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Purchase of Alaska
Russia assumed control of and established Alaska as a seal hunting territory, however after Great Britain threatened to take it over, it became a financial burden. Because of William Seward, Congress agreed to buy the land for $7.2 million and it became known as "Seward's Folly". -
McKinley Tariff
Congress approved this tariff which raised import rates of foreign sugar. Hawaiian farmers were now being undersold and an economic depression occured across the island. -
Alfred Thayer Mahan
In 1890, Mahan published "The Influence of Sea Power Upon History: 1660-1783" which argued that control of the sea was the key to world dominance. This pushed the race to claim the seas amongst the world powers. -
Queen Liliuokalani
Decreed a new constitution that gave power to native Hawaiians becuase she believed that foreign interference would be the cause of Hawaii's downfall. She was later overthrown by White farmers. -
Cuban Uprising
Cubans rose up against the Spanish who had been in control of the territry since the 1500s. However, to quell this, the Spanish forced Cubans into reconcentration camps, and American journalists once again spun these stories, causing public uproar. -
Annexation of Hawaii
Inspired by nationalism that arose during the Spanish-American War, the United States annexed Hawaii in 1898, and was made a territory in 1900 under William McKinley. -
The Sinking of the USS Maine
The USS Maine sank Februrary 1898, killing almost 300 sailors. It was widely believed to have been sank on purpose by Spain with an underground mine, due to yellow journalism tactics. It was later proven to have been an accident. -
The Teller Amendment
The United States declared war against Spain on April 11, 1898. In order to prevent the possibility of US annexation of Cuba, Congress passed the Teller Amendment, which proclaimed that the United States would help the Cuban people gain their freedom from Spain but would not annex the island after victory. -
Rough Riders
Future POTUS Teddy Roosevelt assembled a volunteer cavalry known as the Rough Riders, who gained fame for a charge that would have had little success were it not for the support of seasoned African American soldiers serving in segregated infantry and cavalry units. -
Spanish Armistice Ending the Span-Am War
Spain signed an armistice on August 12, 1898, giving the United States Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Manila in the Philippines, pending a final peace treaty. Fewer than four hundred Americans had died, leading Secretary of State John Hay to declare the conflict a "splendid little war." -
Treaty of Paris
Spain agreed to free Cuba, and to cede Guam and Puerto Rico to the United States. The United States agreed to pay Spain $20 million for the Philippines and officially ended the war. -
The Spanish surrender at Santiago
The U.S. victory, where the Spanish surrendered to William Shafter, at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba ended naval engagement and ended the war. -
Battle of Manila Bay
Marked the end of the wooden navy, US Steel Navy destroyed Spanish navy with no US fatalities -
Emilio Aguinaldo
Led the Filipino independence against Spain from 1895 to 1898. In 1899, he proclaimed independence of the Philippines, but his movement was crushed and he was captured by the United States Army in 1901. -
Hays' proposes Open Door Policy
Secretary of State Hays proposes to other international powers to announce that they would respect certain Chinese rights and the ideal of fair competition. -
Boxer Rebellion
"Boxers", a super patriotic group broke loose and murdered 200+ foreigners + thousands of Chinese Christians; aimed at ending foreign influence in the country. -
Passing of the Platt Amendment
Cuba agreed to permit American diplomatic, economic, and military intervention and to lease Guantánamo Bay for American use. -
Roosevelt Introduces Big Stick Diplomacy
On September 2, 1901, Theodore Roosevelt outlined his foreign policy in a speech at the Minnesota State Fair saying “Speak softly, and carry a big stick.” -
Roosevelt helps Panama secede
Using Big Stick Diplomacy, Roosevelt, helped Panama secede from Colombia with the Hay-Herran Treaty in order to start the construction of the Panama Canal. -
Panama Canal construction begins
The construction of a canal to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans begins.This will create more trade networks for the US. -
Great White Fleet
The Great White Fleet consisted of 16 US naval battleships that completed an international journey between 1907-1909 to make courtesy visits to multiple countries to display the US' power. -
Root-Takahaira Agreement
US agreement with Japan that vowed to respect each other's territory in Pacific, as well as, uphold the Open Door Policy in China. The Open Door Policy allowed the US to expand its markets for industrial goods, put into place by the McKinley administration. -
Dollar Diplomacy
President Taft put Dollar Diplomacy into place. It stated that US investments increase around the world and allowed U.S. intervention in countries with unstable economies. The U.S. would take control of banks and other profit producing industries until the economies were stabie. The US would influence the election of a pro-U.S. president. -
The Panama Canal is Completed
The Panama Canal, constructed to to link the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans on both sides of Panama, will expand global trade throughout the 20th century. The project took 10 years. -
Vera Cruz
American sailors were arrested by the Mexican government. When Victoriano Huerta refused to apologize, the U.S. responded by capturing Vera Cruz. Huerta soon lost popular support and was replaced by Venustiano Carranza, a pro-U.S. leader -
Archduke Franz Ferdinand Assassinated
The assassination of Ferdinand sparked the beginnin of WWI. -
Serbia declares war on Austria-Hungary
Russia, France, Great Britain, and Serbia had allied against Austria-Hungary and Germany, beginning World War I shortly after the assassination of Franz Ferdinand -
Battle of Marne
The first battle of World War I, where French and British armies confronted the German army. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
Germany targeted and sunk the RMS Lusitania, an English ship. This turned Germany against the international viewers of the war. -
Battle of Jutland
The largest naval battle of WWI fought between England and Germany. -
Germany seeks armistice
The armistice signed on Nov. 11, 1918 officially ended land, sea, and air fighting between the Allies and Germany -
Signing of the Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles is the peace treaty that officially ended WWI signed exactly five years after the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand by the League of Nations. -
The Red Scare begins
This “scare” was caused by fears of subversion by communists in the United States after the Russian Revolution, where the US began to deport immigrants.
