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James Monroe instituted a declaration that stated that all European powers could no longer invade or colonize territories in the western hemisphere. -
Diplomats recommended to President Franklin Pierce that the United States buy Cuba from Spain. The
Spanish responded by saying that they would rather see Cuba sunk in the ocean. -
The U.S. Acquires the Alaska territory from Russia, through negotiation led by Sec. of State, William Sewerd, for $7.2 million. -
the United States took
over the Midway Islands, which lie in the Pacific Ocean about 1300 miles north of
Hawaii. No one lived on the islands, so the event did not attract much attention.
Hawaii was another question. -
Alfred T. Mahan of the U.S. Navy. Mahan urged government officials to build up American naval power in order
to compete with other powerful nations. As a result of the
urging of Mahan and others, the United States built nine
steel-hulled cruisers -
The Cuban revolt against Spain was not successful, but
in 1886 the Cuban people did force Spain to abolish slavery. -
U.S. military and economic leaders already understood the value of the islands. In 1887, they pressured
Hawaii to allow the United States to build a naval base
at Pearl Harbor, the kingdom’s best port. The base
became a refueling station for American ships. -
Cultural factors also were used to justify
imperialism. Some Americans combined the philosophy of Social Darwinism. They argued that the United
States had a responsibility to spread Christianity and “civilization” to the world’s
“inferior peoples.” -
The purchase of the Philippines sparked much debate over wether or not the U.S. was actually allowed to annex the Philippines.
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Once the America had made it clear that they would take action against other countries in the west, European influence weakened significantly in central and south america.
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Early in 1896, James Creelman traveled to Cuba as a New York World reporter, covering the second Cuban war. He reported on the atrocities that were afoot in the country and shared the happenings of the war with the rest of america. -
Spain responded to the Cuban revolt by sending
General Valeriano Weyler to Cuba to restore order.
Weyler tried to crush the rebellion by herding the entire
rural population of central and western Cuba into barbedwire concentration camps. -
The U.S. takes out Hawaii's Monarchy so that it can annex the island, giving it untaxed access to the cain sugar farms and other imports from the islands. -
When President William McKinley took office in 1897, demands for American intervention in Cuba were on the rise.the New York Journal published a private letter
written by Enrique Dupuy de Lôme, the Spanish minister to the United States. The de Lôme letter criticized President
McKinley, calling him “weak” and “a bidder for the admiration of the crowd.” -
The newspapers in the U.S. painted Spain to be the ones behind the explosion of the Maine. This caused the public to push for war in spain
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In the Caribbean, hostilities began with a naval
blockade of Cuba. Admiral William T. Sampson effectively sealed up the Spanish
fleet in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba. Dewey’s victory at Manila had demonstrated the superiority of United States
naval forces. In contrast, the army maintained only a small professional force,
supplemented by a larger inexperienced and ill-prepared volunteer force -
Rough
Riders, a volunteer cavalry under the command of Leonard Wood and Theodore Roosevelt. The most famous battle they participated in took place by Santiago on June 1st -
When the United States declared war against Spain in 1898,
it recognized Cuba’s independence from Spain. It also
passed the Teller Amendment, which stated that the United
States had no intention of taking over any part of Cuba. -
American resentment toward Spain turned to outrage. Early in 1898, President McKinley had ordered the U.S.S. Maine to Cuba to bring home American citizens in danger from the fighting and to protect American
property. The ship exploded and 260 men died in havana harbor. -
On April 30, the American fleet in the Pacific steamed to the Philippines. The
next morning, Commodore George Dewey gave the command to open fire on
the Spanish fleet at Manila, the Philippine capital. Within hours, Dewey’s men
had destroyed every Spanish ship there. Dewey’s victory allowed U.S. troops to
land in the Philippines. -
The U.S. goes to hawaii to inform queen Liliuokalani that hawaii had been annexed as part of the United States. -
The victory of Kettle Hill created the opportunity for the famous battle of San Juan Hill. This became the very most famous battle because it was faught as an uphill battle and Roosevelt led the troops to win even under the infavorable circumstance. -
The U.S. and spain signed a cease-fire in august of that year. Later on December 10th the two countries met in Paris to sign a treaty, giving The U.S. Guam, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Philippines. -
The U.S. had had military occupation of Cuba by the end of the war with Spain. The U.S. stayed for a while afterwards, helping run the government, and helping to get the country to a state of independance.
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A series of letters issued by John Hay to all imperialist nations that proposed that they open up to trading with the U.S.
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Filipinos, led by Aguinaldo, rose in revolt. The
United States assumed almost the same role that
Spain had played, imposing its authority on a
colony that was fighting for freedom. The Filipinos used Guerilla warfare The U.S. started creating relocation camps for all filipinos and treated all filipinos as if they were the enemy. -
The U.S. had its warships painted white and sailed them around the world to show the power of the U.S. navy. -
The Island was important so that the U.S. still had a military presence in the Caribbean. It was also crucial for protecting the parts of Panama where they wanted to build the Canal.
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Congress passed the Foraker act, which removed the Military from rule in Puerto Rico, and set up a civil government for the territory,
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A group of Chinese against westerners in China that attacked westerners in China. This led to the killing of thousands of Chinese soldiers as Japan joined the fight.
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The U.S. passed the Platt amendment which stated
- Cuba could not make treaties that might limit its independence or permit
a foreign power to control any part of its territory
- The United States reserved the right to intervene in Cuba
- Cuba was not to go into debt that its government could not repay
- The United States could buy or lease land on the island for naval stations
and refueling stations -
In 1903, the Platt Amendment became part
of a treaty between the two nations, and it remained in effect for 31 years. Under the terms of the treaty, Cuba became a U.S. protectorate, a country whose affairs are partially controlled by a stronger power. -
Teddy Roosevelt assumed the Role of president in 1901. As our trade expanded to more and more parts of the world, we needed a way to go to the new countries quickly so that we could make more money. -
The Japanese and Russians were at war over land in east asia. The U.S. stepped in to stop the fighting and to agree on peace and
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The canal began construction in 1904. It went on for a decade to be finished in 1914. It cont $10 million, and cost a yearly rent of $250,000.
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When the U.S. took over Puerto Rico, the citizens feared that the U.S. would not allow them to have the same freedoms to rule themselves as they had had under the Spanish. Muñoz Rivera spoke too the U.S. house of representatives in concern of this, resulting in the Puerto Rican people later being given the right of U.S. citizens.