North American Studies

Fareed Zakaria

“What makes a great power”

Nation – “natio”- politico cultural

1. People shared interest, culture

2. Territory
3. Government
4. Sovereign

State – politico judicial – “status”

1. Territory
2. Government
3. Sovereign
4. Shared history

Western political thought

“City – State”

- The Atlanta world.

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American Imperialism

- Different kind of power

- Power that in relation to political and economic dominance

Imperialism

- Expanding power of influence, often through military force, political conquest and/ or economic
dominance
- Can Imperialism be found in other cultures in world history, aside from the United States?
o China
o Rome
o Japan
- Late 19th century
- 1890 – 1919
o Because of the many engagements to expand and the political position
- Factors to consider:
o Foreign trade – mass production was possible
o Allowed Industrialization (overproduction) and the need for a new market
o Philosophical support: Darwinism –Ideological reason
 Provided the ideological to have a cultural superiority
 Motivated to spread culture
 Help mankind progress
o European expansion (i.e. Britain and Africa, Asia and the Pacific)
- Expansionism: Policy of territorial expansion
- Annexation: the addition of a new territory to an existing country

Motivation of Imperialism

Expanding Borders

- Monroe Doctrine
o President James Monroe, 1823
 Mexico (France)
o President Ulysses Grant, 1870
 Reinforce doctrine to protect regions of Caribbean islands and Latin America
from European powers
o President Theodore Roosevelt, 1906
 Roosevelt Corollary: Intervention of the U.S. specifically in Latin American
territories

The Pacific as a “most favored nation”

- Access to trade with China

- Japan as new trade partner (forced open through the Treaty of Amity and Commerce)
 o New port at Yokohama (near Edo) opened. Later on, Kanagawa, Kobe, Nagasaki, Nigata
and Hakodate
o Ports protected by Europoean military forces
o US citizens may live as residents at pots, surrounding areas
o Extraterritorial privellege of trial by own judges under laws
- Hawaii (sugar was allowed to be sold in the U.S. duty free, as long as they did not sell to any
foreign power)

To expand, or not?

1890’s : debate arose over what foreign policy would best serve the U.S.

- Pro: Expand market and interests abroad (business leaders)

- Anti: enough problems within and risks entailed abroad
- Some business leaders had begun investing in other countries
- Banana Republic (Central America): Keit’s United Fruit Company would export 50 m. bunches of
bananas a year to ports of the US and dominated the political and economic insitutiions of the
Honduras, Guatamela
- Ideological Reason – Social Darwinism

Foreign Conquest and Expansion

Motivations to expand in specific areas by the end of the 19 th century

- Latin America
o Spanish – American War
o The Cuban Rebellion
o Mexican revolution and Mexican-American War
- The Pacific
o The Philippine Colonial Period
o Annexation of Hawaii
- China: Trading
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1. Argumentative or Opinion essay

1-2 pages
= Quiz (Bonus) 10 pt.
3 essays max
Oct. 17
Single spaced, 12 TNR

2. Final Exam – 5%
Oct. 13
3. October 17