THE OPIUM WARS
And its Affect on America
The Dream of Trade Throughout the 19th century, Americans dreamed of exploiting China 's market. Especially after the United States expanded to the West Coast, prospects for a lucrative and expanding Far Eastern trade energized U.S. merchants and manufacturers. However China 's imperial government took steps to discourage international trade. When U.S. merchant ships first began arriving in the Far East in the 1780s, they were restricted to trading only through Hong Kong, on the South Coast of China. That restriction persisted for another half century, preventing the China trade from rising above a minute percent of U.S. global commerce. During that period, the U.S. government demonstrated little interest in the China market. Although it routinely filled the post of U.S. consul in China. Samuel Shaw, the first such consul, was appointed in the 1780s. Despite
…show more content…
How This Relates to Imperialism Britain and France had already forced China to open up the trade and create new ports so they could import opium into China. The effect that Britain and France 's imperialism was that Great Britain 's success in the opium wars might foreclose or further limit Americans access in the China market, this urged the federal government to take action in the early 1840s. Congress responded by appropriating funds for a major diplomatic mission, and President John Tyler ordered that a small naval squadron to emphasize U.S. strength. the Chinese government was willing to sign a treaty with the United States, which included a most-favored-nation provision. The Treaty of Wanghia, signed in 1844, gave Americans the same rights of access and trade that China had already granted to England and France. Among those rights was authority to deal directly with any Americans accused of crimes in China. This principle is known as extraterritoriality, and it remained a major bone of contention between China and the United States well into the 20th