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It was 1898. The nation that had begun as a bunch of ragtag rebels throwing rocks at the world's most powerful army had grown up. Amazingly, it had won its independence. At the time, the British Empire spanned the world. The young nation had even withstood a second war against Britain. It had bounced back from the humiliation of seeing its capital reduced to ashes. It had even withstood the dreadful wounds of a war within itself. The United States was no longer an upstart band of colonies. It was a union, over one hundred years old, solid and strong. Through all its struggles, its people had constantly pushed out its boundaries. A vast wilderness had been tamed. Now the country sprawled across the North American continent. It truly stretched "from sea to shining sea." Ships carrying goods from U.S. fields and factories docked at all the world's ports. From all over the world, other ships brought people to the nation's wide shores. The newcomers looked to America for their future. Many thousands had hung their hopes on the "broad stripes and bright stars." In the 1890s, the U.S. and the world were getting ready for the coming of a whole new century. For many Americans, times were good. They had made it through a nasty economic storm in the early part of the decade. Now, factories were humming and people were buying goods. In most sectors, money was flowing. The importance of foreign affairs was not lost on the money makers. They knew that faroff markets helped American business thrive. Still, for the better part of the last century, the attitude of most had been "There's no place like home!" Americans should look to America, people said, and leave the rest of the world to look after itself. Isolationism had been the prevailing way of looking at the world almost since the nation's birth. Americans were interested in selling goods to distant markets. Beyond that, they had little desire to be involved in foreign relations. In the early days, there was concern over the threat of European presence in the "neighborhood." The U.S. had gone into the War of 1812 overly confident in their military might. They had even tried to grab Canada for themselves. They'd gotten a scare when Britain not only proved herself fully capable of hanging on to Canada, but threatened to sweep through the U.S. as well. Americans were thankful when the U.S., in the end, managed to hold its own. The events of the second war, as well as the actions of European powers, made Americans rethink their strategy. Just how secure were they? The world powers were always in the market for new territory. They had snapped up many nooks, crannies, and handy little islands in what was then the new world. The vast, resource-rich lands of America would make a fine prize. If one of its land-hungry neighbors came calling, would the U.S. be able to defend itself? In 1823, President James Monroe gave a speech to Congress. In it, he served notice to European nations. If you're thinking of grabbing more land in our neck of the woods, he told them, forget it! Of course, his exact words were more formal, but that's the idea. He told European countries that fishing for colonies in the Americas would be considered an act of war against the U.S. The declaration came to be known as the Monroe Doctrine. Down through the years, Monroe's words had been the guide for U.S. foreign policy to one degree or another. They had been put to the test during the 1860s. As the U.S. fought its Civil War, France made a bold play for control right on America's doorstep. French forces raised up a European king on the throne in Mexico. As the Civil War ended, U.S. troops were sent to the Mexican border. War was narrowly avoided when French troops were called home to deal with other problems. Mexicans threw off the unwanted king and peace was restored. The Monroe Doctrine had been upheld. By and large, though, the people who had fought two wars for their freedom had no desire to go to battle for any lesser cause. The 1890s brought other questions for Americans, however. What about someone else's freedom? Was the U.S. willing to go to war for someone else's just cause? Expansionism became a more popular idea as the 1800s drew to a close. In defending the great ideal of freedom, America might add to its territory. Wouldn't that be a just reward? The U.S. had absorbed its wilderness. There was no more new land waiting to be settled. Surely there would always be a need for more land and resources to supply a growing population. Could there, after all, be some reason besides self-defense to go to war? The gathering clouds of war caused a scramble among American military leaders. The U.S. was proud of its navy. It had played a vital part in past military victories. Recently, it had been overhauled and enlarged. In the years since the Civil War however, ground forces had been cut back. Money had not been allotted to keep the army up to date. Knowhow was in short supply as well. Most War Department jobs had been handed out on the buddy system. In many ways, America wasn't ready to fight a war.