Imperialism and Labor Unrest
About
4/19/2016
American Imperialism reached its zenith in the late 19th century under the Robber barons. Secretary of State John W Foster encouraged rebellion amongst the white colonists in Hawaii, leading to the overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarch and eventual annexation of Hawaii to the United States. Foster’s justification for this coup was that the Native Hawaiians did not possess the “will” and “capability” to exploit the natural resources of their environment as effectively as white settlers, and therefore did not deserve to rule. This mentality is reflected in American military attitudes during the Spanish American War of 1898, during the occupation of Cuba and the Philippines, and the expansion of extractive American business into Latin America. Another example being General Graves and the Foreign Military Expeditionary Force into sent to Siberia in 1917 by Robert Lansing, to protect American business.
Readings:
- Nancy Lisagor & Frank Lipsius, A Law Unto Itself: The Untold Story of The Law Firm of Sulllivan & Cromwell – 100 Years of Creating Wealth & Power, p.39 53
- Howard Zinn, A People’s History of The United States, p.247 289
- Gibson Bell Smith, Guarding the Railroad, Taming the Cossacks The U.S. Army in Russia, 1918 – 1920 http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2002/winter/us-army-in-russia-1.html