Download Imperialism and World War I Timeline

US Imperialism and Timeline
1856
Congress acts to authorize the U.S. annexation of any small island that is unclaimed by other governments. In 1857,
they will annex Jarvis Island and Bakerís Island, located in the mid-Pacific, and in 1858, Howardís Island.
1867 The U.S. acquires Alaska from Russia, thanks to deft negotiations by Secretary of State Seward.
1867 The U.S. annexes the Midway Islands.
1878 The U.S. acquires a naval base in Pago Pago, Samoa
Secretary of State James Blaine declares that the Hawaiian Islands are part of the American system and thus come
1881
under the intent of the Monroe Doctrine.
Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii overthrown by John L. Stevens, U.S. ambassador to Hawaii, and powerful planters led
1893
by Sanford P. Dole. The Senate warns that any nation interfering Hawaii will be considered hostile to the U.S.
Cuban insurgents revolt against Spanish rule, supported by monies from American sugar planters. The "Yellow
1895
Press," led by William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer, fans the flames of imperialism.
1898 The Battleship Maine is destroyed in Havana harbor, killing 260 of its crew.
1898
President McKinley delivers his War Message to Congress, a war resolution is adopted, and Spain breaks off
diplomatic relations with the U.S.
On May 1, Admiral Dewey attacks Spain’s holdings in the Philippines by engaging the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay.
1898 The battle lasts seven hours. Spain’s losses are 381 sailors and all its ships; there is no damage to U.S. vessels, and
only eight men are wounded.
On June 10, 647 American Marines land at Guantanamo Bay, beginning the invasion of Cuba. 17,000 American
1898 troops, including Theodore Roosevelt’s "Rough Riders," invade Santiago on June 20. On July 1, Theodore Roosevelt
leads the charge up San Juan Hill. By the end of the day, San Juan Hill is taken.
1898 The Hawaiian Annexation treaty is signed by McKinley.
On July 26, three months after it began, the "splendid little war" is ended. The Treaty of Paris, ratified in December by
1898
a vote of 57-27, declares that Spain cede the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico to the U.S.
Secretary of State John Hay requests U.S. ambassadors to countries already having commerce, treaties, and long-term
1899
leases with China to ask for an "open door" policy by which all nations receive equal treatment from China.
The Platt Amendment is issued by Congress, which states that American troops will not withdraw from Cuba until the
following conditions are included in their constitution: Cuba will not sign any agreement with a foreign power which
1901
will limit its independence; only the United States will be allowed to intervene to preserve Cuban independence and
law and order; the Cubans agree to lease or sell naval stations to the United States.
Instigated by a triumvirate of Panamanian businessmen, French agents of the Panama Canal Company and United
States Army officers, Panama makes plans to secede from Colombia. In October, Roosevelt orders three ships of the
1903 United States Navy to steam toward the area. On November 2 they are ordered to prevent Colombia from landing
troops in the Panamanian province. Two days later, Panamanian independence is declared. Secretary Hay recognizes
the new Panamanian government in the quickest recognition then given to a foreign country by the United States.
In November, the United States and Panama sign the Hay-Buneau-Varilla treaty giving the United States permanent
1903
rights to a 10-mile wide strip of land in return for $10,000,000 and an annual charge of $250,000 after nine years.
The seven-man Panama Canal Commission is appointed by Roosevelt to complete the canal. With America becoming
1904 ever more intricately bound into the politics of the Atlantic and the Pacific, the project now has more urgency than
ever.
The Roosevelt Corollary is articulated for the first time in his annual message to Congress. The principle states that
since America, by way of the Monroe Doctrine, has forbidden foreign interference in the Western Hemisphere, the
1904
United States has a responsibility to insist upon proper redress for wrongs inflicted upon a foreign state by any country
within the U.S. sphere of influence.
Following the Roosevelt Corollary wherever it leads, the United States Marines are sent to Honduras to help quell a
1907
revolution there.
1913 The Panama Canal is open for shipping.