Social Studies Project

STUDY OF CASES
Imperialism or Not?

Directions: Read the following situations and decide whether the situation is clearly an act
of imperialism, clearly not an act of imperialism, (supporting your ideas), or describe what
you think it can be called.

Deadline: From march 2nd - march 20th

1) June, 1675 - July, 1676: New England

Settlers from the Boston and Plymouth colonies were expanding west from the Atlantic coast and
encountering the Wampanoag people. Increased competition for resources (particularly land for
planting, hunting and fishing) caused friction between the two groups. Changes in the regional
economy, such as collapse in the fur trade, led many Native people to support themselves by
selling their land, but a continuing problem was the trampling of Native cornfields by colonists’
livestock. After a dispute over the death of a Wampanoag traitor in 1675, hostilities broke out and
King Phillip’s War began. In the following year, over 600 colonists and 3,000 Indians were killed all
over Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. The colonists were eventually victorious.
Hundreds of Indians were sold into slavery in the Caribbean. The Narragansett, Wampanoag,
Podunk, and Nipmuck were virtually eliminated, while the Mohicans were greatly weakened.
Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island were now fully open to European colonization.

*Clearly an act of imperialism or clearly not?

Yes, because they explain to us that the settlers of Boston and Plymouth expanded their
territories, using the violence, examples of this is that they killed and enslaved many
indigenous people.

2) April 11, 1803: Louisiana Purchase

In 1682, France’s Sierra de la Salle claimed the Louisiana Territory for France without regard for
the thousands of Native peoples living in the area. In 1803, the United States negotiated the
purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million. With a stroke of a pen America
doubled in size, making it one of the largest nations in the world.
*
Clearly an act of imperialism or clearly not?

Yes, because in the text they tell us that in 1682 the Sierra de la Salle of France claimed the
territory of Louisiana for France without taking into account the indigenous people,
basically what they did was to take over a territory by force without taking their owners
into account. inhabitants only to obtain more territories to be more powerful, in the second
part that is, in 1803, imperialism is clearly seen because this is understood as the expansion
of a powerful nation or with more resources than the other, through the economic
acquisition of a territory like this example.

3) July 27, 1816: Florida

The First Seminole War erupted over invasions by U.S. authorities to recapture runaway
black slaves living among Seminole groups in Spanish Florida. The fort on the Georgia border
where runaway slaves would seek protection was known as “Negro Fort” as it contained hundreds
of fugitive slaves and Seminole Indians. As many as 800 slaves settled in the surrounding area from
1815-1816. In July of 1816, General Andrew Jackson instructed Major General Edmund P. Gaines
to destroy “Negro Fort” and “restore the stolen negroes and property to their rightful owners.” On
July 27, 1816, General Gaines destroyed the fort, leading to the First Seminole War 1817-1818. In
1821, Spain formally sold Florida to the United States for $5,000,000. The Second Seminole War
(1835-1842) would begin after the Indian Removal Act of 1830 spurred the rounding up and
deportation of Seminole Indians in the Trail of Tears. After 1835, Florida was wide open to
American settlement.

*Clearly an act of imperialism, or clearly not?

No, because in this situation there is no expansion, extension or domination from one
stronger territory to another, on the contrary they are talking about why the first Seminole
war arose and its consequences.

4) December 2, 1823: Washington D.C.

President James Monroe delivered what is known as the “Monroe Doctrine” to Congress on
December 2, 1823. Essentially, the United States was informing the powers of the Old World that
the American continents were no longer open to European colonization, and that any effort to
extend European political influence into the New World would be considered by the United States
"as dangerous to our peace and safety." The United States would not interfere in European wars
or internal affairs, and expected Europe to stay out of American affairs. Many people interpreted
this as a statement against colonialism, yet practically, the United States established that it could
issue ultimatums which would be respected by world powers.
*Clearly an act of imperialism, or clearly not?

No, because they are talking about the Monroe Doctrine and not about the expansion of an
economically and militarily strong territory, which would be the concept of imperialism.

5) April 25, 1846: Texas

The U.S.-Mexican War began on April 25, 1846 after U.S. troops stationed in Texas by President
James K. Polk encroached on Mexican territory and were fired on by Mexican forces. It ended
nearly two years later with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, on February 2, 1848,
which fixed the Rio Grande as the boundary of Texas and required Mexico to sell all the territory
that today includes the states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and parts of
Colorado and Wyoming for $15,000,000.

Clearly an act of imperialism, or clearly not?

