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Lesson 2
A New Role for the United States
Imperialism?

After the United States took control of Hawaii and
Alaska, some people accused us of empire
building. (imperialism)

By the late 1800s the U.S. had many new lands

This brought conflict with many European
countries who were also trying to spread their
territories.
The Spanish-American War

Spain’s empire was slowly
getting smaller. They had lost
many of the lands that they
once owned. Spain had only
two colonies left in the
Western Hemisphere----Puerto Rico and Cuba.

Many Cubans wanted to be
independent from Spain.
Cubans tried many times to
rebel, but their efforts failed.
American Support

Many people in America
supported Cuba because:
1.
Their struggle for
independence was sort of
like ours
Some Americans owned
plantations and mills on the
island
American newspapers said
that the Spanish were
treating the Cubans badly.
2.
3.
Conflict

At first, the United States tried to help
Cuba through peaceful means. We
even offered to buy Cuba---but Spain
refused.

The United States sent a battleship,
The Maine, to Cuba to help protect
American businesses and Americans
living in Cuba.
• On its first night in the
harbor, the Maine
exploded, killing 260
seamen!
• No one knows for sure
what happened, but all
of the newspapers said
that Spain had attacked
the ship.
• Americans demanded
war, and on April 25,
1898, Congress
declared war on Spain.
War!

Most of the battles took
place in the Atlantic
Ocean, where
Commodore George
Dewey led American
forces to victory.

The war only lasted four
months before Spain
signed an armistice (an
agreement to stop
fighting).
Theodore Roosevelt


Theodore Roosevelt
became a war hero for
his leadership during
the Spanish-American
War.
He formed the Rough
Riders, a group of
volunteer fighters, who
helped win the ground
battles in Cuba.
* After Roosevelt returned
from Cuba, he was
elected governor of New
York.
• Two years later, he was
elected Vice President of
the United States under
President William
McKinley.
• In 1901, President
McKinley was shot and
killed and Theodore
Roosevelt became
President.
Roosevelt as President

Roosevelt believed that the
U.S. should be involved in
actions throughout the world.

In fact, just to prove how
powerful the U.S. had
become, Roosevelt sent a
fleet of warships on a world
cruise. This reminded the
whole world that the United
States had become the most
powerful country in the world.
The Panama Canal
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