Name: __________________________________ Hour: _________ NB#: ________
BECOMING A WORLD POWER
When George Washington assumed the presidency of the United States, he warned the country to avoid
involvement in the disputes and politics of foreign nations. His warning was heeded, but with
industrialization the attitude toward other nations was changing. Alfred Thayer Mahan, naval admiral and
historian, maintained that Americans had to become involved with the world. The American economy
needed new markets for its growing surpluses of manufactured goods and farm products. According to
Admiral Mahan the nations with sea power were the great nations. Therefore, the United States had to
develop its sea power. Overseas expansion would bring economic prosperity. There were those, too, who
did not agree with American expansion.
Secretary of State James G. Blaine believed that the United States was destined to be a world power.
Because he thought that Latin America would serve as an excellent market for American businesses, he
aided in organizing the Pan-American Union in 1881. Great Britain and Venezuela, in 1895, were
involved in a serious boundary dispute between British Guiana and Venezuela. Americans were
sympathetic to Venezuela. The United States sent a note to Great Britain proposing a plan to solve the
dispute. Great Britain was reluctant to agree to any plan. Faced with threats from Germany and Japan,
Great Britain finally agreed to discuss and settle the boundary dispute.
The islands of Hawaii in the mid-Pacific attracted many Americans. Missionaries, planters, and business
people came and invested in the coffee and sugar plantations. They were able to gain control of the major
industries and political power. The United States Navy considered Pearl Harbor, on the island of Oahu, an
excellent base for its ships and an important coaling station for commercial ships. In 1887 the Americans
forced a new constitution on the Hawaiians. The Queen of Hawaii, Liliuokalani, abolished the
constitution. The American settlers then organized a revolution and overthrew her. A government was set
up by the Americans who negotiated for a treaty, in 1893, for Hawaii's annexation to the United States.
The treaty of annexation was sent by President Harrison to the Senate for ratification. The United States
was to assume the Hawaiian debt of $2,000,000 and pay the queen a pension of $20,000 a year. Before
the treaty was ratified, Congress recessed. Finally, in 1898, Hawaii was annexed by Congress.
The Samoan islands, south of Hawaii, served as a station for American commercial ships. As trade
increased with Asia, business people and the navy thought it important that Americans have the use of the
harbor, Pago Pago, on the island of Tutuila. In 1878 a treaty was approved by the Senate, providing for an
American naval station at Pago Pago and committing the United States to use its power to adjust Samoa's
conflicts with foreign nations. In 1899 the United States and Germany divided the islands between
themselves. Great Britain was given territories elsewhere in the Pacific. Germany obtained the two largest
islands, but the United States kept the harbor at Pago Pago.
Cuba, an island in the Caribbean, had belonged to Spain since its discovery by Columbus. Dishonest
officials and heavy taxation led the Cubans to rebel against the Spaniards. The newspapers wrote
sensational stories about the happenings in Cuba. They printed pictures showing the cruel treatment
inflicted by the Spaniards and made people in the United States excited about the events in Cuba. The
United States expressed sympathy and urged Cubans to fight for independence. The United States
battleship Maine, while in Havana harbor, sank after a terrific explosion. The episode about the Maine
was greatly exaggerated by the newspapers as they made a number of accusations against the Spanish
government. Even today, the cause of the explosion is not known. "Remember the Maine!" became the
words urging war against Spain. Congress, in 1898, recognized Cuba's independence and demanded that
Spain leave Cuba. Spain, of course, refused and declared war on the United States.
War was declared in April and it was over in August. John Hay, Secretary of State, described the SpanishAmerican war as “a splendid little war.” Theodore Roosevelt, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, resigned
his position to fight with the Rough Riders in Cuba. The Rough Riders were a cavalry regiment of
cowboys, college students, bear hunters, gamblers, and others. The Cuban rebels had already weakened
the Spanish soldiers before the American troops entered into the war. The American forces were poorly
organized and poorly prepared to fight.
When war was declared, Theodore Roosevelt ordered Commodore George Dewey to attack the
Philippine Islands in the Pacific. This was the first victory of the Spanish-American War as
Commodore Dewey took Manila, the capital of the Philippine Islands. In Cuba, the Rough Riders
attacked San Juan Hill and entrenched themselves on the hills to the east of Santiago. The next
day, the American fleet destroyed the Spanish ships and the commander of the Spaniards
surrendered the city of Santiago to the Americans. Spain, weak and incompetent, was defeated.
The Spanish government asked for peace and the war ended in August. Spain recognized the
independence of Cuba and gave Puerto Rico to the United States. Spain also turned over to the
Americans the Pacific island of Guam. President McKinley was not certain what to do about the
Philippines. Finally, he decided to annex the islands to the United States. The Americans offered to pay
$20,000,000 for the Philippines and the treaty was signed. In six weeks the United States had an overseas
empire which industrialized nations, such as Great Britain, Germany, and others, had begun many years
earlier.
The conflict with the Philippines is something that Americans would like to forget. It lasted from 1899 to
1902 and it was a cruel war. The Filipinos had rebelled against the Spaniards even before 1898. They
believed that Admiral George Dewey and his forces would give them independence. When General
Emilio Aguinaldo, leader of the Filipino rebels, learned that the United States had purchased the
Philippines from the Spanish as a part of the peace treaty with Spain, the Filipinos rebelled against the
Americans. Finally, General Aguinaldo was captured. He signed a document urging his followers to stop
fighting and declared his allegiance to the United States. In 1906 Americans took possession of the
Philippines. William Howard Taft established a civilian government which built schools, roads, and
hospitals. In 1946 the islands gained their independence from the United States.
When the United States acquired the Philippines, Americans became interested in increasing trade in the
Far East. John Hay, Secretary of State, asked a number of nations to respect the rights of all countries and
to keep an "open door" for trading with China. The responses were vague but Secretary Hay announced
that the major powers had approved. The Boxers, Chinese men who resented foreign influence in their
country, began a rebellion to destroy the power of Americans and Europeans in China. The foreigners hid
in the British Embassy until a relief army captured the city of Peking and rescued them. The foreigners
were freed and the Chinese paid for the damages resulting from the rebellion. Secretary Hay sent a new
note to the European nations declaring that America supported an "open door policy" regarding trade in
China, and everyone agreed to participate.
The war with Spain led the United States to reform the military system by making it better organized and
more efficient. The size of the regular army was increased. It established federal supervision of the
National Guard. Officer training schools were founded. In 1903 a general staff headed by a chief of staff
was established. The chief of staff acted as military adviser to the Secretary of War. With these reforms,
the United States entered the twentieth century as a major world power.