America

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Americas Open Door Policy Political CartoonBy
Taner Marquez and Prithwibir Sarkar
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Explanation

• The political cartoon portrays America, a.k.a.
  Uncle Sam, opening the door to China to the
  rest of the world.
• Uncle Sam holds a large golden key and stands
  directly in front of the extravagant gates,
  welcoming people that symbolize other countries
  with spheres of influence in China at the time.
• The people to the left are all most likely
  representing Britain.
• The man in the circular hat and wearing a trench
  coat to the right most likely represents Russia.
• The creepy looking man behind the right door
  probably represents Germany.
• The man farthest to the right with the feathered
  hat represent France
• Finally, the man directly in front of the man
  with the feathered hat may represent The Ottoman
  Empire/The Middle East.

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Causes of the Interaction

• Americas Open Door Policy in China stemmed from
  its increased interest in Imperialist ideals,
  especially after the Spanish-American war gave
  the US the Philippines, Guam and Hawaii. It also
  was influenced by the promise of cheap foreign
  labor and goods.
• Also, Europes scramble for territory within
  China to control left it open to complete
  dissension between the world powers, separation
  of China into colonies, and ultimately a possible
  world war.
• The Open Door Policy was originally proposed by
  U.S. Senator John Hays and accepted by Europe in
  the year 1899, during William McKinleys
  presidency.

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Effects of the Interaction

• There were various effects form the Open Door
  Policy, including
• The Failed Boxer Rebellion of 1900 that killed a
  speculated 50-100,000 people, mainly Chinese
  civilians and Chinese Christians, in an attempt
  by the Chinese to end foreign influence in their
  country.
• The Russo-Japanese War from February 1904-
  September 1905 that began over conflicts between
  Russia and Japan over who would control the ports
  along Chinas coast. It was settled in 1905 after
  Russia gave Japan a number of Chinese ports and
  the southern portion of Sakhalin Island.
• Japans Twenty-One Demands that were created by
  Japan and sent to China created to increase
  Japans influence over China. It was denied by
  the weak Chinese government and shot down by
  Britain and America, who rightfully stated it was
  in violation of the Open Door Policy.
• The Rise of Imperial Japan caused by victory in
  The Russo-Japanese War and the failure of the
  Twenty-One Demands which eventually set the stage
  for Japan to become a major imperial power and
  invade China and other territories in the years
  leading up to and during the Second World War.

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Value

• The cartoon is just a direct portrayal of the
  predominant American foreign policy to Asia,
  especially China, at the time. The Open door
  policy was designed to keep Chinese territorial
  integrity intact from other nations but still
  allow free flowing trade from all powerful
  nations through the designated Treaty Ports in
  China and Korea. It shows that American Society
  at the time still favored expansionism and being
  a world player and being involved in the affairs
  of other nations that could potentially benefit
  the US while hurting possible rivals to US power.
  It helps us understand just how powerful and
  important the US was to the rest of the world in
  being able to open free, unhindered trade between
  China, and the rest of the world.

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Limitations

• The cartoon has few limitations. This cartoon as
  drawn from an American perspective and shows a
  view more sympathetic with the goals of America,
  which were to open free trade with China to the
  rest of the world. In the cartoon, it is depicted
  as if the US singlehandedly opened China and as
  if they fully control its destiny. This is why
  Uncle Sam is holding the key that opens China and
  standing in the gateway as if to regulate and
  control the other nations trying to get in. The
  key is inscribed with American Diplomacy as if
  it was American politics alone that unlocked
  China to foreign trade.

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To what extent was US territorial expansion a
proper and legitimate policy for the US to follow
at the turn of the nineteenth century?

• To a large extent, US territorial expansion was a
  legitimate policy to follow because it opened up
  foreign markets to profitable free trade with the
  rest of the world and prevented one nation except
  for maybe itself from becoming too powerful and
  gaining to much influence on China.
• The fact that othe powerful nations were building
  their empires meant that the Ushad to gain some
  power and influence abroad as well in order to
  compete and be a major world power.