Imperialism in China

Background• U.S. imperialists viewed the Philippines as

their entry way to China, and to Asia as a whole.

• America wanted to imperialize China because China was a prospective market for American manufactured goods.

Spheres of influence • Spheres of Influence- Are areas where nations claimed special rights & economic privileges.

John Hay’s Open Door Notes• The Chinese Dynasty had become weak due to

war and foreign intervention. As various powers of Europe and Asia took over trade with China, they formed spheres of influence. The U.S. didn’t have a sphere and wanted to be a part of these trading markets!

• The United States began to fear that China would be carved into colonies, and the American traders would be shut out. To prevent this happening, U.S secretary of State, John Hay issued the Open Door notes. The Open Door notes were series of policy statements, which were published in 1899 .

• The Open Doors notes proposed that the nations share their rights of trading with the United States, which would create an open door. The notes were letters, which were sent to the leaders of imperialist nations.

• Because of these, no single nation would have monopoly (trust) on trade with any part of China. The imperialist powers accepted the policy reluctantly.

John Hay’s Open Door Notes

The Boxer Rebellion began in late June of 1900 in northern China where violence erupted toward European investors that built Railroads, mines, and had taken over large cities in China. The following The Boxers had also not liked the Qing dynasty who was ruling China at this time and started to rebel against them too. The Imperial army joined with the Boxers to attack the cities of Tientsin and Peking. But surely enough 2 months later international forces put an end to the Boxer Rebellion.

Boxer Rebellion in China

After the Boxer Rebellion• The U.S. was afraid that European nations’ would use their

victory to dominate their trading powers with China.• To prohibit this from happening, John Hay issued a second

series of Open Door Notes, which provided America with the tools for greater influence in Asia.

• September 7th, 1901, the Boxer Protocol was signed by China and 11 other countries. This protocol was a final settlement of the Boxer Rebellion. The Quig government approved of executing some Chinese officials, punishing people, and paying approximately $332 million in repairs.

• John Hay, fearing European powers issued the 2nd Open Door notes which safeguarded trade with China.

• These notes had 3 main American beliefs.1. American economy thrives on the growth

of exports.2. The U.S. can interfere with foreign markets.3. Closing an area to American goods

threatened the survival of the U.S..These Beliefs became the backbone of American foreign policy.

Protecting American rights

• Three deeply held beliefs about the U.S industrial capitalist economy was reflected in the Open Door policy. Americans believed that the growth of the U.S economy depended on exports. Second, they felt that the U.S had the right to come between foreign parts of the country or land to keep foreign markets open. Third, they were scared that the closing of an area to American products citizens, or ideas threatened U.S survival

Protecting American Rights