-
laissez faire
Beginning in the 1840s, the State Department began to warn other nations to keep their hands off Hawaii. In 1887, a treaty with the native government guaranteed naval-base rights at Pearl Harbor. -
Sugar Cultivation
The profits of sugar cultivation in Hawaii became less profitable with the McKinley Tariff of 1890. American planters decided that the best way to overcome the tariff would be to annex Hawaii. The Queen was then overthrown and white revolutionist gained control of Hawaii. -
Naval Force
Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan's book of 1890, The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660-1783, argued that control of the sea was the key to world dominance; it stimulated the naval race among the great powers. -
Spanish-American War
On February 15, 1898, the American ship, Maine blew up in the Havana port. The Spanish investigators deduced that it was an accident (spontaneous combustion in one of the coal bunkers) while the American investigators claimed that Spain had sunk it. The American people were convinced by the American investigators and war with Spain became imminent. -
Independence Day?
On February 4, 1899, the Filipinos were highly upset after hearing that the United States’ Senate would not give them independence. -
Theodore's Unexpected Presidency
In September 1901, a deranged anarchist murdered President McKinley, and Theodore Roosevelt took over the presidency. -
17th Amendment
Progressives supported direct primary elections and favored "initiative" so that voters could directly propose legislation themselves, thus bypassing the boss-sought state legislatures. They also supported "referendum" and "recall." Referendum would place laws on ballots for final approval by the people, and recall would enable the voters to remove faithless corrupt officials. As a result of pressure from the public's progressive reformers, the 17th Amendment was passed to the Constitution in