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Seward's Folly
Sewards Folly was the purchase of Alaska from Russia. The treaty was named this because William Seward signed the treaty along with the Russian minister Edouard de Stoeckl. William Seward was the United States Secretary of State at the time of the negotiation. This treaty is also referred to as "Stewards Ice Box. -
Alfred Mahan's "The Influence of Sea Power Upon History"
"The Influence of Sea Power," describes how big of a role the sea played in warfare throughout the 1600's and 1700's. The book was written by Alfred Thayer Mahan and published in 1890. Mahan believed that Great Britains control of the sea is what caused their empire to become a dominant world power. They held most of the worlds economic, military and political power -
Annexation of Hawaii
Trade with Japan and China in the 1800’s led to the U.S. Being interested in the Hawaiian islands. In 1891 U.S. Business owners led the overthrow of the queen Liliuokalani. They then asked to be annexed by the U.S. Their request was completed on January 17, 1893. -
Hawaii (Committee of Safety)
In January 1893, a revolutionary “Committee of Safety,” organized by Sanford B. Dole, staged a coup against Queen Liliuokalani with the tacit support of the United States. On February 1, Minister John Stevens recognized Dole’s new government on his own authority and proclaimed Hawaii a U.S. protectorate. -
USS Maine Explosion
The USS Maine explosion was the explosion of a United States battleship. The explosion was said to be caused by a mine blowing up however the true cause is unknown. The accident killed 260 men. It is said by most Americans that the Spanish were the cause of the explosion because they were defeated by the U.S. In the Spanish American War. -
Anti-Imperialist League
The Anti-Imperialist league was established to assist in the battle against American annexation of the Phillipines. They were established on June 15, 1898. Andrew Carnegie and Mark Twain were part of the league. The league saw a sharp decline after the Treaty of Paris was put into place and was eventually completely dissolved. -
Battle of San Juan Hill
The battle of San Juan Hill took place along the southern coast of Cuba. It occurred about one month after the start of the Spanish-American War. The Spanish docked on the harbor and the U.S. blockaded the entrance which is essentially what caused the war. The U.S. naval force was considered a stronger force. The Rough Riders emerged soon after this battle. -
Treaty of Paris 1898
The Treaty of Paris 1898 ended the Spanish-American War. The treaty was signed in France. The Spanish empire was completely erased with this treaty and the United States inhabited majority of the former Spanish Empires territory. We then purchased the Philippines for twenty million dollars -
Spain Signs Armistice
In Puerto Rico, Spanish forces likewise crumbled in the face of superior U.S. forces, and on August 12 an armistice was signed between Spain and the United States -
U.S. Defeats Spanish in the Philippines
This was known as the Battle of Manila Bay. This battle took place on May 1, 1898. It was considered the first major battle of the Spanish-American War. When the U.S. troops arrived and helped the natives in the fight against the Spanish. -
"The White Mans Burden" (Poem.)
