Chapter 6

Lesson 1:

Expanding Overseas

Vocabulary to know

• Yellow journalism

• Spanish-American War

• Rough Riders

• Buffalo Soldiers

• isthmus

Lesson 1 Main Idea

• By the end of the 1800s, the United States had gained new territory and became a world power.

Places

• Alaska

• Hawaii

• Puerto Rico

• Cuba

• Panama Canal

Alaska• Bought from the Russians on March 30, 1867.• $7.2 million in gold, that was two cents an acre!• Alaska was so large, it increased the size of the US

by nearly 20 percent!• William Seward contracted the deal.• He was secretary of state for Lincoln when he began

talks with Russia about the sale. The civil war put the plans for purchase on hold. The war cost the country too much.

• Purchase finalized 2 years after the Civil War under Johnson’s administration

• Seward believed Alaska’s fishing, fur trade, and mining were valuable.

• At first, newspapers attacked Seward for the purchase of this new territory.

• Called Seward’s Icebox, or Seward’s Folly• But its value soon would be recognized.• Gold was discovered in 1880 and brought fortune seekers

north. • Salmon canning in Alaska became the largest salmon

industry in the world.• In 1906 first elected representatives went to Congress, but

didn’t become a state until 1959!

Alaska

http://www.solcomhouse.com/ALASKA.htm

Hawaii

• Captain James Cook discovered these island in 1778 and began trading with the Hawaiian people.

• In the early 1800s a Hawaiian leader used European weapons to take control of the island. He became Hawaii’s first King.

• Soon people came to Hawaii from many countries. Cows and horses were introduced, houses schools and stores were built.

• Kamehameha exploited the novelty

of Western technology to vanquish his

enemies - wooden spears and clubs were no match for

cannon and muskets.

Hawaii

• American planters began moving to Hawaii in the mid 1800s.

• The warm climate was perfect for growing sugar cane and pineapples.

• The planters established large plantations for these cash crops.

• The Hawaiian king gave Americans special trading rights and the port of Pearl Harbor for shipping.

** Hawaii’s sugar brought large profits during the American Civil War when northern markets could no longer access southern sugar.

Hawaii

• Liliuokalani became Hawaii’s queen in 1891. The first woman to rule Hawaii.

• She did not want foreigners having so much control in her country. She disagreed with the previous king, and thought he should not have agreed to work with the Americans. She didn’t renew the agreement.

• Plantation owners were not ready to leave and planned to overthrow the monarchy.

Hawaii’s annexation• In 1893 the plantation owners asked Liliuokalani to

give up the thrown and then declared she was no longer queen.

• They took control of the government and requested that the United States annex the islands.

• A group of Hawaiians tried to revolt, but were discovered. The queen was arrested and forced to stay in her palace.

• She gave up her throne because she realized she couldn’t win this battle.

• Hawaii was annexed in July 1898.

“I yield my authority to the forces of the United States in order to avoid

bloodshed.”

War with Spain• The Spanish empire in the West had been reduced

to just Puerto Rico and Cuba• In 1895 the Cuban people revolted and the Spanish

army reacted harshly• Americans were angered by Spain’s treatment of the

Cuban people and were worried the Americans living in Cuba were in danger too.

• The US government decided to protect the lives and property of Americans living in Cuba.

• In January, President William McKinley sent the USS Maine to Cuba’s Havana harbor.

War with Spain• On the night of Feb.15, a huge explosion

destroyed the Maine, killing 260 Americans.• Several newspapers reported that Spain had

caused the explosion. One newspaper even reported a torpedo hole.

• Such false or exaggerated reporting is called….yellow journalism

• US citizens already believed bad things about Spain, the yellow journalism gave publishers political power because the could control voters’ opinions. .

• years since studies showed that an accident aboard the ship

caused the explosion

“Remember the Maine!”

• Today, historians point to the Spanish-American War as the first press-driven war. Although it may be an exaggeration to claim that Hearst and the other yellow journalists started the war, it is fair to say that the press fueled the public's passion for war.

• The battle cry “Remember the Maine” used the memory of the Maine as motivation to fuel American’s drive to punish the Spanish

War with Spain Pacific Theater

• Congress declared war on April 25, 1898, and the Spanish American War began.

• Spain had colonies in the Pacific Ocean. The US Navy’s first goal was to destroy the powerful Spanish fleet.

• Commodore Dewey’s fleet had been stationed in Hong Kong, when war was declared battleships sailed to the Philippines under his command.

• The Spanish fleet was completely destroyed.

War with SpainCaribbean Theater

• Nearly one million Americans volunteered to fight in the Spanish-American War

• Theodore Roosevelt, the assistant secretary of the navy, left his job to organize a group of volunteer soldiers called the Rough Riders

• Rough Riders were cowboys, Native Americans, college athletes and wealth New Yorkers. They played a key role in storming the hill and defeating the Spanish army.

• Also chosen to go to Cuba were several units of soldiers known as Buffalo Soldiers.

• The Spanish were defeated at the Battle of San Juan Hill in August 1898

African American soldiers known as the Buffalo Soldiers, a nickname they got while serving in the wars against Native American on the Great Plains.

Results of the War• The map shows that the US gained control of several

Spanish territories including Puerto Rico, the Philippines and Guam.

• Cuba gained independence from Spain, but remained under US protection while they set up a new government.

• The Philippines remained under US control until 1946.• Puerto Rico and Guam are still part of the US and

their people are considered US citizens.• The United States showed that it had become a

powerful nation.

Results of the War

• Theodore Roosevelt became a national hero• “Hurrah for Teddy and the Rough Riders.• Roosevelt was elected governor of New York

and later became President • The War came at a cost. More the 5,000

Americans died. 400 in battle, the rest from disease such as malaria and yellow fever.

Panama Canal• A canal across the Isthmus of Panama offered the

hope of faster, safer shipping. Building it, however, required tremendous effort and ingenuity.

• First the US had to gain control of the land. Panama declared independence from Columbia in 1903. The US built the canal on Panama’s land.

• Second, disease such as yellow fever and malaria were common in hot wet areas like Panama. Army doctor, Walter Reed, discovered these were carried by mosquitoes. With his discovery of how the illness spread, preventions helped saved many lives. W.C. Gorgas worked to drain standing water, where mosquitoes laid their eggs.

An isthmus is a narrow strip of land that connects two larger areas. The Isthmus of Panama connects North and South America

Panama Canal• Third, the mountains, swamps and mud of Panama would

make the job of digging a canal very difficult, but in 1904 40,000 people and lines of steam shovels set to work.

• In 1905 John Stevens was appointed chief engineer. His leadership and wisdom was key in completing the project. He convinced Roosevelt and Congress that a system of locks was needed to link the two oceans at the right sea level. The tides in the Pacific are greater than the Atlantic

• The completion of the canal seemed impossible, but ten years later, in 1914, the 50 mile canal was opened for shipping.

Panama today• The treaty signed in 1903 gave the United States

the right to control the Panama Canal forever. In 1964 the citizens of Panama felt they should control it because it was in their country.

• In 1977 a new treaty was signed between Panama and the US. This treaty stated that in the year 2000 Panama would have full control of the canal.

• Today ships passing through the canal are from the US and Asia. Petroleum is the main product transported through the canal.