America's Reaction To China's Boycott Of American Products Of 1905

Americans' reaction to China's boycott of American products in 1905 defied the logic.Not only did most Americans not denounce the boycott,they rushed to praise itas a reflection of the "moral awakening of China".As of 1907,Taft proclaimed proudly that an enlightened China would recognize America as its real friend.Why American people,despite the tremendous blow the boycott inflicted on their trade revenues,came to defend an anti-American boycott?This paper,relying on primary sources of major American newspapers at the time,in conjunction with government publications and secondary sources,argues that Americans'response in 1905had close connection with the transformation of China's and Japan's image in the U.S.between 1905-1908.Two key themes in late 19th to early 20th century—market expansion and American benevolence led to the construction of the image of Japan as a competitor and China as a benevolent protegee.The image of Japan as a competitor led Americans to suspect Japan as behind the boycott,thus they cleared Chinese from any moral responsibility for the boycott and instead applauded for the burst-out of Chinese nationalistic sentiment.This paper argues that analysis on theinterplay between images/ideas and events/policy is crucial in order to understand Americans' seemingly paradoxical behavior in defending the anti-American boycott in 1905.Shifts in global power,including Japan's victory over Russia in 1904,and America's increased expansion in Asia since late 19th century interacted with America's self-conception as an anti-imperial power,producing the conviction in an inevitable US-China harmony and an unavoidable US-Japan conflict.