American foreign policy was brought about to keep America’s own economy going. Foreign and domestic policy closely related.
“Crisis of Overproduction”- America was becoming so strong and producing so many goods that it overtook the American economy and we had too much. Had to look for other outlets to sell the goods.
Cannot just quit production because we needed people to keep working.
Need to find Foreign Markets.
Looked to Latin America and East Asia (China)
“The China Market”- China seemed to be the key place to sell, but it didn’t really workout for America because:
Trade treaties
China was a poor country
We couldn’t figure out what the Chinese wanted.
Alfred Thayer Mahan- Influence of Sea Power Upon History, “The nation that is able to control the seas, is able to control the political situation on land.”
The United States needs to build a “Blue Water Navy”-deep water, very large navy, so the US needs foreign military bases, and control in the Pacific (Hawaii, Phillipines).
Need to build an Isthmian Canal.
Theodore Roosevelt and Henry Cabot Lodge were big supporters.
Henry Cabot Lodge: close friend of Teddy Roosevelt. “A big Navy man.”
Senator Benjamin Butler: “The US needs to expand North.” (Gingo)
Manifest Destiny- It was Americas right to travel and expand their borders.
Anglo-Saxonism- the rights of the white people to spread, White man was Godly, it was their “moral obligation” as a white Christian nation to uplift and educated and spread it’s own beliefs.. “The White Man’s Burden.”
America in the Jazz Age (1920-1929)
Sedition Act: forbid anyone from speaking out against the war.
One man got 20 years in jail for writing anti-war editorials.
First Red Scare: Led by two people, A Mitchell Palmer & J. Edgar Hoover. The first scare of communism being brought to the united states and that there were people in America trying to promote communism.
Palmer Raids: attempts by the