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 Untied 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.
President Harrison sent the treaty of annexation to the Senate for ratification. The United States was to assume
the Hawaiian debt of 2 million dollars and pay the queen a pension of $20,000 a year. Before the treaty was
ratified, Congress recessed. Finally, in 1898, Congress annexed Hawaii.
Cuba, an island on 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 remains
a mystery. “Remember the Maine!” became the words of 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.
Meanwhile, 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.
The Treaty of Paris, which was signed December 10, 1898, ended the Spanish American war. According to the
treaty, 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 (to incorporate territory into the country) the islands to the United
States. The Americans offered to pay $20,000,000 for the Philippines and the treaty was signed. This was the
end of the Spanish empire.
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. This marked the beginning of an age of the United States
as a colonial power.
The conflict with the Philippines is something that the 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
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 around the
globe, especially in Asia. 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. 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. This policy allowed all trading nations equal access to China’s vast markets. In reality, John Hay
wanted to secure American business interests in China before the other colonial powers carved China up into
their own territories and prohibited U.S. access. 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.
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.