American Exceptionalism Key Words and Essay Questions PDF

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Schlüsselbegriffe und Essaythemen zum Thema American Exceptionalism, vor allem für die Staatsexamensvorbereitung im Bereich Amerikanische Landeskunde sehr hilfreich oder für Hausarbeiten/ Zulassungsarbeiten. ...

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American Exceptionalism – Key Words and Essay Questions "commercial republic" 

Idea which was favoured by many Americans in the 19th century

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It was defined by the embrace of free enterprise, limited self-government and a significant measure of private ownership

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Everyone is given the possibility to rise by their own efforts which would motivate the people and result in rising luxury and vast improvement

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Alexander Hamilton: only such a system would provide the necessary conditions for the security, prosperity, and liberty of America

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Exceptionalism: U.S. different from Europe as is was born as a commercial republic

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Means to secure their exceptional values such as liberty

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Paine’s vision of a commercial republic o America would have flourished as much had no European power had anything to do with her o will always be able to commerce as other countries are in need of it o peace and friendship with Europe through commerce as it is in their own interest o commerce as protection o no partial connections with Europe

John L. O'Sullivan 

an influential American political writer and advocate for the Democratic Party

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a columnist and editor who used the term "manifest destiny" as a moral idea in 1845 to promote the annexation of Texas and the Oregon Country to the United States

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was not the originator of the concept of manifest destiny, but he was one of its foremost advocates

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1845 in an issue of the Democratic Review - essay - "Annexation": called on the U.S. to admit the Republic of Texas into the Union

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United States had a divine mandate to expand throughout North America, writing of "our manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions."

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In the context of the annexation of the Oregon Country:

o believed that God ("Providence") had given the United States a mission to spread republican democracy and federated self-government throughout North America o Great Britain would not use Oregon for the purposes of spreading democracy -> British claims to the territory could be disregarded o expansion of U.S.-style democracy was inevitable, and would happen without military involvement as whites (or "Anglo-Saxons") emigrated to new regions -> “empire of liberty”

Monroe Doctrine - 1823 

issued on December 2, 1823 at a time when nearly all Latin American colonies of Spain and Portugal had achieved independence from the Portuguese and Spanish Empires o problem of a European intervention to support Spanish colonial rule

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President James Monroe first stated the principle during his seventh annual State of the Union Address to Congress o to free colonies of Latin America from European intervention and avoid making the New World a battleground for the Old World powers, so that the U.S. could exert its own influence undisturbed

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further efforts by European nations to take control of any independent state in North or South America would be viewed as a threat

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the U.S. would recognize and not interfere with existing European colonies nor meddle in the internal concerns of Europe

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the New World and the Old World were to remain distinctly separate spheres of influence, for they were composed of entirely separate and independent nations

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multilateralism and non-intervention o US claims hemispheric hegemony o also vision of a greatness yet to come o securing its right of expansion over the continent o claims the entire western hemisphere as their own kind of security zone

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three basic principles o principle of non-colonization by Europeans

o principle of non-entanglement: spectators but not actors in Europe o principle of non-interference: will not interfere in colonies in their hemisphere where they exist; will not to try to integrate Canada; not in Europe 

declared the entire Western hemisphere as the U.S. American security perimeter

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if American interests are at stake they will defend themselves

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monarchy vs democracy

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formulates a security threat

idea that the U.S. has a unique ideology and a special mission to spread that ideology in the world found a real foothold in this speech

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president directly talks about the American system vs. the European one

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difference is so great that its extension to the Western Hemisphere would be a clear and present danger to the hemisphere’s peace and security

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also an undercurrent of moral superiority throughout the text

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implication is that America is a better guardian of Latin America than Europe was

The Peace Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) 

peace treaty signed in 1848, in the Villa de Guadalupe Hidalgo between the United States and Mexico that ended the Mexican–American War (1846–1848)

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with the defeat of its army and the fall of its capital, Mexico entered into negotiations to end the war

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the war had begun almost two years earlier, in May 1846, over a territorial dispute involving Texas

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treaty called for the U.S. to pay millions to Mexico

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defines the Rio Grande as the Texas boundary to Mexico

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gave the U.S. ownership of California and a large area

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but the border disputes continued

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the U.S.'s desire to expand its territory continued unabated and Mexico's economic problems persisted

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Whigs, the opponents of this treaty had opposed the war and rejected Manifest destiny in general, and rejected this expansion in particular

James K. Polk •

an American politician who served as the 11th President of the United States in the 19th century and a determined and aggressive expansionist

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during Polk's presidency, the United States expanded significantly with the annexation of the Republic of Texas, the Oregon Territory, and the Mexican Cession following the American victory in the Mexican–American War

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has also been criticized for leading the country into war against Mexico and for exacerbating sectional divides

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major legacy of Polk's presidency is territorial expansion, as the United States reached the Pacific coast and became poised to be a world power

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exceptionalism provided the platform for Polk's ambitions for westward expansion