I think that if it could be a case of imperialism because first in the war that took place
between the United States and Mexico, it was the Americans who began by wanting to
invade Mexican territories logically to take over those territories, but Mexico attacked
them, after almost two years with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo The
United States forced Mexico to sell some territories that today are part of the United States,
for $ 15,000,000, which in my opinion could be considered imperialism since Mexico lost
this war United by force made that Mexico sold these territories to them, but in turn also
killing many indigenous.

6) June 15, 1898: Hawaii

When Queen Liliuokalani moved to establish a stronger monarchy in the 1890’s, American
businessmen who owned sugar plantations, under the leadership of Samuel Dole, deposed her in
1893. The administration of President Benjamin Harrison encouraged the takeover, and
dispatched sailors from the USS Boston to the islands to surround the royal palace. Dole sent a
delegation to Washington in 1894 seeking annexation, but the new President, Grover Cleveland,
opposed annexation and tried to restore the Queen. Dole declared Hawaii an independent
republic. Spurred by the nationalism aroused by the Spanish-American War, the United States
annexed Hawaii in 1898 at the urging of President William McKinley. Hawaii was made a territory
in 1900, and Dole became its first governor.

*Clearly an act of imperialism, or clearly not?

It is a case of imperialism because the American businessmen who owned sugar

plantations, under the leadership of Samuel Dole, took advantage of the fact that Queen
Liliuokalani moved to establish a stronger monarchy in 1890 and they removed her from
the throne, with the intention of annexing Hawaii to the United States driven by the
nationalism aroused by the Spanish-American War, which as a consequence led to the
United States clearly obtaining more territory and much more power with this new
acquisition, one of the purposes of imperialism.

7) August 14, 1900: China

After dividing up Africa among European Powers at the Berlin Conference (1894-5), European
powers and America began to scramble for what was called "spheres of interest." These spheres of
interest involved holding leases for all railway and commercial privileges in various regions. The
Russians got Port Arthur, the British got the New Territories around Hong Kong, the Germans got a
leasehold in Shantung, and the Americans got nothing. However, when thousands of people
known as Boxers traveled the countryside killing foreigners and eventually occupying Beijing, a
coalition of international forces came in on August 14, 1900 and crushed the rebellion. The United
States played a significant role because of the many American ships and troops in the Philippines
as a result of the Philippine-American War. Because it had participated in suppressing the Boxer
Rebellion, the U.S. participated in the aftermath. Secretary of State John Hay called for an
expanded “Open Door” policy in all parts of China. Other powers agreed, and the Open Door
policy allowed foreign access to China's market until World War II closed it once again.

*Clearly an act of imperialism, or clearly not?

Yes, in my opinion, it is imperialism because several powers divided the territory among
themselves, to obtain power and gain from the divided territory and used their parts of the
territory to their benefit to carry out economic activities that allowed them to obtain a lot of
money.

8) 1904-1914: Panama.

In 1878 Ferdinand de Lesseps, the French engineer who built the Suez Canal, began to dig a canal
across the Isthmus of Panama, which was then part of Colombia. Tropical disease and engineering
problems halted construction on the canal, but a French business (the New Panama Canal
Company) still held the rights to the project. Roosevelt agreed to pay $40 million for the rights,
and he began to negotiate with Colombia for control of the land. He offered $10 million for a fifty-
mile strip across the isthmus. Colombia refused. "We were dealing with a government of
irresponsible bandits," Roosevelt stormed. "I was prepared to . . . at once occupy the Isthmus
anyhow, and proceed to dig the canal. But I deemed it likely that there would be a revolution in
Panama soon." Teddy was right. The chief engineer of the New Panama Canal Company organized
a local revolt. Roosevelt immediately sent the battleship Nashville and a detachment of marines to
Panama to support the new government. The rebels gladly accepted Roosevelt's $10 million offer,
and they gave the United States complete control of a ten-mile wide canal zone. Roosevelt
ordered army engineers to start digging. Despite lethal landslides, workers with dynamite and
clumsy steam shovels cut their way across a continent. They built a railroad, three sets of concrete
locks, and a huge artificial lake. The U.S. retained control of the Panama Canal until 2000 when a
Treaty signed in 1977 by Jimmy Carter finally came into effect.

*Clearly an act of imperialism, or clearly not?

I believe that it is not an act of imperialism because they only talk about the construction
of the Panama Canal and the agreement that had to be made between several countries so
that it could be built, and this has nothing to do with imperialism.