1. Latin America and the Pacific
U.S. and Virginia History

2. Spanish American War
In 1898, Cuba was attempting to gain independence from Spain
We decided to intervene and help Cuba – naturally, this led to a war with Spain
The short war (it only lasted 10 weeks) was fought in both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean
The United States was victorious, leading the U.S. being recognized as a world power
The U.S. will also annex (gain) Puerto Rico and the Philippines as territories

3. Roosevelt and the Rough Riders
Teddy Roosevelt captured national attention by advocating for the Spanish American War in His volunteer cavalry brigade, the Rough Riders, won public acclaim for its role in the battle of San Juan Hill in Cuba.
Roosevelt returned a hero
and was soon elected governor
of NY and later president of the
U.S.

4. Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders

5. The Panama Canal
In 1903, Teddy Roosevelt encouraged the construction of a canal in Central America that would connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans – this became the Panama Canal
Once problem presented itself – that area of Central America belonged to Colombia
With the backing of the U.S., Panama rebelled and declared independence from Colombia
This rebellion meant that the United States would have sole control of the canal
Jerk move or smart move on our part?
The canal officially opened in 1914

6. Panama Canal Construction

7. Panama Canal Today

8. Hawaii
In 1898, the U.S. overthrew the monarchy of Hawaii and annexed the island
The man in charge of the annexation was a guy named Samuel Dole
Last name sound familiar? He was a planter. He liked fruit.
Most of Hawaii’s population was the native – due to racial tensions the U.S. would not make Hawaii a state until 1959

9. Open Door Policy
In the early 1900s, Secretary of State John Hay declared an Open Door Policy with China
The purpose of this policy was to keep trade with China open and equal to all countries (mainly the U.S. and Europe)
China continued to be exploited by Western countries for the next several decades and the U.S. gained greatly from trade