Transcript Lesson 2
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 http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index. cfm?guidAssetId=4C51D0EC-70BD-41E8A8DE23F9398D798E&blnFromSearch=1&produ ctcode=US