American Imperialism: Crash Course US History #28

Summary

In this episode of CrashCourse U.S. History, John Green explores the topic of American imperialism, focusing on the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He discusses the economic motivations behind the U.S. expansion, including the need for new markets for American products and the influence of Captain Mahan's maritime power theories. Green also covers the Spanish-American-Cuban-Filipino War, which resulted in the acquisition of territories like the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam. The video touches on the anti-imperialist sentiment, the atrocities committed during the Philippine War, and the economic benefits that imperialism brought to the U.S., ultimately leading to its rise as a global economic power.

Takeaways

• 🌍 The late 19th and early 20th centuries marked a period of American imperialism, driven by economic expansion and the desire to sell American products globally.
• 📈 The U.S. sought new territories to alleviate economic pressures, including the aftermath of a depression in 1893 that saw significant business failures and unemployment.
• 🚢 Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan's theories on sea power influenced American imperialism, advocating for the control of seas and international commerce to achieve global power status.
• 🏭 The push for a canal through Central America, eventually built in Panama, was tied to the need for a functioning two-ocean navy and the establishment of coal depots for steamships.
• 🇺🇸 Nationalism played a role in American imperialism, with the 1890s seeing a rise in national pride and the introduction of practices like reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and celebrating Flag Day.
• 🏛️ The Spanish-American-Cuban-Filipino War was a turning point in American imperialism, leading to the acquisition of territories like the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam.
• 🚫 The Teller Amendment and the Platt Amendment reflected the U.S. policy of not annexing Cuba, despite its strategic importance, and maintaining a degree of control over the island's affairs.
• 🤝 American imperialism was not universally supported, with anti-imperialists arguing that it was incompatible with democratic principles and that the U.S. should focus on domestic issues.
• 💰 Economic necessity was a primary driver of American imperialism, with the aim of securing new markets for American goods, particularly in Asia.
• 🌱 Some modernization efforts were made in territories like the Philippines, including investments in infrastructure, education, and public health, although these often served the interests of the wealthy.
• 📜 The U.S. Constitution had no provision for colonies, leading to legal and political complexities in how new territories were incorporated and governed, with varying statuses for places like Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Hawaii.

Q & A

What is the main topic of discussion in this CrashCourse U.S. History episode?

The main topic of discussion in this episode is American Imperialism, particularly its expansion and colonization efforts in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

How does the script suggest the United States has historically viewed itself in relation to the world?

The script suggests that the United States has historically viewed itself as part of a larger world, with ambitions to expand and influence regions beyond its continental boundaries, similar to other empires like the Russian Empire.

What economic factors contributed to the rise of American imperialism in the 1890s?

Economic factors contributing to the rise of American imperialism included the need for new markets to sell American products, a severe economic depression in 1893, and the desire to control international commerce and sea power.

What was the significance of Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan's publication 'The Influence of Seapower upon History'?

Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan's publication argued that to be a great power like Great Britain, the U.S. needed to control the seas and dominate international commerce, which influenced the push to become a maritime power and contributed to American imperialism.

Why was the construction of a canal in Central America significant for the United States?

The construction of a canal in Central America, specifically in Panama, was significant for the United States because it would allow for a more efficient two-ocean navy and provide coal depots for steamships, which were essential for maintaining naval power.

How did the United States acquire Hawaii and what was its strategic importance?

The United States acquired Hawaii through annexation in 1898. Its strategic importance lay in its location for trade routes, the establishment of a naval base at Pearl Harbor, and its agricultural products like sugar which were exempted from tariffs.

What was the Spanish-American-Cuban-Fillipino War and what were its main causes?

The Spanish-American-Cuban-Fillipino War was a conflict that began due to native Cubans fighting for independence from Spain. The United States entered the war, ostensibly to support Cuban independence, but with underlying economic and territorial ambitions.

Why did the United States not annex Cuba after the Spanish-American War?

The United States did not annex Cuba after the Spanish-American War due to the Teller Amendment, which forswore any U.S. annexation of Cuba, possibly to avoid competition from Cuban sugar with the U.S. sugar industry.

What were the consequences of the Spanish-American War for the United States in terms of territorial gains?

As a result of the Spanish-American War, the United States gained territories including the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam, and also annexed Hawaii to protect its naval interests in the region.

How did the Philippine War differ from the initial welcome of American forces in the Philippines?

