Chapter 20 – American Foreign Expansion – US History

Up until 1890 • The US was not considered a World Power

• The military was small after the Civil War
• We had good relations with other countries
• Stayed out of foreign stuff

1890 • The frontier was closed, America is complete

• Some people were not content, wanted Africa stuff
• “imperialism” – Struggle to get more for US

William Seward • Bought Alaska, Midway (1869), tried for Dominican

Republic and Virgin Islands.
• Secretary of State 1861 – 1869
Imperialism vs. Isolation
• Needed new areas to “conquer” after 1890
• “Social Darwinism” – led to eugenics
• Wanted to Christianize “uplift” Indians and get
them to support US.
Captain Alfred T. Mahan
• 1880’s – wrote well received book “Influence of Sea
Power on History”
• If you look at history, all great nations had big
navies.
• The US thus seeks a major navy
Pacific • 1890 – build up of the US Navy

• US wanted to get more land in Pacific.

• To use for trade and military purposes
• Create coaling stations for ships.
Hawaii • 1899 – ½ of Samoa is ours, ½ for Germany, gave
the US a coaling station and naval base, entire
thing is ours now.

• Has 7 Islands, biggest is Hawaii, best harbor is in

Recap: Oahu, Honolulu.
• US wanted this place, though it was independent.
US wants to conquer islands, Imperialism, 1890 is a big year
US goes from Midway > Samoa • >1850s
Hawaii– Planters and businesses set up here to
Wanted sugarcane from Hawaii
William Seward > wanted to expand the US.
Sanford Dole • Famous planter, known for “Dole” fruit products
today
Planters
• Grew sugarcane to sell to the South
• Tariffs were a problem; they were on Hawaii
sugarcane but not on sugarcane grown in inferior
US soil.
• Planters wanted the US to pwn Hawaii and remove
1893 the tariff, by overthrowing them and annexing
them.

• Sanford Dole and planters hire a mercenary army

to overthrow Queen Liliuokabui.
• After this, the planters asked Cleveland to sign an
annexation bill for Hawaii.
1898
• Cleveland said ‘no, you guys ripped it off with an
illegal act’
• With no leadership, it became the Republic of
Hawaii
Cuba
• When McKinley came to office, he signed the bill.
• Thus the Territory of Hawaii was formed
• The Navy built a base here called Pearl Harbor,
1895 which was protected by 3 sides, though it had very
shallow (40ft) water.

• The US always wanted Cuba for sugarcane and

tobacco.
• Since Columbus, it was Spain land, we tried to pay
$50 mil once
• These offers were rejected every time

• Cuban people rose against Spain, led by generals

Gomez and Garcia.
• They hoped the US would assist Cuba, but
Cleveland sat out.
1897 • The Spanish allied with Germany and got updated
army stuff.
• Weyler of Spain was sent, him + new stuff =
crushed Cuban rebellion in 1895.
Recap: • The leaders of these revolts were arrested and sent
to Hawaii
Sanford Dole and planters wanted prisonfor
camps.
sugarcane to be tariff free.
McKinley annexed Hawaii into a territory in 1898.
Cubans revolted against Spanish, Weyler and German weapons sent them crying.
Newspapers always wanted war; the bad letter about McKinley was a chance for this.
December 1897 • The War Department tells McKinley to send the
USS Maine battleship to Havana, Cuba to
intimidate the Cubans.
February 11th 1898
• The USS Maine explodes and sinks. 168 Sailors die.
• Newspapers proclaim a Spanish plot, “Remember
the Maine”.
• There was no evidence, and the Spanish denied
April 1st 1898 these claims.
• This was the final straw for papers, wanted war on
Spanish.

• McKinley asks Congress to declare war for the USS

USS Maine Maine.
• The most popular war begins, the Spanish
American War.
• 250,000 men sign up, many sons of Civil War
Spanish American War veterans.
(Theodore Roosevelt) • Only 113 days long, many of these men never
fought.

• Newspapers claimed a torpedo from the Spanish

was to blame.
• 1911, the Naval Department raised up the USS
Maine for a look
• The hull was blown outward, so the cause was
internal.
• Not the Spanish to blame, but a bad boiler
pressurized.

Recap: • Theodore Roosevelt was a major ‘colorful’ war guy.

• He before
The USS Maine was sent to Havana was born in 1858causing
exploding, to a rich Newand
up rise York family.
the Spanish
American War.
The Spanish American War was the most popular war, and many signed up for this 113
day fight.
The USS Maine really wasn’t plotted against; rather it just blew up from internal error.
Theodore Roosevelt • His wife was named Alice, and a disaster involved
Continued… her.
• She had a kidney problem which killed her at her
child’s birth.
• Theodore’s Mom died on the same day, this was
bad.
• He took the daughter and went to be a cowboy for
2 years in the West before coming back and taking
the kid as his own.
• He married someone named Edith and had 6 kids.
March 1898 • At the start of the Spanish American War, he was
known as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy.
• He believed largely in expanding the United States.

May 1st 1898 • John Long leaves and Roosevelt cablegrams

Commodore Dewey. He illegally tells him to sail for
the Philippines and attack the fleet at Manila if we
enter into war.
“Rough Riders” form • The war started, and Dewey sails there.

