Look for these important words: Key Words Spanish-American War Rough Riders Battle of Sam Juan Hill armistice Polynesians People Theodore Roosevelt King Kamehameha I Queen Liliuokalani Places Cuba Philippine Islands Manila Bay Guam Puerto Rico Far East Klondike Look for answers to these questions: I. Why did the United States go to war with Spain? 2. What territories did the United States acquire from Spain? 3. How did the United States acquire Hawaii? Alaska? Becoming a Worgd Power a By 1900 American settlement and influence extended far beyond America's shores. One reason for this was the Sp amish-american War. The Spanish-American War was fought in part because Americans took the side of Cuba against Spain. Cuba was Spain's largest colony in the Western Hemisphere at the time. Inl898Cubansrebelledagainstspain. American newspapers were full of stories about the harsh Spanish rule in nearby Cuba. After Americans read such stories, they wanted to help the Cubans win independence. Spain was close to granting Cuba independence. Then, in February 1898, an American battleship, the Mcij7}e, exploded in the harbor at Havana. More than 200 sailors were killed. It was not clear why the ship blew up. The United States, however, blamed Spain and declared war. ttremember the A4lcijJte" became a very popular slogan. Americans saw themselves as defenders of Cuba against Old World tyranny. Soon after war was declared, the American navy steamed to the Philippine Islands. There the navy destroyed the Spanish fleet and captured Manila Bay. George Dewey was the American naval commander. Overnight he became a hero. In the United States thousands joined up to fight in the war. One of these was Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt collected a fighting company made up mostly of Western cowboys and sheriffs. They called themselves the Rough Riders. Roosevelt hoped to find both action and glory in the war. At the Battle of Sam Juan Hill in Cuba, Roosevelt found the action and glory he was seeking. The Spanish commanded the top of a hill that lay 505
This is an artist's idea of Teddy Ploosevelt's charge into a rain of Spanish bullets at the Battle of San Juan Hill. In truth, Ploosevelt made the charge On foot- between the Americans and the city of Santiago.Withbulletsrippingthegrass around him, Roosevelt yelled {{Charge!" and started up the hill. But only five men followed. Mad as could be, Roosevelt retreated. The Rough Riders, it turned out, had not heard his battle cry. Up the hill Roosevelt charged again. This time the Rough Riders followed. Regiments of professional soldiers also charged. After heavy fighting, Santiago at last surrendered. The Spanish-American War lasted less than four months. In August 1898, Spain signed an armistice. An armistice is an agreement to stop fighting. A peace treaty followed the armistice. The treaty gave the United States control of Cuba, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippine Islands. By giving up Cuba and Puerto Rico, Spain gave up the last of its territory in the Western Hemisphere. 506
The United States was now a world power. Control of the Philippines meant that Americans became important in the Far East, or eastern and southeastern Asia. In the Caribbean, the United States was now the most powerful nation. Europeans showed new respect for the United States. The United States gave Cuba its independenceinl902.inl946thephilippines became an independent country. Puerto Rico and Guam remained territories of the United States. The Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands also came under American control in 1898. These islands are 2,400 miles (3,862 kin) west of our Pacific coast. The original inhabitants of Hawaii were Polynesians (pahl.uh.nee.zhuhnz). In the eighth century they had migrated from other Pacific islands to the Hawaiian Islands. Expert navigators, they sailed in ships able to carry as many as 100 people. They carried with them banana and coconut trees. The Hawaiian Islands were explored in 1778 by Captain James Cook from England. Whaling and trading ships started making regular stops. American missionaries arrived about 1820. Soon after, cattle ranches and sugar plantations were started. Other people came to live and work in the islands. They included Mexicans, Asians, Filipinos, Portuguese, and Americans. The Hawaiian Islands had been united under King Kamehameha I (kuh.may.uh.may.hah) in the early nineteenth century. The sugar planters and missionaries gained much Queen Liliuokalani failed in her effort to restore royal authority in Hawaii. influence in the government. In 1893 the Hawaiian ruler, Queen Liliuokalani (li.lee.uh.woh.kuh.lahn.ee), tried to change things. She wanted to restore the ruler's traditional power. The sugar planters did not want Queen Liliuokalani to regain power. Theplanterstookoverthegovernment and set up a republic. They asked to be part of the United States. Alaska In 1867 the United States had bought Alaska from Russia. Most native Alaskans were Aleuts and Eskimos. Their way of life depended on hunting and fishing. Many Americans thought the purchase extremely foolish. Why should the United States buy a piece of land so far north? {.Polar Bear Garden," some called it. 507
Gold-and lots of it-was the message of the Klondike News in 1898. Alaska was almost forgotten. Then, in 1896, gold was discovered in the Klondike region. The Klondike was in Yukon Territory, near the Canadian- Alaskan border. The discovery of gold opened up Alaska for settlement. About 100,000 people left by boat from Seattle to head into this newfound land of riches. It was a harsh frontier. Thousands died from sickness, starvation, and the extreme cold of winter. The Alaska purchase turned out to be a very good bargain. The land is full of valuable mineral resources, including silver, copper, lead, and petroleum. 1. Why did America side with Cuba? 2. How did the Hawaiian Islands become part of the United States? 3. What caused people to become interested in settling Alaska? Think Beyond What advantages did gaining Alaska and Hawaii give the United States? 508
