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Sinking of the U.S.S Maine
The U.S.S Maine, a battle ship was sent to Cuba to protect our economic interests there (sugarcane) and while it was there, it somewhere exploded (the reasons are still unknown). But, America automatically assumed it was the Spanish, so from there on, America was at war with the Spanish. This added an enemy to our list, so to get back at them, we helped Cuba nationalists get weapons and fight the Spanish for their independence. -
Spanish-American War
Cuban Nationalists thought that their country wasn't being treated right, but they didn't have the resources to fight back. But when the American ship sank, America was willing to help the nationalists by supplying them weapons. The U.S. attacked and defeated the Spanish in Cuba and also in the Phillipines. As a result, the U.S. gained Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Phillipines which made us a bigger country. -
Aquisition of Guam
Guam became US territory in result of winning the Spanish-American War. This helped the US not only expand, but gave us more power. -
Aquisition of the Phillipines
The Phillipines was something that we also gained as a result of the Spanish-American War. We got it because we helped them out during the war. -
Open Door Policy
A policy that gave equal trading rights to all foreign nations in China and it was used to open Asian markets to US businesses. -
Roosevelt Corollary
President Theodore Roosevelt added to the Monoroe Doctrine that said that the US would take an European efforts to colonize or interfere in North or South America as agression and they would sent troops in. This banned European countries from using force to collect debt fromLatin countries and made the US an "international police power" which would make our allies feel a bit safer and our enemies afriad (for the most part) -
Dollar Diplomacy
This was started under President Taft and he encouraged US banks to give loans to Carribean countries, but if they couldn't repay them back, then they would send military forces. This showed foreign countries that America meant business and that we were serious. -
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
This was the cause of the war between Austria-Hungary and Serbia. The US would have to help out eventually because of their alliance with Serbia. -
Start of WWI
This was a war between The Central Powers (Austria-Hungary, Germany, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire) and the Allied Powers (Serbia, Russia, Italy, Great Britain, France, and eventually the US). The U.S. gave weapons to Britain and France and that made Germany mad. -
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal was bulit as a shortcut for ships to get from the Atlantic to the Pacific (vice versa) so that travel time decreased. President Theoore Roosevelt helped Panama nationalists gain independence but giving them weapons and protecting them when they attacked. The United States government started building by order of President Roosevelt. This event added an allie for America. -
German Proclamation
The German declared the waters arounf the British Isles to be considered an official war zone and Germany would use U-boats to sink any ship that entered that area. This affected foreign policy because it sank the Lusitania that had American passengers on it, which pushed America further to the edge. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
The Lusitania, a British passenegr ship was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine killing more than 120 Americans, which made America furious and willing to fight back. -
Sussex Pledge
Germany issued the Sussex Pledge, promising not to sink any more merchant ships without warning. They said this because they wanted to prolong the time it took the U.S. to enter the war. They didn't keep this promise. -
Zimmerman Telegram
British intelligence intercepted Germany's plan to ask the Mexican to attack the U.S. in exchange for the terriotry that was taken from them in the Mexican-American war (Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona) to weaken American forces. -
U.S. Enters WWI
America had had enough of Germany killing our people and doing bad things to our alliances, so we entered the war. Not only was the U.S. helping other countries, but we were fighting for our own now. -
Selective Service Act Passes
The U.S. government passed the act to have the power to draft soldiers. The act required all men between the ages of 21 and 31 to register for military service. This increased our troop size and gave us a better chance at winning the war. This system is still around today, but we haven't used it since the 70s and we most likely won't need to use it because we have a lot of nationalism in our country so most people are willing to volunteer to fight for the U.S. -
Espionage Act
Made it a crime for anyone in the U.S. to give out military information (or any info dealing with war) to our enemies. These people would be seen as spies and would lead to them being put in prison or worse. -
Wilson's Fourteen Points
The basis of a peace program that President Woodrow Wilson created to prevent another world war from occuring. -
Battle of Argonne Forest
(Led by Gen. Pershing) Held in the Argonne Forest along the Meuse River. The U.S. was basically in charge of it and it eventually led to the end of the war. -
End of WWI
The Treaty of Versailles ended World War 1. Germany was forced to take full blame for the war and had to pay $300 billion in repaprations. Their military was also down-sized, their navy was totally eliminated, and colonial posessions were taken from them and given to the Allies. -
Aquisition of Hawaii
The US overthrew Hawaii's queen in 1893 and annexed it as territory in 1898. Sanford Dole was governor and we grew sugar and fruit plantations because we weren't able to grow all of that in America.
