6. Causes
Desire forMilitary Strength
Othernations around the world were establishing a
global military presence
Admiral Alfred T. Mahan urged government officials
to build American naval powerin orderto compete
Construction of the Great White Fleet
US became the world’s 3rd
largest naval power
9. Causes
Belief in Cultural Superiority
Some Americans combined Social Darwinism with a
belief in the racial superiority of Western Europeans
They argued that the US had a responsibility to spread
Christianity & “civilize” the world’s “inferior” people
11. Effects
The US Acquires Alaska
In 1867, Secretary of State
William Seward arranged for
the US to buy Alaska from
Russia $7.2 million
Called “Seward’s Folly” or
“Seward’s Icebox”
12. Effects
The US Takes Hawaii
Hawaii had been economically important to the US
since the 1790s
By the mid-1800s, American-owned sugarplantations
made up about 75% of the islands’ wealth
In 1887, the US built a naval base at Pearl Harbor
13. Effects
The US Takes Hawaii
In 1891, American business
groups organized a revolution
& overthrew Queen
Liliuokalani
Sanford B. Dole was put in
charge of the new government
14. Effects
The US Takes Hawaii
President GroverCleveland recognized the Republic
of Hawaii & called fora vote of the Hawaiian people
On August 12, 1898, Congress made Hawaii an
American territory although Hawaiians were never
given the chance to vote