i ook xp `pr.. Reading for a Purpose for these important words: Key words. Central powers People Allied powers. no-man's-land. Woodrow wilson Allies. League of Nations Look for answers to t~hese questions: 1. Why did the United States fight in World War I? 2. Where was most of World War I fought? 3. What kinds of jobs did women do during the war? 4. How did the United States make a difference to the outcome of the war? `.:,f.:.:<f! World War I In 1914 war broke out in Europe. On one side were Russia, France, Britaim, and Italy. These were known as the Allied Powers, or Allies. On the other side were the Central Powers -Germany, Austria, and Turkey. Of these,germanywasthestrongestnation. The United States as a country tried to stay neutral in the war. But the feelings of Americans were not in the least neutral. Most Americans favored Britain. The Americans and the British shared the same language and many of the same traditions. Americans were comforted by British control of the seas. On the other hand, people with roots in Germany or Austria favored those nations. The strategy of Britain was to win the war with a blockade of German ports. German strategy, on the other hand, was to end the blockade and destroy the British navy by using submarines. In 1915 German submarines sank the British passenger ship Lz4sZfo7ij with great loss of life. Americans were outraged. Such an attack was against the rules of the sea. The U.S. Enters the War Woodrow Wilson was President of the United States at this time. He had hoped to keep America out of the war, but this proved impossible. In the spring of 1917, Germany announced that its submarines would go after any ships in British waters. The German submarines then sank three ships. American passengers aboard these ships were killed. President Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany. It was necessary to fight, he said, for the peace of the world. "The world must be made safe for democracy," he said. After the United States declared war, a wave of anti-german feeling ran through the country. Schools and colleges stopped teaching the German language. German music was no longer played. Sauerkraut was called t{1iberty 521
cabbage." Even German measles were renamed t<liberty measles." T rench Warfare In Europe the war had bogged down into deadly trench warfare. Most of this warfare was in northern France. The soldiers who lived and died in these trencheswereseparatedbyano-man'sland. No-man's-land was the land separating opposing armies. It was laced with barbed wire and mines. The Germans used poison gas for the first time to kill enemy troops. The English developed a new secret weapon they called a tank. By the end of the war, tanks could cross the noman's-land, crushing barbed wire. Bullets could not pierce tanks. Overhead,observationballconswere used to spy on the enemy. During the war each side developed an infant air force. Flying "aces" gained glory for their skill and bravery. They included Germany's "Red Baron," Manfred von Richthofen (RIK.toh.vuhn), and America's Eddie Rickenbacker. Women in the War American women went to Europe to serve as nurses and ambulance drivers. Katherine Stinson of Sam Antonio, Texas, wanted to become a combat pilot in the war. The army refused her. Instead she flew across the UnitedStatesraisingmoneyfortheRed Cross. Then she went to Europe as an ambulance driver. Katherine's sister Maljorie taught many Canadian and American men to fly. Thousandsofwomenjoinedthenavy and army as clerks and telegraph 522
During World War I women stepped forward to do all kinds of work formerly done by men. Here these women take on the job of delivering blocks of icean important job before most people had refrigerators. operators. Thousands more took over jobs left vacant by men going to war. They worked in fields and factories. They became auto mechanics. As police officers they 'directed traffic and patrolled the streets. The War Comes to an End In Europe the Americans made a difference to the outcome of the war. Enthusiastic American soldiers gave important military help. Shiploads of American wheat, hay, canned goods, and guns poured into France. Working together, the Allies, which now included the United States, began to push back the German army. On November 11, 1918, an armistice was declared. The war was over, and American troops started coming home. Meanwhile world leaders gathered together to make peace terms. Wilson urged these leaders to accept his idea for a League of Nations. The League of Nations would be a worldwide organization to which all nations could belong. The league would work to find peaceful solutions to problems among nations. The League of Nations was established, but the United States refused tojoin. The United States Senate must vote approval of all treaties. It voted not to approve the League of Nations treaty. Many senators believed that America should not get involved any more in world affairs. 1. Who was President in 1917? 2. How did the United States help its allies in World War I? 3. What was the League of Nations? Think Beyond How might war have been avoided for the United States in 1917? 523
Thinking Back During the early twentieth century, the United States became a major world Power. AsaresultoftheSpanish-AmericanWar, the United States gained Cuba, Puerto Rico,Guam,andthePhilippinelslands. TheHawaiianlslandscaneunderAmerican control when sugar planters set up a republic and asked to become part of theunitedstates.theunitedstatespurchasedalaskafromrussia. President Theodore Roosevelt believed that the United States should use its powerandinfluenceintheworld. ThebuildingofthePanamaCanalhelped make the United States stronger and allowedshipstotravelfasterbetweenthe Atlantic and the Pacific coasts. President Roosevelt and the Progressivesfavoredreformsinbusiness,trans- portation, and banking. Intheflfstdecadeofthe1900spowered flight was achieved, the automobile becamemoreaffordable,andthegrowthof democracy continued. The suffrage movement resulted in the Nineteenth Amendment. The United States entered World War I. With economic and military help from theltnitedstates,theallieswonthewar. At President Wnson's urging, the Ileague of Nations was established. The United States,however,refusedtojoin.