The author of "The White Mans Burden," is Rudyard Kipling. The word "burden" represented the thought of an empire. The poem became published in 1899 in an issue of McClure's magazine. Right after the U.S. acquired the Philippine islands in the Philippine American War. -
Open Door Policy
The open door policy was adopted by the United States in 1899. This policy was created in hopes of opening up trade with China. Essentially the policy said that all nations could trade equally. -
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion was an uprising in northern China against western influences. It included practices that could protect them from bullets and foreigners. They burned local churches and demolished the railways. The Peking Protocol was signed ending the rebellion once and for all. -
General Antonio Luna Killed
Antonio Luna was a Filipino army general who fought in the Philippine–American War and was regarded as one of the fiercest generals of his time. The killing of General Antonio Luna was a major battle tactic for the US. -
Rough Riders Organized
The Rough Riders were the first U.S. Volunteer Calvary. They first fought in the Spanish-American War. The U.S, army was considered to small/understaffed at the time. The second in command was the president Theodore Roosevelt. -
Insular Cases
The Insular Cases were a series of trials Conducted by the U.S. Supreme Court. These cases explored the status of the territory gained in the Spanish-American War. The U.S. Established that constitutional rights did not automatically extend to these areas. This meant that not all inhabitants in these places were protected with American rights. -
McKinley Assassinated
President William McKinley was assasinated on September 14, 1901. He was the twenty-fifth president of the U.S. His assasination occurred just six months into his term. McKinley also led the American victory in the Spanish-American War. Leon Czolgosz assasinated William McKinley -
Hay-Buneau-Varilla Treaty
The Hay-Buneau-Varilla Treaty was a treaty signed by Panama and the United States. The treaty acknowledged the Panama Canal Zone. The treaty was named after the French diplomat and U.S. Secretary of State present at the signing. The treaty was signed on November 18, 1903 -
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was a war fought between the Russian and Japan empires. Russia wanted a Pacific Ocean port. The war was ended by the Treaty of Portsmouth. The agreement was mediated by president Roosevelt -
Roosevelt Corollary
The Roosevelt Corollary was established on December 6, 1904. Roosevelt was concerned for Venezuela and a possible invasion. The Corollary said that the United States would not interfere until it was the last resort. They wanted to make sure all other countries fulfilled their duties before stepping in -
The Great White Fleet
The Great White Fleet was just another name for the United States Navy that traveled around the globe They traveled around the globe due to president Theodore Roosevelts orders. It consisted of sixteen ships divided in two large groups. Among those sixteen ships were fourteen thousand sailors. In total they traveled forty three thousand miles. -
Dollar Diplomacy
The Dollar Diplomacy was against foreign policy by using economic power to garuntee loans to other countries. Some argue this was not a new idea rather than a new name. It occurred under William Tafts presidency. However, Theodore Roosevelt laid the groundwork for the Dollar Diplomacy. -
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution, also known as the Mexican Civil War, was a major armed struggle, lasting roughly from 1910 to 1920, that radically transformed Mexican culture and government. Although recent research has focused on local and regional aspects of the Revolution, it was a genuinely national revolution. -
Francisco Madero wins Presidential election
Francisco Madero, a landowning lawyer and a member of Mexico’s liberal, educated class, unsuccessfully opposes Díaz in the year’s presidential elections. He also publishes a book calling for free and democratic elections and an end to the Díaz regime. -
Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, occurred on 28 June 1914 in Sarajevo when they were mortally wounded by Gavrilo Princip. -
Panama Canal Completed
The Panama Canal is a forty eight mile strip of water that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. The Canal passes through Panama. It is a large trade route. France was the first country to begin work on the Canal bu quit when the U.S. took over in 1904. -
Declaration of war
Congress authorizes the Declaration of War against Germany and the U.S. joins the War on the Allies' side, including Britain and France. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
The sinking of the Cunard ocean liner RMS Lusitania occurred on Friday, 7 May 1915 during the First World War, as Germany waged submarine warfare against the United Kingdom which had implemented a naval blockade of Germany. The ship was identified and torpedoed by the German U-boat U-20 and sank in 18 minutes. -
Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was a naval battle fought between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet, under Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet, under Vice-Admiral Reinhard Scheer, during the First World War. -
Germany Plots Against the U.S.
The Zimmerman Telegram caused when problems due to German foreign Secretary Zimmerman proposing that Mexico side with Germany in the event that the US and Germany go to war. -
End of the War
The war ends when Germany signs the Treaty of Versailles, and the League of Nations is later formed. -
Kaiser Wilhelm
King of Prussia and Emperor of Germany whose political policies led his country into World War I. He was forced from power when Germany lost the war -
Red Scare
A "Red Scare" is promotion of widespread fear by a society or state about a potential rise of communism, anarchism, or radical leftism. The term is most often used to refer to two periods in the history of the United States with this name. -
Pearl Harbor Attack
The Attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory, on the morning of December 7, 1941.
