US foreign policy between 1865 and 1890: Monroe Doctrine and Territorial consolidation Flashcards
What and when was the Monroe Doctrine?
- This indicated a disinterest in foreign affairs as it stated that the USA should not be involved with Europe.
What did the Monroe Doctrine state about colonisation.
Any attempts at ‘colonisation’ would be regarded as unfriendly acts and American continents were not to be colonised by European powers.
What and when was isolationism?
1861 – 1869: A policy by which the USA detached itself from foreign affairs. A policy of non-intervention in other governments’ internal affairs and wars.
Why did the USA believe in isolationism?
- European powers were thousands of miles away.
- USA felt superior to those countries who took part in expansion and empire building.
- USA did not want to get involved in old regimes which may have practiced policies it had rejected.
What was the manifest destiny?
The belief that the expansion of the United States throughout the American continents was both justified and inevitable.
Describe how the power of the Monroe Doctrine was demonstrated after the attempt to establish an empire in Mexico.
During the Civil War - Archduke Maximilian of Austria seemed secure in establishing a secure imperial rule in Mexico
Once the war ended - Furious American protests from Congress and the press against this foreign ‘invasion’.
What did Grant and other army generals want the army to do after this imperial attempt?
The army to be sent to Mexico to ‘defend the Monroe Doctrine’ - shows how it was such a prominent faith among all Americans.
How was William Seward going against isolationism and pursuing interventionist foreign policy?
His plans included:
- Acquiring naval bases in the Caribbean and in the Pacific Islands
- Negotiating a treaty with Columbia to build a canal across the Isthmus of Panama
What was Sewards most important achievement?
The purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867.
Describe why it was a change in Russian policy that opened the way for the purchase of Alaska.
- Russian-American Company had become an expensive drain on resources
- Russia also feared that the US might just seize the territory anyway.
- It made sense to gain some financial reward and to improve relations than lose for nothing.
Describe how politicians felt towards Alaska at the time.
It was denounced by politicians and the press as a foolish and expensive mistake. Critics called it Seward’s Folly, or the polar bear garden.
How did attitudes to Alaska change?
Strong commercial links were established with West Coast ports like Seattle and San Francisco. The economic potential of the region, for fish, furs, mining and logging, became widely recognised, even before the Alaskan-Yukon gold rush in the late 1890s.
According to the National Myth, what was the settling of the ‘empty’ West?
A great leap forward for modernity and progress, fulfilling a ‘civilising mission’.
What were Native Americans depicted as?
Racially and culturally ‘inferior’ and seen as a ‘problem’ for governments to deal with.
Describe how the National Myth does not correspond with reality.
Native Americans actually had their own way of life, their own ancestral lands, and there own political and social structures. The conquest and colonisation was only made possible by wars.
