Lessons in American History Using Primary Sources
A Series of Webquests
By Laura Thompson
UPS 8: New Imperialism
Historical Context – Between 1870 and 1920, the rate
of Western imperialism increased. This was due to economic, political, and
social forces. The Industrial Revolution stirred ambitions of many nations. The
advances in technology and need for more natural resources encouraged Western
nations, including the US, to spread their sphere of influence over the
less-developed areas of the world. Historians have studied this empire-building
frenzy. They have offered a variety of perspectives on its causes.
Driving
Question: Which economic, political, and social forces were most responsible
for American imperialism of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries?
Part A |
The following documents present information about
the new American imperialism. Examine each document carefully. In the space
provided, answer the question or questions that follow each document. |
Document
1 - Parker T. Moon, Imperialism
and World Politics, Macmillan, 1936, (adapted). In this excerpt, author
Parker T. Moon pointed out which groups were most interested in imperialism.
The makers of cotton and iron goods have been very
much interested in imperialism. This group of import interests has been
greatly strengthened by the demand of giant industries for colonial's raw
materials…Ship owners demand coaling stations for their vessels and naval
bases for protection. To these interests may be added the makers of armaments
and of uniforms. The producers of the telegraph and railway material and
other supplies used by the government in its colony may also be included…Finally, the most powerful business groups are the
bankers. Banks make loans to colonies and backward countries for building
railways and steamship lines… |
Which groups
were seeking colonies, according to this author? Explain each group's reason.
Document
2 - Mark C. Carnes, The American Nation: A
History of the United States, Combined Volume (13th Edition), Longman, 2007. This excerpt was
written by American Senator A.J. Beveridge in 1898.
American factories are making more than the American
people can use; American soil is producing more than they can consume. Fate
has written our policy for us; the trade of the world must and shall be
ours…We will establish trading posts throughout the world as distributing
points for American products. We will cover the ocean with our merchant
marines. We will build a navy to the measure of our greatness… |
According to
Sen. Beveridge, why should America become imperialistic?
Document
3 - Raymond Aron,
The Century of Total War, Doubleday & Co., 1954, (adapted). This
excerpt suggests another cause for imperialism.
…[N]one of the colonial undertakings was motivated
by the quest for capitalist profits; they all originated in political
ambitions…the nations' will to power…[or] glory or national greatness. |
What did the
author say was the cause of imperialism?
Document
4 - Cecil Rhodes, Confession of
Faith, originally written at Oxford, 1877, (adapted). Cecil Rhodes was a
successful British imperialist in Africa. This excerpt is adapted from his
position on imperialism.
I contend that we [British] are the finest race in
the world, and the more of the world we inhabit, the better it is for the
human race…It is our duty to seize every opportunity of acquiring more
territory and we should keep this one idea steadily before our eyes that more
territory simply means more of the Anglo-Saxon race, more of the best, the
most human, most honorable race the world possesses. |
According to
Rhodes, why should Britain pursue a policy of imperialism? How would this be
viewed in America?
Document
5 - William L. Langer, The
Diplomacy of Imperialism, Knopf, 1935, (adapted). This excerpt suggests
another cause for imperialism.
But the economic side…must not be allowed to obscure
the other factors. Psychologically speaking…evolutionary teaching was perhaps
most crucial. It not only justified competition and struggle but introduced
an element of ruthlessness. |
According to
Langer, what was the non-economic reason(s) for the new imperialism?
Document
6 - Mark C. Carnes, The American Nation: A
History of the United States, Combined Volume (13th Edition), Longman, 2007. This is an
excerpt from Rudyard Kipling's poem, "The White Man's Burden" (1899)
Take up the white man's
burden Send forth the best ye
breed Go bind your sons to exile To serve your captives'
need; To wait, in heavy harness, On fluttered folk and wild Your new-caught, sullen
peoples, Half-devil and half-child |
According to
the poem, what was the "white man's burden"?
Document
7 - General James Rusling,
"Interview with President William McKinley," The Christian
Advocate, 1903, (adapted). In this excerpt, President William McKinley
explains why the US took over the Philippines
We could not leave them to themselves. They were
unfit for self-government. There was nothing left for us to do but to take
them over. Then we would be able to educate the Filipinos. We could uplift
and civilize and Christianize them… |
How did
President McKinley justify the US takeover of the Philippine Islands?
Document
8 - Phan Thanh Gian, retranslation from Focus
on World History: The Era of the First Global Age and Revolution, Walch Publishing, 2002, (adapted). This excerpt gives
another reason why Western countries were able to increase their colonial
holdings. This is from a letter sent by Phan Thanh Gian, governor of a
Vietnamese state, to his administrators in 1867.
Now, the French are come, with their powerful
weapons of war, to cause dissension among us. We are weak against them; our
commanders and our soldiers have been vanquished…the French have immense
warships, filled with soldiers and armed with huge cannons. No one can resist
them. They go where they want, the strongest ramparts fall before them. |
How did this
Vietnamese man explain the French imperialism in Indochina in 1867?
Document
9 - Mark C. Carnes, The American Nation: A
History of the United States, Combined Volume (13th Edition), Longman, 2007. This map details
European Imperialism in Africa in 1914.
What cause
for imperialism is evident in this map of Africa? Explain.
Part B |
Which economic, political, and social forces were
most responsible for American imperialism of the late nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries? |