Imperialism

Chapter 20 pages 482-496

1. How does the United States end up with Alaska, Midway, Samoa and almost Santo Domingo?

2. Evaluate the merits of American efforts to acquire the Hawaiian Islands.

3. What happens in the Samoan Islands in the 1870's? In South America in 1895?

4. Why was United States business interested in imperialism? How did the question of sea power and the proper role of a nation's merchant marine and navy relate to the arguments of expansionists according to Alfred Mahan? What major were the moralistic and nationalistic arguments for acquiring distant territorial holdings by the U.S.?

5. Why did the people of Cuba wish to over thrown the Spanish? How did the on going guerilla warfare in Cuba, between native forces and the Spanish rulers, gain widespread popular interest in the U.S. in the l890's? Why did the U.S. decide in l898 to enter the war on the side of Cuban people? Was the American decision based on justifiable grounds? How did the resulting war relate to the a earlier arguments advanced by imperialists, and to the Mahan theory on the importance of sea power? What did the U.S. gain from the war?

6. What role did Emilio Aguinaldo and his insurrectionists play in helping the United States defeat the Spanish in the Philippines? In the United States war with the Filipinos what were the Filipinos or insurrectionists fight for? How long was this war?

7. Do you agree with the arguments for annexation of the Philippines ? Why? What did the anti-imperialist have to say about McKinley's policy? How does Teddy Roosevelt benefit from all of this?