Initially, American forces were welcomed in the Philippines as liberators from Spanish rule. However, the Philippine War erupted when it became clear that the U.S. intended to exercise control and not grant independence, leading to a violent conflict that lasted from 1899-1903.

What were the arguments made by anti-imperialists against American imperialism?

Anti-imperialists objected to American imperialism on various grounds, including racial concerns about increased diversity, political domination being incompatible with democracy, and the belief that America should focus on its domestic problems rather than overseas expansion.

How did the economic motivations behind American imperialism influence its actions and policies?

The economic motivations behind American imperialism, such as the need for new markets for American goods and the desire to dominate international commerce, drove its actions and policies, including territorial acquisitions and the establishment of naval bases.

Outlines

00:00

🏴‍☠️ Introduction to American Imperialism

In this opening segment, John Green introduces the topic of American Imperialism, setting the stage for a historical discussion. He humorously acknowledges the controversial nature of the subject, particularly in relation to his own identity. The video aims to explore the U.S.'s role in the larger world, particularly during the late 19th and early 20th centuries when there was a surge in expansion and colonization globally. The concept of 'New Imperialism' is introduced, highlighting the economic motivations behind territorial acquisitions. Green also touches on the historical narrative that the U.S. has always been an empire, from the westward expansion that displaced Native Americans to the annexation of Mexican territories post-1848. The segment concludes with a look at the economic factors that drove American imperialism, including the need for new markets for American products and the impact of the 1893 economic depression.

05:03

🛳️ The Rise of American Imperialism and the Spanish-American War

This paragraph delves into the economic and strategic reasons behind America's push for imperialism, including the influence of Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan's theories on sea power and the need for coal depots for steamships. The narrative then shifts to the acquisition of Hawaii, emphasizing its strategic and economic value due to the sugar industry and the establishment of a naval base at Pearl Harbor. The Spanish-American-Cuban-Filipino War is highlighted as a pivotal event in American imperialism, with the U.S. entering the war under the guise of supporting Cuban independence but with underlying economic and territorial ambitions. The paragraph also discusses the Teller Amendment, which aimed to prevent U.S. annexation of Cuba, and the sinking of the USS Maine, which fueled anti-Spanish sentiment despite most historians attributing the disaster to an internal explosion rather than sabotage.

10:04

🌍 The Aftermath of the Spanish-American War and Imperialist Expansion

The third paragraph examines the consequences of the Spanish-American War, detailing how the U.S. acquired new territories including the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam. It discusses the strategic importance of these territories for accessing markets in Latin America and Asia. The annexation of Hawaii is also mentioned as a strategic move to protect American ships en route to the Philippines. The Platt Amendment is highlighted, which allowed the U.S. to intervene in Cuban affairs and secure a naval base at Guantanamo Bay. The paragraph further explores the American presence in China, particularly the contribution of troops to suppress the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. It also touches on the initial welcome and subsequent resistance to American rule in the Philippines, leading to the Philippine War and the atrocities committed by American forces, which sparked anti-imperialist sentiment back home.

Keywords

💡Imperialism

Imperialism refers to the policy or practice of extending a nation's power and influence by gaining territories or establishing control over other areas. In the context of the video, American imperialism is discussed as a significant aspect of U.S. history during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The script mentions the U.S.'s expansionist tendencies, such as the annexation of Hawaii and the acquisition of territories like Puerto Rico and Guam following the Spanish-American War, as examples of imperialism.

💡New Imperialism

New Imperialism is a term used to describe the period of expansion and colonization that occurred in Asia and Africa by European powers during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The video script uses this term to highlight the global context of empire-building during the same period when the U.S. was also expanding beyond its continental boundaries, thus situating American actions within a broader historical paradigm.

💡Economics

Economics, in this video, is presented as one of the primary causes for American imperialism. The script explains that the U.S. needed new markets to sell its products, which was a driving force behind the country's expansionist policies. The economic depression of 1893 is mentioned as a specific instance that led to imperialism being seen as a solution to help the U.S. recover.

💡Nationalism

Nationalism is the belief in the importance and superiority of one's own nation. The script discusses how nationalism was a worldwide phenomenon that the U.S. participated in, as evidenced by the adoption of patriotic practices like reciting the pledge of allegiance and celebrating Flag Day. Nationalism is linked to imperialism in the video as it fostered a sense of pride and justification for the U.S. to expand its influence.

