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Purchase of Alaska
After decades of Britain and Russia quarreling over who owned Alaska, Russia, who assumed control over it, started looking for buyers over fear of a British takeover. Fortunately for them, Secretary of State William H. Seward was eager to have it, and convinced congress to buy it for $7.2 million. Though it was seen as a bad move at the time, with many dubbing it as “Seward’s Folly”.
(pg. 410) -
Annexation of Hawaii
After Hawaiian settlers helped overthrow Queen Liliuokalani and the land’s annexation was originally denied in 1893, Hawaii had finally been annexed by President McKinley in the wake of the war in the Philippines. This shows how the US expanded as they had declared control over new land that would later become territory.
(pgs. 414-15) -
Treaty of Paris
Following a brief war for Spain regarding the control of the Philippines, US Congress had voted to annex the territory, to the dismay of many Philippine people. This showed how the US expanded with how it gained control over land in another continent following a war.
(pg. 415) -
Roosevelt Corollary
When British forced started intervening in Venezuela to get them to pay back debts, Roosevelt declared his Corollary stating that the US would intervene whenever necessary, since Britain’s actions violated the Monroe Doctrine. This meant that the US would send in gunboats to deal with the situation instead. This showed the US expanding as it expanded the influence and possible power over the land they controlled.
(pgs. 418-19) -
Russo-Japanese War Resolution
An imperialist rivalry between Japan and Russia, which Japan won, led to Pres. Roosevelt setting up a diplomatic conference for them, in which they agreed to the Treaty of Portsmouth, which some Japanese disagreed with, claiming the US didn’t give them all that they deserved. This showed the US expanding their power as they were exercising the massive control over the world by having a big role in deciding the resolution of a war they weren’t in.
(pg. 419) -
Completion of Panama Canal
Built in Latin America, the Panama Canal was a project set forth by the US finished construction in 1914, which left many Columbians dismayed with how many were killed in its making and how much it cost. This showed the US expanding as they had achieved the power to construct a canal in another country for their own economic benefit.
(pg. 418) -
Puerto Rico
Having had control over it for some time now, the US had granted Puerto Ricans US citizenship and limited self-government in 1917. This showed the US expanding as they had now spread they had now spread their citizenship to places that weren’t even US states.
(pg. 422)