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but the result of Polk's push west created a division throughout the nation → sectionalism throughout the nation

Schurman Commission •

established by United States President William McKinley 1899

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tasked to study the situation in the Philippines and make recommendations on how the U.S should proceed after the sovereignty of the Philippines was ceded to the U.S. by Spain on December 1898 following the Treaty of Paris of 1898

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Jacob Gould Schurman and the Schurman Commission ◦ "It is heart breaking to see how much punishment those misguided Filipinos insist on, but it must go on until they learn the things that belong to their peace. Then will come the time for you to put forth the bases of an orderly and beneficent government for them.” (John Hay to Jacob G. Schurman, June 19, 1899, qtd. in LaFeber, New Cambridge History, e-book) ▪ paternalistic superiority but with potential of violence ▪ ‘Americans worked for the Filipinos but not with them’

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concluded that "the United States cannot withdraw. ... We are there and duty binds us to remain. The Filipinos are wholly unprepared for independence ... there being no Philippine nation, but only a collection of different peoples."

Samoa •

U.S. involvement in Asia ◦ big profit was connected with China → legendary market ▪ prime goal: to get a foot into the door of the Chinese market

◦ crucial for missionary activities ◦ islands as strategic bases as spring boards for the Asian market or as military operational bases: ◦ Samoa ▪ as it provided a secure stop to Australia and China ▪ 1872: first treaty for a base in Pago Pago Bay: agreement granting exclusive rights for Americans in exchange for US protection; problem: Germany and GB had already similar contracts ▪ a hurricane destroys all battleships and prevents a war ▪ 1889: Berlin conference declared Samoa a tripartite protectorate ▪ 1899: The U.S. annexes parts of Samoa Hawaii as a colony Tydings-McDuffie Act (1934) •

the U.S. statute that provided for Philippine independence, to take effect on July 4, 1946, after a 10-year transitional period of Commonwealth government

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signed by U.S. Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt 1934

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constitutional convention

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transforms the Philippines from a colony to a Commonwealth → basically full domestic autonomy with a full constitution but foreign powers still in the hands of the U.S.

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provides for the transition of the Philippines to full independence after a ten-year period

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for the next 10 years the Philippines remained U.S. territory

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foreign affairs, defense, and monetary matters remained under U.S. jurisdiction, but all other internal matters were in the hands of the Philippine people

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still American expansion and containment of European influence

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spreading of American values

Hawaiian Organic Act (1900) •

enacted by the United States Congress to establish the Territory of Hawaii and to provide a Constitution and government for the territory

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lays the basis for a territorial government consisting of ◦ the Office of the Territorial Governor, appointed by the U.S. president, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate ◦ an elected bicameral Hawaiian Territorial Legislature modelled on the U.S. Congress

◦ a Territorial Supreme Court led by a Chief Justice, and additional appellate courts, appointed by the U.S. President with the constitutional "advice and consent" of the U.S. Senate •

the Act also provides for a non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives

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August 21, 1959: Hawaii joins the union as the 50th state

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1893, the new Republic of Hawaii government lobbied for annexation by the United States. Annexation was approved by president William McKinley and Hawaii became part of the United States on July 7, 1898

William McKinley (1843 – 1901) •

the 25th President of the United States

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led the nation to victory in the Spanish–American War, raised protective tariffs to promote American industry, and maintained the nation on the gold standard in a rejection of inflationary proposals

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Spanish-American War of 1898 ◦ a war that made America a colonial power ◦ 1895: Cuban rebellion against Spanish colonial rule; rebellion for liberty and selfdetermination but endangered American investments; threat of nationalization ▪ reluctance of the business community to support the revolution but support by the Yellow Press → strong influence ◦ US went to war against Spain over Cuba but ended with the Philipines ◦ 1898: ▪ 15 February -U.S.S. Maine explodes in Havana harbor; accident but Americans believed that it was a Spanish mine → Spanish aggression against the U.S. ▪ 11 April -U.S. President William McKinley requests authorization from U.S. Congress to intervene in Cuba

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although McKinley had not entered the war for territorial aggrandizement, he sided with the “imperialists” in supporting ratification, convinced that the United States had an obligation to assume responsibility for “the welfare of an alien people”

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says he had no interest in the Philippines but it “dropped into their laps”

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unfit for self-government but could not be handed to the Europeans

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Manifest Destiny: a mission/ territory given by God to christianize and civilize

Essay Questions

1. Reflect on the domestic causes of U.S. imperialism!

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overproduction ◦ need for additional sources of raw materials for factories and new markets for their agricultural goods ◦ domestic crisis, social imperialism → unemployment, economic depression ▪ disruption; disorientation ▪ industrial economy that is expanding in the 2nd half of the 19th century

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Feelings of nationalism grew → superiority of America’s political and cultural ideas → belief in Manifest Destiny → pushing borders to the Pacific Ocean → imperialism next logical step

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desire for military strength especially as other countries were already establishing their powers globally → third largest naval power

