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Washington stepped down as president and established America as an isolationist country

Washington wanted to be open to trading and business with England but stay out of their politics fully as a way to become equals with England after gaining independence.

Washington wanted good relations between the two but for both to keep a distance

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John Quincy Adams, Speech in Congress in celebration of Fourth of July, 1821

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John Quincy Adams, Speech in Congress in celebration of Fourth of July, 1821

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This speech was given as Latin countries were starting to gain independence as a statement of support

Adams states that because America was colonized and gained independence we should respect the independence of the latin countries

Adams is saying that America should not dominate the world or get involved with other countries affairs (isolationist)

Adams also makes a point that America could get involved because of the strength of the country (a threat of sorts)

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Monroe Doctrine, Presidential Address (1823)

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Monroe Doctrine, Presidential Address (1823)

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States that all of the new independent countries from South America are under US protection and if any of the European powers try to colonize these countries within central or south America then the US will declare war

This shows the US does respect the independence of these new countries but they have placed their power over them, giving the US the right to decide for them

Marks when the attitude towards south and central America starts to shift more interventionist because although they are staying out of it, they are taking the power from these countries

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The annexation of Texas precipitates this war as Mexico sees this as an act of aggression

The south wanted to expand and have more states that would allow slavery and acquire the resources that Texas would have to offer

There is also the general excitement about expansion, westward expansion and manifest destiny being big in the country at the time

The US also believed that this was their territory before taking it over and didn't want any powers they presumed as threats stepping on their toes, so to speak

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Mexico had started selling tiny plots of land to America pre-war, which resulted in 7,000 Americans occupying land in the Mexican owned Texas but Mexico got scared of the quantity of Americans and banned further immigration into Texas

These Americans wanted the right to have slave labor and revolted against the Mexicans but ultimately lost

This in tern sent more American troops into Texas and Mexico was forced to recognize Texas's independence

This further led to more wars over territory with America taking it all

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A Banana Republic is a country or nation with an economy largely based in exporting a resource or a product, like bananas.

This typically makes an intense wealth difference with a large struggling working class and a small upper class of business, political, and military elites.

America played a massive hand in developing Banana Republics across Central and South America so as to gain this resource the country may be exporting

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Age of Empire: Leading up to America becoming an Empire (1880-1900)

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Age of Empire: Leading up to America becoming an Empire (1880-1900)

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The great European powers were fighting over goods and colonizing places in Africa, Asia, and Australia

As the countries in Europe was starting to create more and more goods they needed an export, people to buy from them and thats where the colonies played a part, or else they would stagnate economically

The US even though it is one of the top producing countries in the world they felt they weren't getting recognition and felt as thought they were behind as they watched as Europe colonized many countries all around the globe

America had already conquered the frontier; the frontier had become a major part of the American livelihood

America felt that they too needed to branch out and gain colonies around the world

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Age of Empire: America becoming an Empire - Alfred Mahan (1890)

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Age of Empire: America becoming an Empire - Alfred Mahan (1890)

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Mahan believed that what America needed to become a national power it needed to expand its navy and conquer the sea

In order to do this America needed to acquire friendly ports across the world for the navy to dock, refuel and take on new supplies: Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and the islands in the Caribbean being the best spots for this.

Mahan also believed that a canal was needed in central America for the ships to cross from one side of the Americas to the other

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The US had joined the race for expansion alongside Europeans, colonizing Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Cuba, which was a strategic move for the Americans as they had invested millions of dollars into sugar in Cuba and it was at the gateway of the Gulf of Mexico

All of these islands were previously colonies of Spain but Spain did not want to let go of their colony in Cuba

In 1898 an explosion destroyed a US battleship killing 266 men on board, even though this was probably and accident this was the fuel America needed to start a war with Spain. America won this war.

America had imagined that Cuba would be white but the island turned out to be mainly black and this upset the Americans as they viewed black people aw unfit for liberty and self-government

Even though it appeared that the US was fighting for Cuba’s freedom it was really just them fighting for their own control over the country

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This stated that the US would not have permanent control over Cuba but they don't want to leave them alone either

Because the country was mainly black and brown the US did not believe that the country could self-govern itself and the US needed to intervene in order to "help" the Cubans

This states that after the US pacifies the Cubans then they will leave them to self govern and they can become fully independent.

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Supported dictators in South American countries in order to take advantage of these countries's resources.

Supported these dictators by making these countries seem like their interventionism was for the better good of their governments, they also used violence to control workers.

For instance they supported Rafael Trujillo a dictator in the Dominican Republic, infamous for his use of torture on his citizens.

United Fruit Company did this solely for the purpose of gaining these countries resources instead of thinking about the political ramifications on the citizens all while masking it as helping them

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Set what the conditions for US intervention, allowing the US to buy or lease land to establish naval bases (Guantánamo Bay) and allowing the US to make coaling stations

It also forbid the Cubans from making treaties allowing other countries from taking power on the island, going into debt, and allowed the US to impose a sanitation program on the island.

