How did American Missionaries Fare in China Essay

How did American Missionaries Fare in China - Essay Example AMERICAN MISSIONARY ACTIVITIES IN CHINA: The missionary activities in china had started from the beginning of the nineteenth century. The British missionaries were the first to enter the land in 1807. It was not until 1860s when the first American mission set foot in china. The basic reason of any missionary was to inculcate the idea of Christianity in the minds of the people. The missionaries who went to china were generally Protestants. Thus, the ideology of the protestant Christians began spreading in china in the early nineteenth century by the British missions, and in the late nineteenth century by the American missions. The missions of preaching Christianity were a sub category of the greater mission of America. The greater mission was to become the East Asian power and the missionary activities acted as a gateway for further Americans to show their presence in East Asia. For example, by the end of the nineteenth century, America had a direct control in countries like Philippin es and an indirect control in many other East Asian countries. The missions could also be classified under the heading of American Imperialism. This term states that America at getting an influence of its culture and economy in other countries. The missionary activities could have been a gateway for this greater aim. ... Although these people had already interacted with the American missionaries and their families in china, but they experienced a cultural shock when they experienced the lives of the Americans at first hand. Moreover, Chinese workers also had to face the problem of racism which made them realize the difference in both the communities. OPEN DOOR POLICY When America was emerging as an economic power in the late nineteenth to early twentieth century, it was able to negotiate terms with the rest of the powers. Open door policy stated that all the countries could trade with china given that these countries do not harm the culture and the traditions of china as an influence of the trade. The success of this policy shows the influence and power that America had in the region, thus clearly indicating to the success of the missionary voyages. U.S. AND CHINA ALLIANCE IN THE WWII The effects of the American involvement in china were that during the Second World War, china allied itself with the western forces. This gave the allies a great advantage in terms of strategic location. Japan, who was the part of the axis states, now could be threatened from its very neighbor. The reasons for chines alignment with the allies are many in number, but one fundamental reason was the continuous involvement of America in china. Chinese could turn to America for help when japan showed aggression in 1937. STILWELL AND AMERICAN MILITARY IMPERIALISM: Perhaps the most impactful policy of American Imperialism in China was through American intervention in Chinese army for getting a military edge in the Asian region more specifically the CBI (Chinese Burma Indian Theater). For this they chose no other man than their trump card Joseph