💡Territorial Empire

A territorial empire is a state that expands its territory by acquiring new lands. The video script refers to the U.S. as having a territorial empire, particularly highlighting the acquisition of Alaska (referred to as 'Seward’s icebox') and the establishment of coaling stations in the Pacific as part of this expansion.

💡Canal

The script mentions the canal in the context of the U.S.'s push to become a maritime power, specifically discussing the construction of a canal through Central America, which would later be located in Panama. The canal was seen as strategically important for protecting trade routes and facilitating the movement of ships between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

💡Spanish-American War

The Spanish-American War is a significant event discussed in the script as the high tide of American imperialism. It was a conflict that began due to native Cubans fighting for independence from Spain, and the U.S. eventually entered the war, leading to the acquisition of territories such as the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam.

💡Teller Amendment

The Teller Amendment is a historical reference in the script to a U.S. congressional act that declared the U.S. would not annex Cuba. This was significant because it demonstrated that the war with Spain was not solely about territorial acquisition, but also about ending Spanish control and supporting Cuban independence.

💡Concentration Camps

Concentration camps are mentioned in the script in relation to the Spanish treatment of Cubans and the American treatment of Filipinos. The Spanish general Valeriano Weyler used concentration camps in Cuba, leading to significant suffering and death. Similarly, the U.S. used concentration camps during the Philippine War, which contributed to anti-imperialist sentiment in America.

💡Anti-Imperialism

Anti-imperialism is opposition to imperialism. The script discusses various reasons people were against American imperialism, including racial concerns, the belief that empire was incompatible with democracy, and the idea that America should focus on domestic issues. Notable critics like Mark Twain are mentioned, as well as the Democratic Party's opposition to the Philippine War.

💡Insular Cases

The Insular Cases refer to a series of U.S. Supreme Court decisions that determined the status of territories acquired after the Spanish-American War. The script explains that these cases led to territories like Puerto Rico and the Philippines being treated as insular territories with no path to statehood, differing from the treatment of Hawaii, which had a path to statehood.

Highlights

Introduction to American Imperialism and its relevance to the larger world context.

Historical context of the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a period of New Imperialism.

The argument that the United States has always been an empire, with early westward expansion.

The impact of Native Americans and Mexicans due to U.S. territorial expansion.

Economic motivations behind American imperialism, including the need for new markets.

The role of the 1890s economic crisis in prompting the U.S. towards imperialism.

Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan's influence on the U.S. maritime strategy and the push for a canal in Central America.

The strategic importance of coal depots and colonies for a two-ocean navy.

Nationalism and its influence on American imperialism, including the introduction of the Pledge of Allegiance and Flag Day.

Efforts to annex Canada and Central America, and the acquisition of Alaska.

The significance of Hawaii for American imperialism due to its resources and strategic naval base.

The Spanish-American-Cuban-Filipino War as a turning point in American imperialism.

The Teller Amendment and its implications for U.S. intentions in Cuba.

The Philippine War and the atrocities committed by American forces.

The Insular Cases and the legal status of newly acquired territories like Puerto Rico and the Philippines.

Anti-imperialist sentiment and arguments against the U.S. empire.

Senator Albert Beveridge's perspective on the benevolence of American imperialism and its economic motivations.

The long-term impact of imperialism on American foreign policy and the quest for markets.

Transcripts

Episode 28: American Imperialism

Hi, I’m John Green, this is CrashCourse U.S. History and today we’re gonna talk

about a subject near and dear to my white, male heart: imperialism.

So, here at CrashCourse we occasionally try to point out that the U.S., much as we hate

to admit it, is actually part of a larger world.

Mr. Green, Mr. Green, you mean like Alaska?

No, Me from the Past, for reasons that you will understand after your trip there before

your senior year of college, I do not acknowledge the existence of Canada’s tail.

No, I’m referring to all of the Green Parts of Not-America and the period in the 19th

century when we thought, “Maybe we could make all of those green parts like America,

but, you know, without rights and stuff.”

Intro So, the late 19th and early 20th centuries

were a period of expansion and colonization in Asia and Africa, mostly by European powers.

As you’ll know if you watched Crash Course World History, imperialism has a long, long

history pretty much everywhere, so this round of empire building is sometimes called, rather

confusingly, New Imperialism.

