OPEN DOOR, BOXERS, AND BANANAS
Wow, what a clever title, Mr. Schwartz. The political cartoon at the left is reflective of the Open Door Policy. Uncle Sam is holding the keys to China and various nations are surrounding the door waiting to enter. Engraved on the keys are the words "American Diplomacy."
John Hay, the American Secretary of State under William McKinley, was proclaiming that America had equal access to China's consumers although the United States was late to the "carving" of what would be known as Spheres of Influence. With America's interests in China declared in two separate notes in 1899 and 1900, it was a small stepping-stone toward President Theodore Roosevelt, inaugurated in 1901 after the death of McKinley and formerly a graduate of Harvard, taking a leading role in foreign diplomacy in the East. When the Russo-Japanese War was becoming a threat to economic trade flow, TR, who would win the Nobel Peace Prize for his actions in leading to a peace agreement known as the Treaty of Portsmouth (named or a city in New Hampshire where the leaders met).
Although the Open Door and the Treaty of Portsmouth were successful moments of American diplomacy, the Boxer Rebellion was not as smooth. The Boxers, formally called the Righteous and Harmonious Fists, were Chinese Nationalists that challenged "spheres" being established in their nation. Although the nationalist movement was squashed by a mutl-national force, it demonstrated that many acts associated with imperialism would involve the military and violence.
Although not related to the events of the East, America would see the beginning of a transference in foreign diplomacy as America transitioned from the use of force to capital, which was known as Dollar Diplomacy. This policy, associated with the Ohioan (birthplace of Presidents) William Howard Taft, was supported by the Secretary of State Philander Knox (under Taft) and involved various capitalists. The best-known of the capitalists was Minor C. Keith, the individual that was known for exporting large numbers of bananas and controlling the political and economic institutions within Honduras, Guatemala, and Costa Rica. This so-called Banana Republic involved an American fruit company controlling a series of Central American nations. Thus, dollars, rather than a military, became the focus for controlling American foreign policy during the Taft years.
John Hay, the American Secretary of State under William McKinley, was proclaiming that America had equal access to China's consumers although the United States was late to the "carving" of what would be known as Spheres of Influence. With America's interests in China declared in two separate notes in 1899 and 1900, it was a small stepping-stone toward President Theodore Roosevelt, inaugurated in 1901 after the death of McKinley and formerly a graduate of Harvard, taking a leading role in foreign diplomacy in the East. When the Russo-Japanese War was becoming a threat to economic trade flow, TR, who would win the Nobel Peace Prize for his actions in leading to a peace agreement known as the Treaty of Portsmouth (named or a city in New Hampshire where the leaders met).
Although the Open Door and the Treaty of Portsmouth were successful moments of American diplomacy, the Boxer Rebellion was not as smooth. The Boxers, formally called the Righteous and Harmonious Fists, were Chinese Nationalists that challenged "spheres" being established in their nation. Although the nationalist movement was squashed by a mutl-national force, it demonstrated that many acts associated with imperialism would involve the military and violence.
Although not related to the events of the East, America would see the beginning of a transference in foreign diplomacy as America transitioned from the use of force to capital, which was known as Dollar Diplomacy. This policy, associated with the Ohioan (birthplace of Presidents) William Howard Taft, was supported by the Secretary of State Philander Knox (under Taft) and involved various capitalists. The best-known of the capitalists was Minor C. Keith, the individual that was known for exporting large numbers of bananas and controlling the political and economic institutions within Honduras, Guatemala, and Costa Rica. This so-called Banana Republic involved an American fruit company controlling a series of Central American nations. Thus, dollars, rather than a military, became the focus for controlling American foreign policy during the Taft years.