The US said this was for "preservation of Cuban independence", stating that the US knew what was best for the Cubans

The US was imposing a sort of paternalistic, "if you don't do as I say you want get independence" tactic.

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The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine (1904):

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The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine (1904):

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Adding onto previous amendments stating that if other countries in South America can keep themselves "in order" then the US doesn't intervene but if not then we will have to intervene

This "order" that Roosevelt describes is just what America would describe as orderly, if the country does what the US wants then they are orderly, if they don't then they need intervention

Roosevelt states that all other countries should try to be like the US and if they don't we will help them forcibly be like us

Paints the US out to be the savior of all of the South American countries and that they are just looking out for the safety of their people when in reality the US was looking to expand and take the resources of these countries

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US Hegemony in the Caribbean: The Dominican Republic (1904-1924)

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US Hegemony in the Caribbean: The Dominican Republic (1904-1924)

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A debt crisis in the Dominican Republic in 1904 revived US fears that European nations would intervene.

For fear of European involvement and Europe collecting taxes from the Dominicans, America decided to do it themselves in order to get rid of the public debt

They sent in the Navy to occupy the country in order to resolve this debt crisis and to keep out any europeans who might be trying to colonize instead of the US

The Dominicans were treated very poorly and fought back with guerilla warfare proving unsuccessful

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US Hegemony in the Caribbean: Cuba (1906, 1917-1922)

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US Hegemony in the Caribbean: Cuba (1906, 1917-1922)

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America sent troops to Cuba in 1917 and occupied it until 1922

This was because the US was interested in Cuba’s sugar fields and wanted control over them, they also wanted to stay in power during wartime

America made a fortune in sugar during this time period but barely any of that money went back to the Cubans

This led to concentrated wealth, political unrest, and a loss in sovereignty

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US Hegemony in the Caribbean: Haiti (1915-1934)

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US Hegemony in the Caribbean: Haiti (1915-1934)

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A cycle of coups and counter coups had undermined the country and deprived Haiti of revenues needed to develop the country which cause the US to try to take control of the country’s revenue in order to “help”

In 1914 armed US Marines physically removed money from Haitian banks and took it aboard in warships to America

Taking Haiti's money failed to solve the political crisis within the country and led to the assassination of the country’s president. After this US troops remained in Haiti for 20 years.

Haitians tried guerilla warfare but it only resulted in the death of more Haitians which led to America putting harsher restrictions on the Haitians like curfews and censoring the press

The Haitian legislature, at gunpoint, elected a president who followed America’s orders which then resulted in Haiti permitting America to have control over the country's finances

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US Hegemony in the Caribbean: Puerto Rico (1917-1930s)

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US Hegemony in the Caribbean: Puerto Rico (1917-1930s)

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In 1917,  when the US entered WW1, congress passed the Jones Act which gave Puerto Ricans US citizenship to push away any possibility of European colonization and to undercut any thoughts of independence

With this citizenship though, Puerto Ricans are not allowed to vote in any federal election, showing America's views of the Puerto Ricans as less than and perhaps not worthy of a say in their new country

Nationalism still flourished in Puerto Rico in the 20s and 30s but after the Nationalist Party in the state challenged US hegemony, the US jailed the nationalist party leader in a federal prison, ending nationalism in the state's government

This resulted in a loss of sovereignty of the people

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US Foreign Policy After WWI: Immigration Quotas (Starting in 1917)

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US Foreign Policy After WWI: Immigration Quotas (Starting in 1917)

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Congress was worried that continuing to accept immigrants at a high rate would grow costly to the US economy

Efforts to restrict immigration began in 1917 with the Immigration act which imposed literacy tests, taxes on immigration, and banning immigrants that were deemed “undesirable” (sick or disabled) but this label of undesirable soon described certain races as well.

After the war when the economy was declining into depression the immigration restriction only grew (many American believed that their economic misfortune during the depression was caused by immigrants)

In 1924 the Johnson Reed act reduced the percentage of immigrants eligible in the US with only 2 percent of a country’s population being allowed in

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U.S Foreign Policy After WWI: Tariffs (Starting in 1920)

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U.S Foreign Policy After WWI: Tariffs (Starting in 1920)

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Wilson’s new agenda sought to empower businesses and cut taxes, enabling these businesses to grow and during this time industry flourished, the stock market grew, and technology rapidly evolved

This economic boom was facilitated by tariffs which were implemented to restrict the importation of goods and grow domestic production

In 1922 President Harding enacted the Fordney McCumber act which raised tariffs by 25% and made it easier to enact them without congressional approval

This did more harm than good though as other countries also rushed to raise their tariffs in response, which hurt American producers and jobs by decreasing US presence in US markets

Many economists argue that tariffs led to the economic collapse in 1929

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Published by Franklin D Roosevelt who was determined to improve relations with the nations of south and central America

Marked the departure from American interventionism

The US renounced its right to intervene in other countries affairs causing the US to abolish the Platt amendment that gave the US the right to intervene in Cuba. The marines were also withdrawn from Haiti.

