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Alaska purchased from Russia
The United States bought the Alaska territory from Russia on March 30th, 1867, for $7.2 billion. -
Beginning of buidling Panama Canal
The building of the Panama Canal was symbolically begun under the direction of French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps. He abandonned this project on February 4th, 1889. -
Alfred Thayer Mahan
Alfred Thayer Mahan was a United States naval officer and historian, whom John Keegan called "the most important American strategist of the nineteenth century." He wrote The Influence of Sea Power upon History, which argued that control of the sea was the key to world dominance;it stimulated the naval race among the great powers. -
Overthrow of Hawaii's government and queen
A small group of American businessmen saw interest in Hawaii's pineapples and sugar potential, and sought to annex the territory to the U.S. -
Sino-Japanese War
Although foreign observers had predicted an easy victory for the more massive Chinese forces, the Japanese had done a more successful job of modernizing, and they were better equipped and prepared. -
Hawaii becomes US Territory
After an overthrow of the goverment and a conquest of the territory, and with the country aroused by the Spanish American War, the resolution for Hawaii to be annexed easily passed in Congress. -
U.S. Congress declares war on Spain
The U.S.S. Maine explodes and sinks in Havana Harbor in February, 1898, killing almost 300 American sailors, and causing President William Mckinley asked Congress to declare war on Spain. -
The Treaty of Paris
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. -
Protocol of Peace
The Spanish American War comes to a close when Spain agrees to the Protocol of Peace on these U.S. terms: the cession of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Manila in the Philippines to the United States, pending a final peace treaty. -
Spanish Surrender at Santiago
Spain surrendered at Santiago de Cuba. The U.S. victory ended the war, suppressed all Spanish naval resistance in the New World, and enhanced the reputation of the U.S. Navy. -
U.S. forces destroy Spanish Fleet at Santiago Bay, Cuba
The Battle of Santiago was one of the most important naval interactions of the Spanish American War, resulting in the destruction of the Spanish Navy's Caribbean Squadron. -
U.S. forces defeat the Spanish at the Battle of San Juan Hill
As part of America's campaign to capture Spanish-held Santiago de Cuba on the southern coast of Cuba, the U.S. Army engaged Spanish forces at San Juan Hill. -
U.S. Troops land in Cuba
On June 22, 1898, the first U.S. troops landed on Cuban land. For months, U.S. troops had been stationed in Tampa, Florida, the place Brigadier General William had chosen as the staging ground for eventual troop deployment to Cuba. -
First battle of Spanish-American War at Manila Bay
In the first battle between Spanish and American Forces, U.S. Commodore Dewey defeats the Spanish fleet at Battle of Manila Bay in the Philippines. -
Open Door Policy with China
The Open Door Policy with China is declared by the Secretary of State and the U.S. government in an attempt to open international markets and retain the integrity of China as a nation. -
Start of Philippine-American War
Fighting broke out between American forces and Filipino nationalists led by Emilio Aguinaldo who sought independence rather than a change in colonial rulers. -
Boxer Rebellion begins in China
The Boxers of the Boxer Rebellion began a siege of Beijing’s foreign legation district (where the official quarters of foreign diplomats were located). The following day, Qing Empress Dowager Tzu’u Hzi declared a war on all foreign nations with diplomatic ties in China. -
Venezuela Affair
British and German ships blockaded Venezuelan ports in an effort to force payment. Known as the Venezuela Affair, this action violated the cornerstone document of U.S. foreign policy—the Monroe Doctrine. This led to Big Stick Diplomacy and the Roosevelt Corollary. -
Roosevelt proclaims amnesty with the Philippines
President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed a general amnesty and declared the conflict over, although minor uprisings and insurrections against American rule periodically occurred in the following years. -
Roosevelt Corollary
It stated that the United States may be forced "in flagrant cases of . . . wrongdoing or impotence, to the exercise of an international police power" in the Caribbean, Central America, or South America, clearly displaying his 'Big Stick Diplomacy" -
U.S. takes Panama Canal
The United States took over construction of the Panama Canal. -
Mexican Revolution Uprisings Begin
Francisco Madero calls for an uprising and Pascual Orozoco launches uprising in Chihuahua. -
Taft's Message to Congress Introducing 'Dollar Diplomacy'
Dollar Diplomacy was a foreign policy created by U.S. President Taft and his secretary of state to ensure the financial stability of a region while protecting and extending U.S. commercial and financial interests there. -
Archduke Ferdinand's Assassination
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to Austria-Hungary's throne, and his wife, Sophie, are assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip while the couple were visiting Sarajevo. -
First Battle of Marne
The Germans had been moving quicky for Paris when the French planned a surprise attack that began the First Battle of the Marne. The French, with the aid of British troops, successfully halted the German advance, and both sides dug in. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
The sinking of the Lusitania enraged Americans and hastened the United States' entrance into World War I. -
Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun was the longest battle and one of the bloodiest battles of World War I. -
Mexican Constitution of 1917
After the Mexican Revolution, Mexican President Carranza proclaims a new Constitution, which promises the restoration of lands to the native people, separation of church and state, and dramatic economic and educational reformation. -
Zimmerman Telegraph
Germany sends the secret Zimmerman Telegram to Mexico in an effort to entice Mexico to join the war. The British intercept and decipher the coded message. -
Fourteen Points
The Fourteen Points was a statement of principles for world peace that was to be used for peace negotiations to end World War I. The principles were outlined in a speech on war aims and peace terms to the United States Congress by President Woodrow Wilson. -
Red Scare Bombing
In eight cities, eight bombs simultaneously exploded. One target was Washington, D.C., where the explosion killed the bomber, an Italian-American radical from Pennsylvania.
In the US, the First Red Scare was because of worker/socialist revolution and political radicalism. -
Treaty of Versailles
The details of the Versailles Treaty had been debated and finalized at the Paris Peace Conference, which was on January 18, 1919, about two months after the fighting on the Western Front ended. -
Hawaii became a state
President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a proclamation admitting Hawaii into the Union of the United Sates of America as the 50th state.
