Imperialism: 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?

The US toppled the Hawaiian government in order to annex the islands. Hawaii was an important addition to US property because of its location (en route to East Asia) and its ability to grow crops like sugar and pinapple.President Cleveland reacted to this saying that the US needed to do all in its power to help the Hawaiian people. I agree with this because the Hawauuan people were in a very unstable state untill the US interviened and stabalized the islands.

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

a. immigration increased drastically
- The drastic increase in immigration led to many laborers who were willing to work for small wages, which helped being about the industrial revolution. It also created a much greater racial diversity than that that had existed in the country's earlyer years, causeing raceism.
b. country became more urban and less rural
- The urbinization of the US led to many opprunitys that the country had never had to further its economy, such as haveing factorys. It also led to many new problems, however, such as overcrowding, high crime rates, and disease.
c. the US became a world power, one that could compete even with the Europien nations
- The newfound power that the US came into during this time brought about many new questions about how to go forward and what America's international image should be.
d. the entire country was explored untill there was no longer a fronteer
- America became a country of "explorers". The whole idea of manifest dstiny became somewhat of an embodiment of what it ment to be "an American". Once the western fronteer was completely explored, many were left looking for more new lands to explore and share American ideals with.
e. the US's exports changed from mainly crops to goods made in factories
- The urbaniziation of the country led to many Americans working in factorys and alot smaller of a percentage of the country's population working as farmers. This untimatly improved the economy of the US because they were able to create exports faster and cheeper.

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 buisness owners and workers were those who the depression impacted the hardest. This deepened the divisions between these groups of people because even more strikes came about due to worker's fears of loseing their jobs, and these strikes often ended badly because the buisness owners were afraid to give their workers what they wanted incase the economy hurt them again.

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?

America took on the qualitys of: resourcefulness, bravery, pragmatism, ingenuity, individualism, egalitarianism, and patoritism in its early days. Many believed these were the qualitys that made the US special, and that without new lands to explore these qualitys would cease to exist and America's spirit would be lost.

5. Why did some Americans suggest greater involvement overseas?

At this time America had become a main international power. They feared, however, that Europe's proavtive approach to impearilism would shut the US out of international trade opprunitys, and that the US would not be able to keep up with other international powers. Americans sugested that America look into adoption similar imperialistic qualitys to help them in international trade.

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

expansionists called for economic expansion overseas. Imperialists called for takeing control of territories around the world.

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?

The ideas of social Darwinism and scientific racism was cited as support for American imperialism because they implied that the people of the lands we were takeing over were lesser than we were, therefore they needed our help and by takeing control of them we were simply doing them a favor. These ideas have been disproved today and are not used in public policy.

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

They said it was the role of America to bring world peace.

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 US became involved in Latin American nations and Samoa/Hawaii because of two main reasons. One is because they were keep stops for steamships in traveling to Asia and other trade markets, and another was that they were key for growing cirtin crops that could not be grown in the US.

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?

He was concerned that Europien nations would take control of Latin American markets before the US had the chance to get involved. He invoked the Monroe Doctrine.