Book contents
- The New Cambridge History of American Foreign Relations, Volume 2
- Series page
- The New Cambridge History of American Foreign Relations, Volume 2
- Copyright page
- Contents
- List of Maps
- General Editor’s Introduction
- Preface
- 1 Springboards and Strategies
- 2 The Second Industrial Revolution at Home and Abroad
- 3 Race for Empire
- 4 “America Will Take This Continent in Hand Alone”
- 5 Crossing the Oceans
- 6 1893–1896: Chaos and Crises
- 7 The Empire of 1898 – and Upheaval
- 8 Pacific Empire – and Upheaval
- 9 Theodore Roosevelt: Conservative as Revolutionary
- 10 William Howard Taft and the Age of Revolution
- Conclusion: The 1865–1913 Era Restated
- Bibliographic Essay
- Index
5 - Crossing the Oceans
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 March 2013
Book contents
- The New Cambridge History of American Foreign Relations, Volume 2
- Series page
- The New Cambridge History of American Foreign Relations, Volume 2
- Copyright page
- Contents
- List of Maps
- General Editor’s Introduction
- Preface
- 1 Springboards and Strategies
- 2 The Second Industrial Revolution at Home and Abroad
- 3 Race for Empire
- 4 “America Will Take This Continent in Hand Alone”
- 5 Crossing the Oceans
- 6 1893–1896: Chaos and Crises
- 7 The Empire of 1898 – and Upheaval
- 8 Pacific Empire – and Upheaval
- 9 Theodore Roosevelt: Conservative as Revolutionary
- 10 William Howard Taft and the Age of Revolution
- Conclusion: The 1865–1913 Era Restated
- Bibliographic Essay
- Index
Summary
Americans used the oceans as a moat to protect themselves against the corruptions and armies of Europe, and a highway to reach the markets of Europe and Asia as well as the colonial settlements of West Africa. As trade developed between white Americans and the Congo, so, did links between Africans and African Americans. The Samoa as in West Africa, as a strategic base would help guard the routes to Asia to relieve the growing glut of U.S. goods. The Review of Reviews argued that Hawaii was essential because of its central position in the commerce of the Pacific Ocean and linked the islands directly to the importance of the China market. In the post-1865 era, U.S. foreign policy was consistently shaped by choosing opportunity, both secular and religious, over stability. Seward had placed U.S. policy in Asia on two principles: the use of force and cooperation with other powers.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The New Cambridge History of American Foreign Relations , pp. 78 - 96Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2013