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Japan
Japan had been isolated from most countries for some time at this point, but Commodore Perry arrived on Japan's shores and asked politely if the country would trade with the US. Despite initial resistance, Japan eventually relented when Perry continued to press for trade and Japan became too unstable to risk confrontation with both the United States and a more long-standing threat, Russia. -
Alaska
Alaska was purchased from the Russian Empire since the empire felt it would become a liability if war broke out, and the United States was looking to extend its reach. They felt Alaska would provide easy access to Asia. -
Alfred Thayer Mahan
He wrote the book The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, which described how sea power had been successful in the past and could help any country achieve its imperial goals (in this case, namely, the US). -
Panama Canal: Nicaragua
Originally, the United States was looking at creating a canal across Nicaragua, but this plan fell through when legality of the exchange and construction was put into question. This was when the United States turned its attention to Panama. -
Hawaii: Blount Report
A report that found the United States to have illegally interfered in the overthrowing of Queen Liliʻuokalani. It was directly countered by the later Morgan Report. -
Hawaii: Morgan Report
A report on the investigation into the events surrounding the overthrowing of Hawaii's Queen Liliʻuokalani. It found all individuals, barring the queen, innocent. -
Hawaii: The Republic of Hawaii
The provisional government from the US that had taken control of the territory forcibly declared Hawaii as a republic. This occurred instead of naming it a state due to President Grover's opposition to it. -
The Spanish-American War: Cuban Independence
The Cuban War of Independence was an event between Cuba and Spain. To what exact extent Americans became involved due to humanitarian reasons is unknown, but Yellow Journalism significantly impacted the way civilians felt about Spain and its treatment of Cuba. -
The Spanish-American War: Overview
The Spanish-American War was fought between the United States and Spain and was primarily focused on the Cuban War of Independence, jumpstarted by the explosion of the USS Maine ship. -
The Spanish-American War: Yellow Journalism
Sensationalist Yellow Journalism strongly impacted the way civilians felt toward the Cuban War of Independence and Spain. It exaggerated the implosion of the USS Maine and lavished details on ideas that the ship was exploded by a Spanish mine, and published stories of overblown accounts of cruelty by the Spanish to Cubans. -
The Spanish-American War: American Advantages
American naval power allowed Americans a decisive victory. Furthermore, Spanish forces were being ravaged by Yellow Fever. -
The Spanish-American War: Decline in Spanish Imperialism
Peninsular War, the loss of most of its colonies in the Americas in the early 19th-century Spanish American wars of independence, and three Carlist Wars marked the decline of the Spanish Empire. Nationalist sentiment from Spanish rulers was mainly to spread culture and Christianity, and this ideal was especially present in Cuba, which had been Spanish for over 400 years. -
The Spanish-American War: Spanish Advantages
Though there were very few advantages for the Spanish as their technologically inept navy and horrid defeat showed, they did have strong religious beliefs and nationalist sentiment backing them up. -
The Spanish-American War: Treaty of Paris
Spain ended up losing Cuba, and Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines were all ceded to the US. This was a major blow to Spanish nationalism and sparked much renewed debate over the ethics of American Imperialism. -
The Spanish-American War: USS Maine
This ship was an armored carrier that sank in Havana Harbor during the Cuban War of Independence. Many Americans believed that the ship had been sank by Spanish forces despite the explosion coming from inside the ship (an implosion, then) and was likely due to a coalfire. -
Philippine-American War: Causes
Philippine Republic felt that the results of the Treaty of Paris merely continued their ongoing independence efforts with Spain, just against the United States now. The United States, since the Treaty of Paris had given them the Philippines, felt that the conflict was an insurrection. -
China: Open-Door Policy
John Hay developed a policy that negotiated European powers not try to sever China's ability to trade with other nations, but rather allow China to grow and trade with all other nations. This was an effort to get Americans a part of China's trade. Unsurprisingly, China was not part of this agreement. -
China: The Boxer Rebellion
This was a violent uprising in China that protested foreign spheres of influence and control over China, especially its economy, as well as Christian missionary efforts. -
Big Stick Diplomacy: Roosevelt
Big Stick Diplomacy was Roosevelt's foreign policy as president. It advocated peacefully discussing affairs while simultaneously threatening with military power. -
Philippine-American War: Philippine Organic Act
This end to the war extended rights to Filipinos and started a process for Philippine independence. -
Big Stick Diplomacy: The Panama Canal
The US, after paying significant money to Panama and orchestrating a war between Panama and Columbia, won the rights to build a canal across Latin America in the form of the Panama Canal. This is a classic example of Big Stick Diplomacy, as the US negotiated with Panama, and used military force against Columbia to gain the materials to complete the construction. -
Panama Canal: Columbia
During the original proposed treaty to allow the building of the Panama Canal, Panama instigated a rebellion against Columbia. Roosevelt swiftly changed sides and actively supported the Panama revolt, and once they succeeded, signed a new and very similar treaty with the Panamaean government. This was an implementation of Roosevelt's Big Stick Diplomacy. -
Dollar Diplomacy
This foreign policy plan was used to increase American influence in Latin America and Asia. It was the idea of using America's financial power to guarantee loans made to foreign countries, thereby increasing its overall influence there. -
Mexico: Mexican Revolution
This event was a major upheaval in the early 1900s for Mexican people. Due to the amount of bloodshed and Americans caught in the crossfires, the Washington administration failed to recognize new leaders and no longer had an interest in it economically. -
Mexico: Ypiringa
The United States became involved militantly when it was discovered that Germany was selling weapons of war to the Mexican administration they did not support during the Mexican Revolution. The merchant ship, the Ypiringa, still managed to dock at another location. -
WWI: RMS Lusitania
The Lusitania was a British merchant ship that carried American passengers. Germany's unrestricted warfare policy led to the sinking of what was considered a non-military vessel, and the sinking inflamed the American people. -
WWI: US Contributions to Allied Efforts
The United States provided supplies, raw materials, and money. It primarily offered these due to public opinion of Germany worsening, especially after the sinking of the Lusitania. -
WWI: Declaring War on Germany
The United States declared war solely on Germany and not the other Central Powers. This limited the United States interference with the war outside of North America, with the greatest amount of actual US fighting occurring on the Western Front. -
WWI: US's Place
Despite supporting the Allies militantly, the United States acted as a lone power in diplomacy and never officially joined the Allies. -
WWI: Zimmerman Telegram
This message was one Germany was attempting to send to Mexico to offer it compensation for joining the war on their side against the United States. It was one of the factors leading to the United States officially declaring war on Germany. -
WWI: American Impact
Americans provided fresh troops and supplies to war-weary Allied Powers. Americans helped push back on the final powerful German offensive in the Spring of 1918. -
WWI: Treaty of Versailles
The United States shaped the issues of the Treaty of Versailles greatly with the Fourteen Points Woodrow Wilson proposed. It focused on rebuilding European economy and creating a powerful League of Nations. -
Red Scare
The First Red Scare was an event immediately after World War I that marked United States fear of Communism and anarchism, and other related ideas. Russian Revolution and anarchist bombing events among others induced the Red Scare, as well as some events during the first world war.
