Imperialism, Race, and US Policy Establish US Relations With the Pacific and Caribbean Regions
The years surrounding the turn of the 20th century encompassed a time of strong American ideals. Before the 1890’s, the US tendency was isolationism, and the country focused on internal matters such as reconstruction and westward expansion. By the 1890’s, the US shifted to internationalism as they created economic prosperity, social stability, and became more comfortable getting involved in international affairs. America’s imperialistic state led to more involvement with issues in the Pacific, Caribbean, and Latin America; leading to Chinese Exclusion, the Spanish-American War, the Cuban crisis, annexation of Hawaii, and the American-Philippine …show more content…
This idea was fueled by economic, technological, and military strength in the country that influenced the US as a major player to dominate other parts of the world that were less powerful. This provided new markets for goods, resources for their own industrial revolution, military staging areas, and prestige. (Capeci) During the second half of the 19th century, the US was concerned with the annexation of the Republic of Hawaii. In Hawaii, missionaries bought land from natives and established the island’s sugar industry, and by the 1850’s Americans owned 75% of business on the island. (Schaffer) In 1865, Hawaii was largely dominated by American government and resulted in a reciprocity agreement that allowed Hawaiian sugar to enter the US duty free. The McKinley Tariff passed by congress in 1890 ended this favored status and threatened the sugar industry in Hawaii. Americans in Hawaii began to pursue annexation to the US as a solution to export problems. (Schaffer) It wasn’t until the overthrow of the last monarch of Hawaii, Queen Liliukalani, when Hawaii regained it’s favored sugar status and the Republic was finally annexed by the US in 1898. Around this time in 1894 when the US tariff for Hawaiian sugar favored status was enacted, Cuba’s economy turned to crisis as there once prosperous sugar trade