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Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine was passed by President James Monroe and it said that other countries couldn’t intervene in the politics of the US. -
United States Purchases Alaska From Russia
William Seward encouraged the US government to purchase Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million. Many people thought this was a waste, but Alaska had fish, furs, coaling stations for merchant ships, and, most importantly, gold. -
Midway Islands Annexed by U.S.
William Seward got the U.S. to annex the Midway Islands as a part of a trade route from the U.S. to Asia. -
U.S. Tariffs Cause Hawaiian Sugar Cane Prices to Rise
Before this, a lot of sugar was grown in Hawaii and the US bought a lot, so when the tariffs raised the price of the cane sugar, Hawaiian economy crashed and many Chinese and Japanese immigrants who worked in sugar fields and mills were unemployed. -
Grover Cleveland Elected President (2nd Time)
Grover Cleveland was the president who sided with Hawaii’s Queen Liliuokalani when she was overthrown for wanting American planters (sugar) in Hawaii to have limited political power. -
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American Economic Depression of 1893
This was the worst depression in America until the Great Depression (1930s). It was caused by overproduction of goods. -
Cuban Separatists Revolt Against Spanish Rule
They took their chance to try to gain independence from Spain when the economy was bad. This was because the US started buying less Cuban sugar, and the economy in Cuba depended on money from sugar exports to the US. -
Spain Institutes Reconcentration on Cubans
Valeriano Weyler was sent from Spain to Cuba to get rid of their guerilla-style warfare. They were forced into camps where they lives in close, bad, isolated conditions without their own supplies. -
Philippine (Filipino) Rebels Revolt Against Spain
They saw the Cuban separatists revolting from Spanish rule and took their lead. -
President McKinley Elected to First Term
McKinley wanted to annex Hawaii, helped Cuba gain independence from Spain in the Spanish-American War, and took control over the Philippines because he thought the people weren’t qualified to rule themselves. -
President McKinley sends USS Maine to Havana with Spain’s Permission
McKinley sent the ship to potentially protect American citizens from harm while Cuba fought for independence from Spanish rule. -
De Lôme Letter
Spaniard Enrique Dupuy de Lôme insulted US President McKinley, calling him weak and a bad President. This created tension between the US and Spain, which played a part in starting the Spanish-American War. -
U.S. Annexes Hawaii
President McKinley wanted to annex Hawaii and make it a state after he thought the US would gain control over the Philippines. He thought having the Philippines and Hawaii would make it easy for America to trade with countries in Asia. -
Spanish-American War Begins
The US wanted independence for Cuba and was willing to fight for the unrest to be over, so Spain cut diplomatic ties with them and declared war. -
U.S. Captures Philippines From Spain
American George Dewey led warships fighting against Spanish ships in the Philippines. Eventually, the Spanish governor of the Philippines surrendered and America gained control over the country. -
Teller Amendment Passed
This Amendment, proposed by Henry M. Teller, stated that the US didn’t want control over Cuba, and would let it be independent once fighting was over. -
Emilio Aguinaldo Captured by U.S. Forces in Philippines
Aguinaldo was the president of the Philippine Republic, but the US didn’t recognize their government so the Philippine-American war happened. The US captured Aguinaldo and took control over the land. -
China Divided Into “Spheres of Influence”
European countries and Japan divided China into “spheres of influence” and took over trade there. -
Open Door Policy
John Hay, the US Secretary of State, wrote the Open Door Policy to organize how trade would be done between powers in China. -
Boxer Rebellion in China
Many Chinese nationalists led this rebellion in Beijing (the capital of China) to try to get rid of foreign influence. -
President McKinley Re-Elected to Second Term
McKinley was re-elected as President, but was assassinated shortly after, so his Vice President, Theodore Roosevelt, took over. -
Foraker Act
This act established a government in Puerto Rico. -
Theodore Roosevelt Becomes President
Roosevelt became President after McKinley was assassinated in 1901. He was the youngest president so far. -
Platt Amendment
This Amendment regulated the removal of American troops from Cuba after the Spanish-American War. It had seven conditions and an eighth condition requiring Cuba to agree to the first seven. -
Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty
This treaty recognized Panama’s independence. It also gave the US land for the Panama Canal. -
Roosevelt Corollary
This was an addition to the Monroe Doctrine, which said other countries couldn’t mess with American politics.
