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Venezuela Border Dispute
The dispute had began when the Venezuelan Government protested alleged British encroachment on Venezuelan territory. In 1841 Venezuela disputed the British delineation, claiming territorial delineations established at the time of their independence from Spain. -
Scramble for Africa
Scramble for Africa was the invasion, occupation, division, colonization and annexation of African territory by European powers during the period of New Imperialism. By 1914 90 percent of the continent was controlled by Europe, with only Ethiopia and Liberia still being independent. -
Alfred T Mahan "The Importance of Sea Power"
Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan, a lecturer in naval history and the president of the United States Naval War College, published The Influence of Sea Power upon in 1890. He Mahan argued that British control of the seas, combined with a corresponding decline in the naval strength of its major European rivals, paved the way for Great Britain’s emergence as the world’s dominant military, political, and economic power. -
Overthrow of Queen Lilikoulani
A group of American sugar planters under Sanford Ballard Dole overthrew Queen Liliuokalani on the Hawaiian islands. Most Hawaiians opposed the nearly bloodless coup, as did incoming President Grover Cleveland. Hawaii became a formal territory two years later and a state in 1959. -
Annexation of Hawaii
In January 1893, the planters staged an uprising to overthrow the Queen. At the same time, they appealed to the United States armed forces for protection. Without Presidential approval, marines stormed the islands, and the American minister to the islands raised the stars and stripes in honolulu. The Queen was forced to abdicate, and the matter was left for Washington politicians to settle. -
De Lome Letter
The contents of a seized Spanish letter caused an international scandal that fueled anti-Spanish and pro-war feelings in the United States. The letter contained derogatory comments about President McKinley and his policies concerning Cuba -
Sinking of the USS Maine
At 9.40pm on the night of February 15th, 1898 the United States battleship Maine was suddenly blown up, apparently by a mine. 260 officers and men on board were killed during the explosion. In the morning only twisted parts of the huge warship’s superstructure could be seen protruding above the water, while small boats moved about examining the damage. -
Spanish-American War
The war was a conflict between the United States and Spain that ended Spanish colonial rule in the Americas and resulted in U.S. acquisition of territories in the western Pacific and Latin America. Spain’s brutally repressive measures to halt the rebellion were graphically portrayed for the U.S. public by several sensational newspapers, and American sympathy for the rebels rose. -
Teller Amendment
The Senate passed the amendment on April 19. True to the letter of the Teller Amendment, after Spanish troops left the island in 1898, the United States occupied Cuba until 1902. The Teller Amendment was succeeded by the Platt Amendment introduced by Senator Orville Platt in February 1901. -
Rough Riders Charge up San Juan Hill
on July 1 U.S. General William Shafter ordered an attack on the village of El Caney and San Juan Hill. Shafter hoped to capture El Caney before besieging the fortified heights of San Juan Hill, but the 500 Spanish defenders of the village put up a fierce resistance and held off 10 times their number for most of the day. -
Treaty of Paris (1898)
The Treaty of Paris had officially ended the Spanish-American War. Puerto Rico and Guam were ceded to the United States, the Philippines were bought for $20 million, and Cuba became a U.S. protectorate. 10 times more U.S. troops died suppressing the Philippines than in defeating Spain. -
Annexation of Samoa Islands
By the Treaty of Berlin, signed December 2, 1899, and ratified February 16, 1900, the U.S. was internationally acknowledged to have rights extending over all the islands of the Samoa group east of Longitude 1,715 west of Greenwich. On April 17, 1900, the chiefs of Tutuila and Aunu'u ceded those islands to the US. On April 17, 1900 the U.S. flag was raised for the first time over Fagatogo and the document officially creating the American Samoa territory was read. -
Boxer Rebellion
The boxer rebellion is when a Chinese secret organization called the Society of the Righteous and Harmonious Fists led an uprising in northern China against the spread of Western and Japanese influence there. From June to August, the Boxers besieged the foreign district of Beijing, China’s capital, until an international force that included American troops subdued the uprising. -
Foraker Act
U.S. President McKinley signed a civil law that established a civilian government in Puerto Rico, known as the foraker act. The new government had a governor and an executive council appointed by the President, a House of Representatives with 35 elected members, a judicial system with a Supreme Court, and a non-voting Resident Commissioner in Congress. -
Platt Amendment
the Platt Amendment was passed as part of the 1901 Army Appropriations Bill. It stipulated seven conditions for the withdrawal of United States troops remaining in Cuba at the end of the Spanish–American War, and an eighth condition that Cuba sign a treaty accepting these seven conditions. -
Insular Cases
The Insular Cases are a series of opinions by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1901, about the status of U.S. territories acquired in the Spanish–American War. The Court also established the doctrine of territorial incorporation, under which the Constitution applied fully only in incorporated territories such as Alaska and Hawaii. -
Building of the Panama Canal
Forty five years after the U.S. first considered building a canal through Central America, the Panama Canal opened to the public. Thousands lost their lives in the effort to construct the canal, one of the most daring and innovative accomplishments of its time, and it remains integral to worldwide shipping today. -
Roosevlet Corollary
The Roosevelt Corollary was an addition to the Monroe Doctrine articulated by President Theodore Roosevelt in his State of the Union address in 1904 after the Venezuela Crisis of 1902–03. Roosevelt tied his policy to the Monroe Doctrine, and it was also consistent with his foreign policy included in his Big Stick Diplomacy. -
Great White Fleet
The Great White Fleet was a popular nickname for the United States Navy battle fleet that completed a circumnavigation of the globe from December 16, 1907, to February 22, 1909, by order of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. It consisted of 16 battleships divided into two squadrons, along with various escorts.