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the international environment ◦ mass migration to the US esp. European immigrants ◦ also Southern and Eastern Europeans ◦ change of the ethnic composition → fear of being overrun

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America getting more diverse and more catholic

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Economic competition develops among industrial nations ◦ US had to play a role → industrial giant

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two major targets of U.S. expansion ◦ Caribbean/Latin America and Asia

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new kind of empire centering economic relationships/ market empire;

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wide definitions of imperialism; very universal ◦ imperialism as the endeavour of a state to create an empire through the expansion into, the domination of, and the integration of originally foreign territory into its own political realm ◦ direct and formal rule over overseas territory from the mother country (vs. informal rule) ◦ did not aim at creating new states and adding them to the Union ◦ held together by forms of informal rule; economic penetration of territories; military build/ pillar up is a consequence and subordinated

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problem of Imperialism in American historiography and culture ◦ William Appleman Williams, The Tragedy of American Diplomacy, 1959 ▪ America's traditional view of itself and the world is composed of three basic ideas 1.) “maintains that the United States was isolationist until world power was 'thrust upon it,'” → forced upon us/ we had to do this against its ideas 2.) “except for a brief and rapidly dispelled aberration (Anomalie) at the turn of the [twentieth] century (rule over the Philippines with an educational purpose), America has been anti-imperialist throughout its history” 3.) “a unique combination of economic power, intellectual and practical genius, and moral rigor enables America to check the enemies of peace and progress – and build a better world –without errectingan empire in the process." ◦ → idea of empire of liberty; exceptional as America is escaping the necessary development but it does not apply to them → can create an empire without all the ‘bad things’

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the New Left historiography of the 1960/70s unearths a specifically American form of imperialism that ◦ came across as anti-colonial → imperialism in order to end colonialism ◦ was driven by an idealism born form a sense of exceptionalism ◦ was motivated by the quest for markets and the economic penetration of the whole world ◦ refrained from forms of direct colonial rule ◦ aimed at an informal empire ◦ could be called "Free Trade Imperialism" or "Open Door Imperialism" ▪ America pursued an interventionist policy by preventing other powers from preventing colonies → every colony funded would be close to American trade ◦ sought strategic bases as springboards to markets overseas

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Caribbean/Latin America ◦ a systematic intensification of U.S. trade relationships with Latin American countries began in the late 1880s ◦ Latin America as ▪ a natural outlet for U.S. manufactured goods ▪ a supplier of much needed raw materials and natural resources (wood, fruits, sugar) ▪ an investment object for American capital

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reciprocity treaties ◦ major instrument of U.S. economic penetration

◦ combination of high tariff walls to protect U.S. economy from foreign competition and the offer of reciprocity treaties ◦ reciprocity treaties established free flow of goods and capital between the partners on the basis of most-favored nation status (“Meistbegünstitungsklausel”) ◦ economic penetration of Latin American countries produced political entanglements → political involvement ◦ protection of U.S.-American property and trade in Latin American countries ▪ interest in stability ◦ competition with European great powers in the area ▪ eg. GB → driving Britain out and becoming the hegemonic power in Latin America •

U.S. interventions in Latin America ◦ multiple actors; political instability; dynamics leading to an aggressive intervention policy ◦ 1889 to 1891: revolution in Haiti ▪ US sent battle ship against a party backed by GB

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Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine of 1904 ◦ imperialistic and aggressive re-interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine ◦ “The Bick Stick in the Caribbean Sea” ◦ anti-imperialist stand as anti-colonial powerful ◦ “just and orderly government”→ all other governments have something to fear ▪ the empire that defines what is orderly ▪ idea of stability ▪ goal for other countries: to develop in the direction of America ◦ American paternalism ◦ the USA part of the American nations → one of several American republics ◦ other countries maintain order within their boundaries → stability ◦ Latin American debt to European powers → if they don’t pay back European countries may intervene to get back the money ▪ America sees itself as a creditor: will make sure that LA will pay back the money in order to prevent European intervention ▪ justification for US intervention in order to guarantee stability and to educate

2. Discuss Frederick Jackson Turner’s “Frontier Thesis” from an imperialist point of view!

The Significance of the Frontier in American History (1893) •

argument advanced by historian Frederick Jackson Turner in 1893 that American democracy was formed by the American frontier

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has always been read as a celebration of the Frontier but is just as much a diagnosis of the present as well as a discussion of the past

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was published as a direct response to the Census Report: is theorizing the Frontier after the moment it had vanished ◦ diagnosis of the end of a historical period → subtext: opens the view of a very uncertain future → anxiety

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mono-causal reason for the success and exceptionalism of America: because of the Frontier; doesn’t allow other arguments ◦ construction of an American national identity centering in the conceptual link between expansion, liberty, social mobility, the fluidity of American life, and the institutions of American democracy

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“expanding people” as a self-description→ empty continent for the Americans waiting to settle it ◦ what will happen to those people and the institutions now? ◦ West: source of rebirth of American individualism and fluid institutions

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most important result of the frontier: American de...