Because the U.S. acquired territories beyond its continental boundaries in this period,

it’s relatively easy to fit American history into this world history paradigm.

But there’s also an argument that the United States has always been an empire.

From very early on, the European settlers who became Americans were intent on pushing

westward and conquering territory.

The obvious victims of this expansion/imperialism were the Native Americans, but we can also

include the Mexicans who lost their sovereignty after 1848.

And if that doesn’t seem like an empire to you, allow me to draw your attention to

the Russian Empire.

Russians were taking control of territory in Central Asia and Siberia and either absorbing

or displacing the native people who lived there, which was the exact same thing that

we were doing.

The empires of the late 19th and early 20th centuries were different because they were

colonial in their own special way.

Like, Europeans and Americans would rule other places but they wouldn’t settle them and

more or less completely displace the native people there.

(Well, except for you, Australia and New Zealand.)

American historians used to try to excuse America’s acquisitions of a territorial

empire as something of an embarrassing mistake, but that’s misleading because one of the

primary causes of the phenomenon of American imperialism was economics.

We needed places to sell our amazing new products.

And at the time, China actually had all of the customers because apparently it was opposite

day.

It’s also not an accident that the U.S. began pursuing imperialism in earnest during

the 1890s, as this was, in many ways, a decade of crisis in America.

The influx of immigrants and the crowded cities added to anxiety and concern over America’s

future.

And then, to cap it all off, in 1893 a panic caused by the failure of a British bank led

the U.S. into a horrible economic depression, a great depression, but not The Great Depression.

It did however feature 15,000 business failures and 17% unemployment, so take that, 2008.

According to American diplomatic historian George Herring, imperialism was just what

the doctor ordered to help America get out of its Depression depression.

Other historians, notably Kristin Hoganson, imply that America embarked on imperial adventures

partly so that American men could prove to themselves how manly they were.

You know, by joining the Navy and setting sail for distant waters.

In 1890, Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan published “The Influence of Seapower upon History”

and argued that, to be a great power like Great Britain, the U.S. needed to control

the seas and dominate international commerce.

Tied into this push to become a maritime power was the obsession with building a canal through

Central America and eventually the U.S. decided that it should be built in Panama because

you know how else are we gonna get malaria.

In order to protect this canal we would need a man, a plan, a canal.

Panama.

Sorry, I just wanted to get the palindrome in there somewhere.

No we would actually need much more than a man and a plan.

We would need ships and in order to have a functioning two-ocean navy, we would need

colonies.

Why?

Because the steamships at the time were powered by coal and in order to re-fuel they needed

coal depots.

I mean, I suppose we could have, like, rented harbor space, but why rent when you can conquer?

Also, nationalism and the accompanying pride in one’s “country” was a worldwide phenomenon

to which the U.S. was not immune.

I mean, it’s no accident that the 1890s saw Americans begin to recite the pledge of

allegiance and celebrate Flag Day, and what better way to instill national pride than

by flying the stars and stripes over … Guam.

So pre-Civil War attempts to expand beyond what we now know as the continental United

States included our efforts to annex Canada, which were sadly unsuccessful, and also filibustering,

which before it meant a senator talking until he or she had to stop to pee was a thing where

we tried to take over Central America to spread slavery.

But, the idea of taking Cuba persisted into the late 19th century because it is close

and also beautiful.

The Grant administration wanted to annex it and the Dominican Republic, but Congress demurred.

But we did succeed in purchasing Canada’s tail.

You can see how I feel about that.

To be fair, discovery of gold in the Yukon made Seward’s icebox seem like less of a

Seward’s folly and it did provide coaling stations in the Pacific.

But we could have had rum and Caribbean beaches.

Ugh, Stan, all this talk about how much I hate Alaska has me overheated, I gotta take

off my shirt.

Ughhh.

Waste of my life.

So hard to take off a shirt dramatically.

I’m angry.

Anyway, coal stations in the Pacific were important because in 1854 we “opened”

Japan to American trade by sending a flotilla of threatening black ships under Matthew Perry.

No Stan, not that Matthew Perry.

You know better.

By far, America’s best piece of imperial business before 1898 was Hawaii.

Like, I like oil and gold as much as the next guy but Hawaii has pineapples and also had

sugar, which was grown on American owned plantations by Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, and native

workers.