• Battle of Manila Bay

• We lost a whopping 1 dude overboard.
• Pwned the crap out of the Spanish and helped the
Philippines.
• Roosevelt quit his job after this, deciding to fight in
Cuba.
------------------------------------Rough
• He formedRiders Movie------------------------------------
a voluntary cavalry called “The Rough
Wheeler was asked to lead the Rough Riders because he was a Confederate and would
be liked in South.
Bucky O’Neil was the greatest sheriff, and had to train the men to be murderers and kill
the Spanish.
June 1898, they arrived in Daiquiri, Cuba. Their goal was to reach Santiago Naval Base.
William Shafter • He was a huge guy, and would be affected by
Cuba’s heat.
• John Jay Bershaing was the lieutenant in the army,
and the officer of the Negro troops.
• He was known as “Black Jack”, a great hero who
would one day lead the World War I forces.
Recap:
Theodore Roosevelt suffered a tragedy before going to fight Spanish in Cuba.
Roosevelt tells Dewey to attack Philippines during war, and they pwn the Spanish.
Manila Bay was beaten up by Dewey and his dudes.
The Rough Riders were formed, who were led by Roosevelt, but William Shafter led the
US forces.
 • The Rough Riders reached Santiago.
July 1st 1898
• The city was guarded by two hills, the Kettle and
San Juan.
• We were being pounded by Spanish with German
weapons.
• The Kettle hill was charged by the Rough Riders
and the 9th and 10th cavalry, led by Theodore
Roosevelt.
Santiago • This was the last great battle in Cuba, known as
the Battle of Santiago.

• The Spanish lost the battle. They had to abandon

July 2nd 1898 the city.
Battle of Santiago Bay • The Spanish fleet tried to escape, but our Atlantic
fleet led by Samson blocked the 10 ships from
escaping.
Nelson Miles
• All 10 Spanish ships were sunk.
• We lost only one person for another blow out
August 1898
victory.
• The Spanish surrendered after this defeat.
September 1898
• Led forces to Puerto Rico and won it during July
1898.
• The Spanish feel they have lost.

• The Spanish asked the French to be a go-between.

• Negotiations took place in Paris for peace.
Spanish American War
• Treaty of Paris with Spain
Recap: • The US got the Philippines, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and
Guam.
The Rough Riders led by Roosevelt beat the Spanish on Kettle and San Juan hills in 1898.
The Battle of Santiago Bay was the final battle in the war, where we destroyed 10
Spanish fleet ships.
We had the French be a go-between for peace, and the Treaty of Paris of 1898 took
place.
 1900 Election • The Republicans choose the popular McKinley.
• A sticky situation came about in 1898.
• Wheeler, Dewey and Roosevelt were at a parade.
• The crowds were <some word I can’t read>, the
Reps liked this
• In November, Roosevelt was ran for governor of
New York
• He cracked down on corruption, which was good
for New York, but the Republican machines were
hurt by this.
• This put the Republicans in a sticky anti-corruption
situation.
Democrats
• Hanna decided to run him as Vice President where
he could do little harm, under McKinley.
• He told McKinley not to die or he will get in.
th
September 5 1901
• William Jennings Bryan was the Democratic Choice.
• Good speaker, but McKinley swept into the White
House.
• The Republicans win the 1900 election.
September 6th 1901
• McKinley makes a speech at Buffalo New York
• He speaks differently about turning away from
imperialism and high tariffs, views he never
supported.
• The media is very shocked about this.

• The next day, a reception is held to meet the

President.
• The Local police are there to keep an eye on
suspicious people.
• Ideally foreigners and anarchists who have been in
Europe.
• They see a wild eyed foreigner and seize him.
• Unknowing that behind him is a bandaged hand
guy.
• He had a gun in the bandages and approached
USS Oregon McKinley.
• He shoots McKinley, and the crowd swarms him,
Recap: but McKinley spoke and said to leave him alone. He
The Rough Riders led by Roosevelt
was beat the Spanish on Kettle and San Juan hills in 1898.
arrested.
The Battle of Santiago Bay was the final battle in the war, where we destroyed 10
Spanish fleet ships.
We had the French be a go-between for peace, and the Treaty of Paris of 1898 took
place.
 Canal Needed • The 2 choices are Nicaragua and Panama,
Nicaragua had a big lake, but Panama was only 50
miles wide.
• Panama was controlled by Columbia, and we failed
in buying it.
• Roosevelt encouraged Panama people to revolt.
• This happened, we then bought Panama, gave
Panama independence, and got the canal land for
Roosevelt Corollary 10 million.
• The process started in 1903, and went to 1914.

Open Dollar Policy • No country can intervene in Latin America except

for the US.
Boxer Rebellion • Good for the US, bad for Latin America people.

• Free trade with China, kept the ports open.

• Underground dudes in 1900 revolted and attacked

Beijing.
• They were of the Society of Harmonious Fists.
Russo-Japanese War • Europeans were not kung fu guys, so they simply
called them Boxers after the only sport that looked
Recap: remotely close.
• Thus it
A canal was needed to shorten sailing is named
times. thelogical
The two Boxerchoices
Rebellion.
were Panama and
Nicaragua.
We failed to buy Panama from Columbia, so Roosevelt encouraged a revolt. We bought
Panama for 10 Million
The Roosevelt Corollary allows the US to intervene in Latin America.
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