THE UNITED STATES IN THE CARIBBEAN

OBJECTIVES
1. Identity and trace the origins of the relationship between the United States and
particular West Indian territories.
2. Be able to outline and analyze some of the policies used by the United States
to declare their influence over the Caribbean region.

THE EMERGENCE OF THE UNITED STATES

The relationship between the United States and the West Indian Colonies was underpinned by
a number of policies which included the:
1. The Monroe Doctrine
2. The Platt Amendment
3. The Big Stick Policy
4. Dollar Diplomacy

There were policies that could have been considered as coercive/forced and others as
more subtle.
 The Monroe Doctrine
 The Roosevelt Corollary
 The Platt Amendment
 The Big Stick Policy
 Gun Boat Diplomacy

Less coercive/ more subtle means of control were extended through policies such as:
 Dollar diplomacy

 Good Neighbour.
These policies and philosophies were at the forefront of US foreign policy where the
Caribbean region was concerned at different periods of time.

 The initial relationship between the North American colonies and the British West
Indian colonies originated under the navigation laws where the US colonies and the
BWI colonies were not to trade. However, as time passed Britain realized that the US
supplied the West Indian empire with important food stuff. The planters got flour, salt
fish, beef, pork, oil, corn, lumber and rice in exchange for ginger, coffee, rum,
molasses, sugar and hides. Over five hundred ships from North America went to the
Caribbean per year.
 The North American colonies became independent in 1776 and from then on became
known as the United States of America. The United States in its bid for some level of
ascendancy also began to see what role it could play in Caribbean affairs. There was
the need to find a sphere of influence over which to assert control and as the
Caribbean colonies were strategically close to the US they were seen as ideal.
 Through the philosophy Manifest Destiny the US positioned itself for dominance of
the region and beyond.
 The United States put a number of policies in place which governed its geopolitical
interaction with the Caribbean colonies. The first was the Monroe Doctrine by
President Monroe in 1823. The United States would regard any attempt by the
Europeans to extend the colonial system in the New World as dangerous to its peace
and safety and would intervene. In return the US pledged itself not to interfere with
existing colonies. In Central and South America Spanish colonies were revolting and
declaring Independence, when invited by Britain to join forces to stop this, the US
refused. It is important that they had a secret interest in the Spanish colony Cuba.
 In 1854 the United States attempted to purchase Cuba. In fact in 1855 Cuba was
actually the US’s single most important trading partner. During the Ten Years war
from 1868-1878 between Cuba and Spain the relationship with US became even more
important for Cuba. In 1898 the Spanish – American – Cuban War effectively brought
to an end the Spanish American empire and set the stage for the US to move into the
Caribbean region. The independence of Cuba was recognized while Guam, Puerto
Rico and the Philippines were given over to the US.
 The Platt Amendment and Cuba – Senator Orville Platt 1901. This laid out the
conditions under which the US would withdraw from Cuba. Cuba was forced to
accept the Amendment drawn up by the US.
1. Cuba could not enter any treaty with any nation which would affect its independence
or should allow foreign nations to establish naval bases or coaling stations in Cuba.
2. The government will sell or lease land to the US for coaling and naval stations.
3. The US had the right to intervene in Cuba.
4. The US government had the right to execute the plans already devised for the nation.
 5. The presence of the US military government remained in Cuba.

 The US also had permanent bases in Guantanamo Bay and Bahia Honda in Cuba.
Involvement in Cuba included public utilities, tourism, manufacturing, railways,
banking and agriculture. They also moderated Cuba’s debt (this gave the US an
important measure of control over the Cuban economy.)
 The Platt Amendment showed that Cubans had merely given up one imperial power
for another.

Big Stick Policy – The US and Puerto Rico

 This was used by Teddy Roosevelt to justify US military intervention in Caribbean
States. Cuba as well as Puerto Rico was examples of this dimension of American
foreign policy.
 From as early as the 1860’s Puerto Rico wanted independence from Spain. Spain was
willing to allow the nation some limited autonomy. Even before Puerto Rico’s status
became clear US troops occupied the island in a straight forward act of annexation.
Little account was taken of the wishes of the Puerto Ricans. The island became a US
military base.

Roosevelt Corollary – 1904

 This was based on President Roosevelt’s expansionism which aimed at aggressively
spreading US economic and political influence. It was a direct expansion of the
Monroe Doctrine. It was based on two things:
1. Economic and political expansion.
2. There was also a defensive element inspired by fear that European colonialism might
target the Americas.

Contemporary US military expressed the view that the “inferior cultures” of the Caribbean
archipelago must probably either be absorbed into the economic system of the United States
or lapse into a state of barbarism.

PANAMA CANAL
 From as early as 1850 the Clayton – Bulwer Treaty provided for the setting up of a
neutral canal in Central America. The Hay Pauncefort Treaty between the US and
Britain gave the US the right to build and operate a canal in Central America with
supervision.
  The US backed out of the neutral Clayton - Bulwer Treaty. They wanted total control
over any canal that was to be built in Central America. The US attempted to negotiate
the Hay – Herran Treaty (1903) with Columbia, which had provincial control over
Panama. The US wanted to purchase a strip of land for US$10 million and rent it for
$250,000 annually. The Columbian government did not agree to the terms of the Hay
– Herran Treaty. It is said that President Roosevelt initiated a successful move to
remove Columbia’s sovereignty over Panama. When this had been accomplished
Panama gave permission to the US to set up the canal via the Hay
– Bunau Vanlla Treaty.

Dollar Diplomacy – (Roughly 1909)

 This really came into play under the US President William Howard Taft 1909. Here
Caribbean and Latin America territories were pressured into taking loans from US
banks instead of European ones.
 Dollar Diplomacy or “Commercial Intercourse” as Taft called it “substituted dollars
for bullets.” In essence the bankrupt and politically unpredictable nations were to
become financial protectorates of the USA. This would give the US the power to
dictate the economic pathway that the countries which were indebted to them should
take in order to ensure growth.
 Some examples of Dollar Diplomacy in action were: the relationship between the US
Government and the Dominican Republic (see pp. 214-215/218 Story of the
Caribbean People); the relationship between the US Government and Honduras.
Honduras had accumulated a massive debt to British financers a US receivership was
installed and the British dents were liquidated. Haiti was another important example
(pp.215-218).

Good Neighbour Policy

 When Franklin Roosevelt came into power in 1933 his Good Neighbour policy was
supposed to signal the end of armed intervention on the part of the United States.
Herbert Hoover was the one who initiated this approach when he recalled US troops
from Nicaragua and Haiti. To prove that he was serious about this an agreement was
signed in 1934 with Cuba which made the provisions if the Platt Amendment null and
void.

The United States occupied a number of Caribbean territories including Cuba, Haiti, the
Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. The former Spanish colonies in particular were
susceptible to domination by the US. As Spain declined even further, as in presence in the
Caribbean region the United States stepped up to fill this void and in some cases, even
orchestrated circumstances where they were able to play an important role in the internal
affairs of the islands in the Caribbean. They have a strong left a strong cultural indentation on
the region and this continues to be reinforced by the media.