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The Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa was the first European to see the eastern shore of the Pacific Ocean.
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The English explorer Captain James Cook becomes the first European to discover the Hawaiian Islands when he sails past the island of Oahu.
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A free-trade agreement between the United States and the Hawaiian kingdom that guaranteed a duty-free market for Hawaiian sugar in exchange for special economic privileges for the United States that were denied to other countries.
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The Constitutional Convention drafted a constitution for a Republic, and the Republic of Hawaii was proclaimed on 4 July 1894, with Sanford B. Dole as its President
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The sinking of the Maine, which had been in Havana since February on an official observation visit, was a climax in pre-war tension between the United States and Spain
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The U.S. Congress declares war on Spain.
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In the first battle between Spanish and American Forces, U.S. Commodore Dewey and his Asiatic squadron defeat the Spanish fleet at Manila Bay in the Philippines.
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U.S. troops land in Cuba.
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U.S. forces defeat the Spanish at the Battle of San Juan Heights.
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In the hard-fought Battles of El Caney and San Juan Hill (in which the Rough Riders played a major role, contributing to the popular image of Roosevelt as a war hero)
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U.S. forces destroy the Spanish Fleet off Santiago Bay, Cuba
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Hawaiian islands were officially annexed by the U.S
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July 17, 1898: The Spanish surrender at Santiago.
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The Spanish government requested the good offices of France in arranging a termination of hostilities.
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The U.S. and Spain sign the Protocol of Peace, ending hostilities between the two
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The Treaty of Paris is signed by representatives from the U.S. and Spain. After extensive debate, the treaty is ratified by the U.S. senate on February 6, 1899. Under the treaty, the U.S. acquires control over Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines.
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The development of the Panama Canal began with the signing of the Hay-Herran Treaty by the United States and Colombia,
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The Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty was a treaty signed by the United States and Panama, which established the Panama Canal Zone and the subsequent construction of the Panama Canal.
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That $40 million, coupled with the $10 million the U.S. paid Panama in February 1904 for control of the canal, laid the groundwork for construction later that year.
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After nearly a decade of construction, President Woodrow Wilson sent a signal from the White House to blow up the Gamboa Dike, causing water to flow into the Panama Canal and joining the Atlantic and Pacific oceans for the first time.
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The canal was open for traffic but For the first several months of its operation, it was closed to warships as World War I began in Europe.