The Civil War in American History - Essay Example

no. American history Part One: Terms Determine the most significant terms from the chapters and list them below: 1. Theodore Roosevelt 2. The civil war 3. Thomas Jefferson 4. Civilization 5. American foreign policy 6. Democracy 7. World power 8. Imperialism 9. Woodrow Wilson 10. World War 1 From the above list, elaborate on five terms: 1. The civil war A war between the confederates and the Union The confederates wanted to secede from the United States The unions started attacking and taking control of U.S owned ports Expansion of the American standing army The navy expanded and modernized in order to fight the confederates Union ships were stationed in the southern ports, cutting off the confederation off from the rest of the world The union used defensive and offensive attacks against the confederation forces About 187, 858 native Germans helped the Union win the war by serving in the army Other natives from England, Ireland, and Canada, also joined the army The end of the civil war was a great victory for the United States 2. Imperialism The United States imperialism was seen as a way of spreading democracy The United States first experimented with imperialism under President McKinley The united states defeated the Spaniards in the Philippines and the latter fell into the hands of the U.S The United States established imperialist rule in the Philippines in 1899 The motive was to subdue an independence movement that threatened the safety of the Filipinos Civilization and Christianization were the other two motives Philippines put up a spirited resistance against American imperialism This turned into a guerrilla warfare that lasted until 1902 Americans were ashamed of American imperialism on the Philippines The Philippines stayed under American rule until after the Second World War 3. Civilization Civilization in the U.S meant growth of institutions such as a democratic government and industries The American civilization was characterized by a westward expansion The Americans sought to “civilize” and bring liberty to other nations Particularly to save the Philippines from savage rule and bring about civilization The navy and army helped the Philippines achieve “modern civilization” The Americans considered themselves the “missionaries of civilization” President Roosevelt in 1904 stated that the united states was a civilized society that would civilize others The U.S did not interfere in the domestic matters of nations whose laws were of a civilized society Germany acted in an uncivilized manner by attacking submarines belonging to neutral nations in the First World War The Americans were putting their civilization at risk by engaging in the First World War 4. Woodrow Wilson Was the United States president during the First World War Was re-elected into office in 1916 for keeping the Americans out of war Tried to maintain a neutrality policy in the United States during the war Delivered the entry into the war message to congress on April 2, 1917 Woodrow stated that it was neither right nor constitutional to join the war Woodrow said he would assume responsibility for making the United States join the war Woodrow Wilson idealistically stated that the United States no problem with the German people; rather the quarrel was with the German leaders Woodrow stated in his address that the indiscriminate submarine warfare by Germany was a war against mankind The United States would be joining the war in order to restore the respect for human rights, not to assert the physical might of the United States or for revenge Woodrow told congress that Germany was not a friend and had to be fought in order to maintain humane principles World War 1 Began in august 1914 Involved the Allies and the Central Powers The United States was neutral up until 1917 Germany started attacking U.S submarines, including passenger liners Woodrow Wilson, declared war on Germany The U.S joined the war on the Allied side in 1917 The U.S channeled all its resources towards resolving the global conflict Germany suggested an alliance with Mexico The U.S stations troops in Mexico, forcing the latter to declare war on the United States By the time the war ended in 1918, approximately 14.5 million lives were lost Part Two: Essays After reading the chapters, write three essay/discussion questions: How did the United States go about transforming herself into a world power? What led to the hostility between Germany and the United States? What aspects characterized democracy in the United States? From the above list, respond to one of the above questions: How did the United States go about transforming herself into a world power? In the early 1800s, the United States was involved in an expansive quest, towards the Pacific Ocean, keeping away from world politics, especially in relation to European countries. However, starting the 1880s, the United States started to change her foreign policy and establish her presence in the world economic arena. Fernlund states that by the 1890s, the United States’ oil and steel products were competing in the world market (159). Apart from the increasing economic power, the United States started expanding her military power, particularly the navy. Fernlund states that one of the conditions for becoming a world power was to have a large, standing army (161). The expansion and might of the United States’ sea power was exemplified in 1899, when the U.S was able to conquer the Spanish in the Philippines. The war with Spain was orchestrated by the fact that Spain was drawing closer to the United States frontier at California. The United States was, thus forced to fight off the Spaniards and in the process ended up acquiring the Philippines. The assertion of U.S rule on the Filipino led to American imperialism, a factor that further established the position of the U.S as a growing world power. The U.S became openly involved in world affairs. The most significant of this and which probably led to the United States becoming a world power was World War 1. Fernlund states that as a matter of foreign policy, the U.S had opted to remain neutral in the war (178). Nonetheless, when the Germans started a submarine warfare, sinking enemy and neutral vessels, the U.S joined the war on the Allied side. The victory of the Allies over the central powers and the role played by the U.S cemented the position of the latter as a world power. Part Three: Document After looking over the documents, which three do you view as most significant? Why? 1. 21-2. In his work, Mahan’s was concerned over the lack of sea power by the United States to defend herself in case of danger. Fernlund states that Mahan argued that incase of danger, the U.S could be forced to establish a blockade on her extensive sea-coast, a deed which needs a standing naval army (162). More sea power would, thus ensure that the United States stayed clear of harm’s way and that trade and commerce would not be affected by an external war. The work of Mahan led to increased military buildup in the U.S by the close of the century that saw the U.S defeat Spain in the Philippine war. It is the same sea power that enabled the U.S to participate in the First World War. 2. 21-4. Twain was a critic of the American annexation of the Philippines and his article led to the Boer war. Twain wrote that the American should have withdrawn from the Philippines as soon as the Spaniards were defeated. On the contrary, Fernlund states that the Americans stayed long enough to take land away from the Filipinos and take away their new found freedom (167). The U.S pretended to be helping the Filipinos, but as soon as the Spaniards left, the U.S turned on the Filipinos and waged a bloody war against them from 1899-1902. Twain’s article elucidated the evils of U.S imperialism over the Philippines. 3. 21-11. La Follette was against the participation of the U.S in the First World War and went ahead to correct the president’s reasons for joining the war. In his anti-war speech, La Follette said that Germany was as guilty as England in disobeying international order. According to Fernlund, La Follette saw the decision by the president to declare war on Germany as a way for America to expand her imperialistic policy (183). La Follette also questioned the alliance of the U.S with Britain, a traditional monarchy. La Follette’s address put doubts in the minds of Americans and foreigners as to the real motives for the U.S entry into the war. Work cited Fernlund, Kevin. Documents for America’s History, Volume 2: Since 1865. New York: Bedford Books. 2011. Print. Read More