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Saying that we need to protect democracy and that this safety of our democracy is being fought outside of our borders in World War 2

If we fail at protecting our democracy then America and the resources of the world will be dominated by “the conquerors”

Then the speech declares our new national policy saying that we are committed to national offense and to supporting the “resolute peoples”

Also saying that we will support our allies from afar and act as arsenals for them instead of sending over troops

Roosevelt says he seeks to uphold the four freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and the freedom from fear.

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The Cold War and the Iron Curtain (1940s-1989)

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The Cold War and the Iron Curtain (1940s-1989)

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The war was never a direct, large-scale military confrontation but rather an ideological struggle between capitalism and communism.

This manifested itself as a global arms race, a fight for different countries' ideological leanings, and a series of proxy wars and conflicts.

The iron curtain was a initially a symbolic term for the divide between communists and capitalists within Europe.

It eventually became a physical thing with fortified borders and check points (like the Berlin Wall)

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Pax Americana is used as a term for the period of relative peace in the Western Hemisphere after WWII when the US was the biggest economic and military power holding the primary responsibility for world order

It was a period of US dominance and US intervention in the name of "keeping the peace"

This period was the switch between the post-WWI era of isolationism back into interventionism

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The NSC -68 was a plan outlining how to go about the solving of the Cold War

It said that the best way was for the containment of the Communist party

It called for a military build-up, including the development of a hydrogen bomb and the expansion of military forces

This included containing the Communists within our own country and going into other countries and stopping it there - like in Vietnam

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This was a war between the communist North Korea with the Soviet against South Korea backed by the UN, mainly the US

Starting out Communist forces controlled most of Korea

Then, to stop the growth of Communist control, the US and the UN forces attack the north, gaining control of most of Korea

North Korea, with the help of the Communist china, help to push back the south

Then the armistice was signed creating two separate nations: North and South Korea

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A video for children detailing what to do in case of an atomic bomb explosion

It cites specific things for these children to lookout for in case of an atomic bomb and tells them to duck and cover under their desks

If an atomic bomb were to actually drop, this in fact, would not help but it was a way for the American government to settle its citizens and make them feel safer.

In a time of immense fear of the potential of nuclear warfare

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McCarthyism and the Enemies from Within Speech (1954)

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McCarthyism and the Enemies from Within Speech (1954)

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Joseph McCarthy in 1954 gave a speech detailing suspected communists in the government for fear that he was suspected as one himself, this speech was not at all factually backed up but it sparked a new culture in America

This speech caused a lot of fear within the US and the government of communists trying to take over the government and the country in general

This sparked the House Un-American Activities Committee that was in charge of going through suspected communists getting them to rat out their friends, family, and colleagues as communists.

If you were a communist you could face serious consequences such as potential loss of employment, social ostracism, and damage to your reputation.

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Vietnam was previously under french colonial rule for over 65 years until gaining independence in 1954

The French were defeated by communist forces led by Ho Chi Minh, the US could not stand for this for fear that is one country in Southeast Asia fell to communism they all would (domino theory)

US involvement in the war escalated until the countries withdrawal

The aim of the war was to stop the spread of communism in southeast Asia

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In 1961 the US unsuccessfully tried to overthrow Cuba’s new communist government, which convinced Cuba to get help from the Soviet Union

The Soviet’s then secretly deployed nuclear missiles to protect the island and to counteract the threat of US missiles

The US then decided to block all shipments to Cuba through a naval blockade but this was considered an act of war, with the Soviets saying that this would lead to a nuclear war

The US demanded the removal of the missiles but the Soviets said that they were only defensive

There was a misunderstanding with signals to a submarine that caused the war to almost break out but luckily one man stopped this decision

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stemmed from the supposed attacks on US troops in the Gulf of Tonkin

Gave President Johnson broad military powers, allowing him to take "all necessary measures" to defeat the Vietnamese

This leads to increased bombing in North Vietnam

Was what legally allowed for the escalation of the Vietnam War

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The US forces declared a cease-fire during the Vietnam war on the Vietnamese holiday of Tet

The Viet Cong broke the cease-fire with attacks on American camps across the country

The Americans were able to gain back their power

Was the turning point in the war with made people realize they were at a stalemate

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Chilean Coup and the State Department 1970

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Chilean Coup and the State Department 1970

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The state department believed that they shouldn't intervene with Chile even though they elected a socialist government.

They didn’t want the coup because they thought that it would destabilize the country because they democratically elected their leader

before they didn't believe that a socialist government could be elected legally but they saw it happen and thought they should respect that

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Nixon wanted to prevent Allende from taking office in Chile in 1970 because of his socialist views and Nixon perceived that to be a threat to American capitalism

the president authorized 10 million dollars and a task force for intervention using a coup

The US government and the CIA was more concerned with making money and what's best for the US while the state department was more concerned for Chile and how a coup will affect its people