Summary
Highlights
The video revisits Frederick Jackson Turner's frontier thesis, which stated that the American frontier was closed by 1893. However, it questions if this meant an end to expansion, suggesting that internal pressures from growing population, wealth concentration, overproduction, and social unrest created a need for a "release valve" through outward expansion to avoid internal bursting.
As traditional land expansion was no longer feasible, the U.S. turned to expansion into other territories. This was justified by applying Social Darwinism to nations, arguing that a nation must conquer or be conquered to survive. Public support was garnered through racial superiority, where Anglo-Saxons felt a duty to "uplift their little brown brothers" by imposing American democracy, viewed as the pinnacle of progress. A religious component also played a role, with some believing it was their duty to spread the Protestant Christian faith, even over other Christian denominations like Catholicism, to 'save' souls.
The first step in expansion was the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7 million, spearheaded by Secretary of State William Seward. Seward argued for Alaska's vast resources, its strategic location to prevent foreign powers near the U.S. border, and its proximity to Asia, particularly China, for trade. Despite initial public mockery as "Seward's Folly" due to its perceived barrenness, Alaska later proved to be rich in natural resources like timber, fisheries, and oil.
U.S. attention then turned to Hawaii, an already functioning monarchy with a profitable whaling and sugar industry. White American sugar planters began to settle in Hawaii, increasing its strategic importance for economic profit, as a mid-Pacific hub for trade with Asia (especially China), and as a military outpost to protect the U.S. mainland from potential Asian aggression. The 1875 Treaty of Reciprocity allowed Hawaiian sugar to be duty-free in the U.S., intertwining Hawaii's economy with America's and leading to the revision of the Hawaiian Constitution to give power to white Americans. The 1887 treaty further solidified U.S. influence by allowing them to establish a naval base at Pearl Harbor.
Queen Liliuokalani, who ascended to the Hawaiian throne, opposed the loss of Hawaiian sovereignty and nullified the Treaty of Reciprocity. This led to the McKinley Tariff, which removed duties on all foreign sugar, hurting Hawaii's sugar industry due to increased competition. Angered by this, white American planters, led by Sanford Dole and supported by U.S. military personnel from Pearl Harbor, overthrew Queen Liliuokalani in 1893. They established a provisional government and sought annexation by the U.S., which was initially refused by Washington due to the clandestine nature of the coup. However, facing encroachment from other foreign powers, the U.S. officially annexed Hawaii in 1898, and it became a U.S. territory in 1900, eventually achieving statehood in 1959.
The U.S. next set its sights on Cuba, a remaining valuable colony of Spain, known for its sugar and gold mines. Spain's empire was crumbling due to the rise of nationalism and revolts in its colonies. Cuban people, desiring self-governance, declared independence in 1868, leading to the Ten Years' War (1868-1878) against Spain. Despite initial failure due to leadership divisions, the Cuban desire for independence persisted. A second resurgence for freedom in 1895, united under leaders like Maximo Gomez, Calixto Garcia, and the martyred Jose Marti, drew the attention and eventual involvement of the United States on the side of the Cuban people against Spain, setting the stage for the Spanish-American War.