Replies

What were you or he asserting there?

He related "Open Door" to immigration issues in the middle of the nineteenth century. I too am going from memory but I think I'm clear about this issue. Maybe I'll have to check. But the Open Door Notes which I am speaking about leading eventually to the framing of American economic expansionism, principally being the notion of free competition with respect to trade and certain guarantees with respect to the territorial integrity of the trading nation - in this case it began as China. The Notes created the policy framework for economic expansionism. This was a late 19th century process as I noted above.

Well, as for free trade, I think we rode on the backs of Britain, that was also pro free trade by and large. Coincidence of interests there. The immigration thing baffles me, because except for racism against Asians, which created a practical constaint, there were no immigration laws until 1924 that I know of.

Come to think about it, Britain was more pro free trade than the US, at least when the GOP was in power. McKinley liked tariffs, Cleveland didn't.