Treaties between the U.S. and the Hawaiian governments exempted this sugar from tariffs,

and America also had established a naval base at Pearl Harbor, which seemed like a really

good idea...then.

We eventually annexed Hawaii in 1898 and this meant that it could eventually become a state,

which it did in 1959, two years before Barack Obama was born in Kenya.

And this leads us nicely to the high tide of American imperialism, the Spanish-American-Cuban-Fillipino

War.

The war started out because native Cubans were revolting against Spain, which was holding

on to Cuba for dear life as the remnant of a once-great empire.

The Cubans’ fight for independence was brutal.

95,000 Cubans died from disease and malnutrition after Spanish general Valeriano Weyler herded

Cubans into concentration camps.

For this Weyler was called “Butcher” in the American yellow press, which sold a lot

of newspapers on the backs of stories about his atrocities.

And at last we come to President William McKinley who responded cautiously, with a demand that

Spain get out of Cuba or face war.

Now Spain knew that it couldn’t win a war with the U.S. but, as George Herring put it,

they “preferred the honor of war to the ignominy of surrender.”

Let that be a lesson to you.

Always choose ignominy.

Oh, it’s time for the Mystery Document?

The rules here are simple.

I guess the author of the Mystery Document.

I’m either right or I get shocked.

Alright, let’s see what we’ve got today.

With such a conflict waged for years in an island so near us and with which our people

have such trade and business relations; when the lives and liberty of our citizens are

in constant danger and their property destroyed and themselves ruined; where our trading vessels

are liable to seizure and are seized at our very door by warships of a foreign nation,

the expeditions of filibustering that we are powerless to prevent altogether -- all these

and others that I need not mention, with the resulting strained relations, are a constant

menace to our peace, and compel us to keep on a semiwar footing with a nation with which

we are at peace.

Thank you, Stan.

This is obviously President William McKinley’s war message to Congress.

You can tell it’s a war message because it includes the word “peace” more than

the word “war.”

By the way, it’s commonly thought that the President McKinley asked Congress for a declaration

of war, he didn’t; he let Congress take the lead.

That’s the only time that’s ever happened in all of American history, which would be

more impressive if we had declared war more than 5 times.

So, the document shows us that, at least according to McKinley, we officially went to war for

American peace of mind and to end economic uncertainty.

It was not to gain territory, at least not in Cuba.

How do we know?

Because Congress also passed the Teller Amendment, which forswore any U.S. annexation of Cuba,

perhaps because representatives of the U.S. sugar industry like Colorado’s Senator Henry

Teller feared competition from sugar produced in an American Cuba.

Or maybe not.

But probably so.

Also not the cause of the war was the sinking of the USS Maine.

The battleship which had been in Havana’s harbor to protect American interests sank

after an explosion on February 15, 1898 killing 266 sailors.

Now, most historians chalk up the sinking to an internal explosion and not to Spanish

sabotage, but that didn’t stop Americans from blaming the Spanish with their memorable

meme: “Remember the Maine, to hell with Spain.”

Let’s go to the Thoughtbubble.

The actual war was one of the most successful in U.S. history, especially if you measure

success by brevity and relative paucity of deaths.

Secretary of State John Hay called it a “splendid little war” and in many ways it was.

Fighting lasted about 4 months and fewer than 400 Americans were killed in combat, although

5,000 died of, wait for it, disease.

Stupid disease, always ruining everything.

There weren’t a ton of battles but those that happened got an inordinate amount of

press coverage, like the July attack on San Juan Hill at the Cuban city of Santiago, led

by future president Theodore Roosevelt.

While it was a successful battle, the real significance is that it furthered Roosevelt’s

career.

He returned a hero, promptly became Governor of New York and by 1900 was McKinley’s vice

president.

Which was a good job to have because McKinley would eventually be assassinated.

A more important battle was that of Manila Bay in which commodore George Dewey destroyed

a tiny Spanish fleet and took the Philippines.

This battle took place in May of 1898, well before the attack on Cuba, which strongly

suggests that a war that was supposedly about supporting Cuban independence was really about

something else.

And what was that something else?

Oh right.

A territorial empire.

As a result of the war, the U.S. got a bunch of new territories, notably the Philippines,

Puerto Rico and Guam.

We also used the war as an opportunity to annex Hawaii to protect our ships that would

be steaming toward the Philippines.

We didn’t annex Cuba, but we didn’t let it become completely independent, either.

