Christian duty of white rice to expand + spread religion
    • Alfred Thayer Mahan: strength = robust navy - only way to truly secure foreign markets → massive new steel fleet of ships → needed Pacific + Caribbean territories to stop + refuel
  • anti-imperialists:
    • self-determination
    • long history of isolationism, invoked Washington (Farewell Address) - consequences of meshing US in global affairs
    • did the Constitution follow the flag? - anti-imperialists argued yes; = cover up for real sentiments of not wanting to let other races become full citizens w/ rights

7.3

• industrialists + politicians wanted to expand - really wanted Cuba (SP colony at time), SP crushed rebellion
• Yellow journalism: group of journalists competing w/ each other for greater readership (Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst) → got attention w/ sensational stories → exaggerated atrocities of acts committed by SP against Cubans → Americans concluded needed to intervene in Cuba b/c only humanitarian thing to do
• American public riled up → US established naval presence in islands → USS Maine exploded in Havana Harbor, yellow journalists jumped to blame SP before investigation (later found to be accidental) → McKinley issues ultimatum, SP agreed → still declared war
• SP-Am War - US won
  • launched US into imperial game
  • effects:
    • Cuba gained independence but severely qualified by Platt Amendment - allowed US to intervene militarily if American economic interests were threatened → difficult for Cuban gov to manage foreign policy + debts that benefitted own interests
    • annexation of Philippines - T Roosevelt sent navy during war into Philippines, bombarded SP fleet, allied w/ Filipino nat’ls to mount land invasion → SP overthrown → treaty that ended SP-Am War included secession of Philippines to US, Philippines just traded one imperial power for another → gathered under Emilio Aguinaldo to throw off US rule → war lasted 3 years, US held onto Philippines
    • Philippines = far away → wanted Hawaii as in-between point - had overthrown Hawaiian monarch → annexation of Hawaii (1898)
• Open Door Policy: China fell behind industrial development → carved up into different spheres of Euro influence → John Hayes saw US economic opportunities in China disappearing → policy asked Euro powers to observe open door of trading privileges in China, powers technically didn’t reject it → held onto trading rights + Asian market

7.3

• Progressives causes:
  • growing power of big business
  • uncertainties in economy (Panic of 1893)
  • conflicts between labor groups + employers (increasingly violent)
  • political machine power
  • S Jim Crow segregation
  • women’s suffrage
  • alcohol
• Progressives = very diverse - church leaders, labor union leaders, feminists, etc.
  • didn’t always agree on most important cause, but all agreed society was deteriorating, only cure = significant gov intervention
  • believed true societal change wouldn’t occur from grass roots efforts; up to gov in vigorous + invasive manners
• sectors:
  • journalists - social issues became public knowledge
    • T Roosevelt dubbed them muckrakers, but embraced moniker
    • The Jungle - exposed unsanitary conditions of meat-packing industry
    • Ida Tarbell - expose on Standard Oil (Rockefeller)
    • Jacob Riis - exposed unsanitary + diseased living conditions of working class in NYC’s tenements
    • goal = shine light on corruption in society → hopefully put pressure on people to get people in power to make change
  • expansion of democracy - challenge power of political bosses → put voting power back into hands of people
    • secret ballot
    • pushed for direct election of senators
      • election by state legislatures → corruption, senators controlled by business leaders
      • constitutional amendment - 17th Amendment (1913)
  • 18th Amendment: prohibition - largely fought for by women
  • 19th Amendment (1920): officially recognized women’s right to vote
  • legislative reforms: initiative, referendum, recall
    • initiative: require legislators to consider bill they chose to ignore
    • referendum: voters themselves could vote on adoption of proposed laws
    • recall: way to remove corrupt politicians before term was complete
  • Frederick Taylor’s Scientific Management - recommended ways to save time → increase productivity → Progressives thought approach could cut down on wasted gov energy if entrusted to experts + scientific managers
  • Black Progressives trying to achieve social justice among races
    • Niagara Movement: W.E.B. DuBois
    • NAACP: abolish all forms of segregation, expand educational opportunities
    • mainly worked on their own - barely on Progressive agenda
• stark contrast between Gilded Age + Progressive Era
• America elected string of Progressive presidents
  • T Roosevelt
    • ran on Square Deal - presidents had consistently sided w/ interests of big businesses → Anthracite Coal Strike: proved he would take neither side, instead showed he would create square deal
    • trust-buster - Sherman Anti-Trust Act: distinguished between good + bad trusts
    • consumer protection - Pure Food + Drug Act, Meat Inspection Act
    • conservation - natural resources + forests disappearing → Forest Reserve Act

7.4

• WWI erupted in Europe, July 1914 after assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
• two coalitions: Triple Entente (Allied Powers): GB, Rus, Fr vs. Triple Alliance (Central Powers): Ger, A-H, Ita