Imperialists Climate After the Civil War

At the end of the nineteenth century, the United States emerged as a world power. Although Congress was reluctant to endorse expansionist schemes, during the end of the nineteenth century many others had become convinced that the United States had to adopt a more aggressive and forceful foreign policy. Some believed expansion would be good for American business. Others felt America had a duty to spread its way of life to less fortunate countries. Behind all the arguments, however; the United States was a great and important country, and it should start acting the part.

With America’s Navy rebuilt there was an emergence of aggression in foreign policy. The two developments originated from the same source: a ready acceptance of force as the final authority of international disputes. That acceptance of force led to the Spanish-American War of 1898. Those same attitudes, during the presidencies of B. Harrison and G. Cleveland between 1885 and 1897, almost caused several other wars.

America’s attitudes changed toward foreign policy first with their relationship to Samoa, a group of 14 South Pacific volcanic islands with splendid natural harbors. American negotiated a treaty with a tribal chief to grant the United States rights to a naval station. Unfortunately, Germany had also decided that Samoa should belong to them. Through some conferences and a natural typhoon that wiped both Germany and United States out of the Pacific they finally came to an agreement without going to war.

American troubles were a little different with Chile. Trade and strategic policy were not the reasons for interfering with Chile, but more of touchy pride and patriotism.

A revolutionary faction had taken control of the Chilean government. During that time some US sailors were docked in their country. A riot had broken out and some sailors got hurt and a couple even got killed. What made matters worse was that the Chilean police, who were there, did not intervene. However, they took the sailors away to jail. The Americans sought for reparations for the insult and Chile refused to apologize. After threatening them to go to war, they finally decided to back down, by apologizing for the attack on the sailors and paying $75,000 compensation.

Hawaii figured prominently in American foreign policy planning by its location. Not only were they ideally situated along the trade routes to Asia, but they offered a perfect site for protecting the Pacific sea lanes to the American west coast and to the potential locations of a cape canal. Investments, in their sugar, returned high dividends and for a time business was prosperous. The McKinley Act of 1890 cost Hawaiian producers $12 million and the government changed when Queen Liliuokalani ascended the throne. She wanted to purge American influences in Hawaii and disfranchise all white men except those married to native women. Her government was overthrown and Harrison felt it was time to takeover the island with a treaty. But before the Senate was able to ratify the treaty Cleveland, anti-imperialist president, took office and did not except the treaty. Four years and three days later, during the Spanish-American War, the US finally annexed Hawaii.

Potentially the most serious conflict America faced during the 1890s originated in a dispute over a strip of land in a South American jungle. There was a peaceful dispute over land between Venezuela and British Guiana, until the discovery of gold in the region in the 1880s. Venezuelan requests of help, the US several times offered to settle the matter, and each time Britain refused the offer. The US hinted that intervention with the military if its wishes were not honored. Britain did not reply for four months; they did answer in the effect that the dispute did not involve either the US or the Monroe Doctrine and would kindly mind if they mind their own business. The violence of America’s reaction surprised the British and certainly did not want war. British Prime Minister reversed his position and allowed a commission to arbitrate the dispute. In the end, the arbitral trial gave Britain most of the land it claimed. However, American felt that they won because they faced Britain head on and they backed down, which made them feel as the real winner.

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