The Platt Amendment in the Cuban Constitution authorized American military intervention

whenever it saw fit and gave us a permanent lease for a naval base at Guantanamo Bay.

Thanks Thoughtbubble.

So, Cuba and Puerto Rico were gateways to Latin American markets.

Puerto Rico was particularly useful as a naval station.

Hawaii, Guam, and especially the Philippines opened up access to China.

American presence in China was bolstered by our contribution of about 3,000 troops to

the multinational force that helped put down the Boxer Rebellion in 1900.

But in the Philippines, where Americans had initially been welcome, opinion soon changed

after it became clear that Americans were there to stay and exercise control.

Emiliano Aguinaldo, leader of the Filipino rebellion against Spain, quickly turned against

the U.S. because his real goal was independence and it appeared the U.S. would not provide

it.

The resulting Philippine War lasted 4 years, from 1899-1903.

And 4,200 Americans were killed as well as over 100,000 Filipinos.

The Americans committed atrocities, including putting Filipinos in concentration camps,

torturing prisoners, rape, and executing civilians.

And much of this was racially motivated and news of these atrocities helped to spur anti-imperialist

sentiment at home, with Mark Twain being one of the most outspoken critics.

Now, there was some investment in modernization in the Philippines, in railroads, schools,

and public health, but the interests of the local people were usually subordinated to

those of the wealthy.

So, American imperialism in short looked like most other imperialism.

So Constitution nerds will remember that the U.S. Constitution has no provision for colonies,

only territory that will eventually be incorporated as states.

Congress attempted to deal with this issue by passing the Foraker Act in 1900.

This law declared that Puerto Rico would be an insular territory; its inhabitants would

be citizens of Puerto Rico, not the United States and there would be no path to statehood.

But this wasn’t terribly constitutional.

Congress did extend U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans in 1917.

Now it’s a commonwealth with its own government that has no voice in U.S. Congress or presidential

elections and no control over its own defense or environmental policy.

The Philippines were treated similarly to Puerto Rico, in a series of cases between

1901 and 1904 collectively called the Insular Cases.

But Hawaii was treated differently.

Because it had a sizeable population of American settlers who happened to be white.

Ergo, it became a traditional territory with a path to statehood because white people and

also pineapples.

Now let’s briefly talk about anti-imperialism.

There were lots of people who objected to imperialism on racial grounds, arguing that

it might lead to, like, diversity.

But there were also non-racist anti-imperialists who argued that empire itself with its political

domination of conquered people was incompatible with democracy, which, to be fair, it is.

The Democratic Party, which had supported intervention in Cuba, in 1900 opposed the

Philippine War in its platform.

Some Progressives opposed imperialism too because they believed that America should

focus on its domestic problems.

Yet those who supported imperialism were just as forceful.

Among the most vocal was Indiana Senator Albert Beveridge who argued that imperialism was

benevolent and would bring “a new day of freedom.”

But, make no mistake, underneath it all, imperialism was all about trade.

According to Beveridge, America’s commerce “must be with Asia.

The Pacific is our ocean … Where shall we turn for consumers of our surplus?

Geography answers the question.

China is our natural customer.”

In the end, imperialism was really driven by economic necessity.

In 1902, Brooks Adams predicted in his book The New Empire that the U.S. would soon “outweigh

any single empire, if not all empires combined.”

Within 20 years America would be the world’s leading economic power.

We didn’t have the most overseas territory, but ultimately that didn’t matter.

Now, the reasons for imperialism, above all the quest for markets for American goods,

would persist long after imperialism became recognized as antithetical to freedom and

democracy.

And we would continue to struggle to reconcile our imperialistic urges with our ideals about

democracy until...now.

Thanks for watching.

I’ll see you next week.

Crash Course is produced and directed by Stan Muller.

Our script supervisor is Meredith Danko.

The associate producer is Danica Johnson.

The show is written by my high school history teacher, Raoul Meyer, Rosianna Rojas, and

myself.

And our graphics team is Thought Café.

Every week there’s a new caption for the libertage.

You can suggest captions in comments where you can also ask questions about today’s

video that will be answered by our team of historians.

Thanks for watching Crash Course and as we say in my hometown, don’t forget to be awesome.

This is the part where Stan gets nervous, like, is he gonna go this way or this way

or this way?

I’m going this way.

Imperialism -