The Expansion of the U.S.

Navy

● Expansionist were looking towards Asia and the Pacific

● Captain Alfred T. Mahan believed expansion could only happen if they had enough force
to take over
● Argued a strong navy would allow them to use island possessions as naval bases
● Commodore Matthew C. Perry wanted to secure ports in Japan
● The british already had control over some Asian territories like Hong Kong
● President Filmore agreed and the U.S. began negotiations in 1853

The Purchase of Alaska

● Called Seward’s Folly
● A​ ​check for $7,200,000.00​ was issued on August 1, 1868 and made payable to Edouard
de Stoeckl, the Russian Minister to the United States
● Russia thought selling this land to the U.S. would improve relations with them
● U.S. citizens thought the purchase was foolish
● Congress brought this up when they tried to impeach President Johnson
● Alaska had many natural resources, as well as forests and fish

Spanish American War

● Neither nations desired war but both prepared for it anyway after the Maine sinking
● Spain’s navy was greater in number but were poorly trained
● Prewar planning in the U.S. had settled upon a naval blockade of Cuba and an attack on
the decrepit Spanish squadron at Manila to achieve command of the sea and preclude
reinforcement and resupply of the Spanish overseas forces
● Spain was forced to accept
Cuban Rebellion
● Thought that continued armed resistance would lead to independence
● Cubans got a hold of letter sent to President McKinley from Spanish minister Enrique
Dupuy de Lome
● Published it but it was soon recalled
● Explosion of the maine
● Kinley was forced to demand that Spain grant Cuba independence
Explosion of the Maine
● The ship was sent to Havana to provide a naval presence
● Exploded and killed 266 sailors
● Spanish inquiry decided that an internal explosion destroyed it
● American investigation claimed an external source destroyed it

Fate of Puerto Rico

● US troops were welcomed to Puerto Rico
● Puerto Rico hoped for increased rights and a better economy
 ● Congress passed the Foraker Act which gave Puerto Ricans some self government, as
well as a civil government
● U.S. still held more power in their country and was Americanizing them, so a resistance
movement sprang up, led by Luis Munoz Rivera
● 1917 Puerto Ricans were made US citizens

Fate of Cuba
● US installed a temporary occupation government after the war
● General John Brooks was the first head of that government but he was to antagonistic
● General Leonard Wood was the second, and he modernized education, agriculture,
government, healthcare, etc.
● Dr. Walter Reed located the mosquito that carries yellow fever and destroyed many of
the swamps, marshes, and pools of water the mosquitoes bred in
Fighting in the Philippines
● Many died, 20000 filipino troops died, and more than 200000 civilians perished as a
result of combat, hunger, or disease
● Twice the amount of US soldiers killed in action, were killed by disease
● The​ Treaty of Paris​ had transferred Philippine​ sovereignty​ from Spain to the United
States
● Shooting on outskirts of Manila started the war
● US won and owned the philipine lands until 1946

Annexation of Hawaii
● Americans got a foothold in Hawaii through Sugar Trade
● Planter staged an uprising to overthrow the Queen, appealing to US armed forces for
protection
● Marines stormed the islands without presidential approval
● President Cleveland was very anti-imperialist and withdrew the annexation, although the
american public favored annexation strongly
● Matter was prolonged until Cleveland left office
● In the war, the military significance of Hawaiian naval base as a way station to the
Spanish philippines outweighed all other considerations
● President mckinley signed a joint resolution annexing the islands

Boxer Rebellion in China/US-China Policy

● Boxer Rebellion was an uprising in China against foreign influence in religion, politics,
and trade
● Boxers killed thousands of Chinese Christians and attempted to storm the foreign
embassies in Beijing
● Chinese government was forced to sign the boxer protocol which called the rebellion’s
leaders to be executed and the payment of financial reparations to the injured nations
● US China policy allowed for equal trading rights between the 2 countries
Construction of the Panama Canal
● It would cross the panama and unite the atlantic and pacific oceans
● French hacked a path through the jungle from coast to coast
● Workers consisted of mostly black and Indian laborers
● De Lesseps ignored people’s warnings of the Panama and they discovered daily torrents
of rain, insects, snakes, swamps, terrible heat, smallpox, malaria, yellow fever, and the
Chagres River
● Rain would destroy what they got done in the day
● Many were killed by mudslides, disease, and insect plagues
● Mosquitoes multiplied in swamps
● Roosevelt took a stand and reached an agreement to buy the rights for the panama
canal, as well as a treaty with Colombia
● America’s first year in panama mirrored the french because of John Findlay Wallace
● John Stevens took over and focused more on cleaning more than just digging
● Dr. William Gorgas found mosquitoes that carried yellow fever and killed them
● Sanitisation and engineering made the process faster and easier for the workers