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Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Signed
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo officially ended the Mexican-American War. By the terms of the treaty, the US would pay Mexico 15 million dollars in exchange for half of New Mexico, most of Arizona, large portions of California, Nevada, and Utah and Colorado. Some factions of Congress, particularly the Whig Party opposed the treaty, as well as the idea of Manifest Destiny in general. -
Gadsden Purchase Approved by Mexico
The Gadsden Purchase provided nearly 30,000 square miles of land to the United States from Mexico. The land was later used for a transcontinental railroad. -
Seward's Folly
America buys the Alaska territory from Russia. The land came at only two cents an acre, but was still derided by many in Congress as a foolish mistake. -
US Interventions
Between 1890 and 1920, the United States participated in numerous interventions of foreign affairs, usually with military force to protect US interests in a particular region. -
Spanish-American War
The Spanish-American War was an 1898 conflict between the United States and Spain that ended Spanish colonial rule in the Americas and resulted in U.S. acquisition of territories in the western Pacific and Latin America. These territories formed the backbone of the "American Empire" -
Philippine-American War
The US fought for the land in the Philippines, exhibiting a new mindset towards imperialism. After the Spanish-American War, the Philippines were ceded to America for 20 million USD, but the natives were not enthusiastic. -
Hawaii Annexed
America's annexation of Hawaii in 1898 extended U.S. territory into the Pacific and highlighted resulted from economic integration and the rise of the United States as a Pacific power. Hawaii was a key provisioning spot for American whaling ships, had "fertile ground" for American protestant missionaries, and became a new source of sugar cane production. Soon, Hawaii's economy became integrated with the United States'. -
Open Door Policy in China
This, proposed by the US, aimed to secure international agreement to the U.S. policy of promoting equal opportunity for international trade and commerce in China, and respect for China’s administrative and territorial integrity. British and American policies toward China had long operated under similar principles, but in 1900, it became the official U.S. policy towards the Far East in the first half of the 20th century. -
Roosevelt Corollary
This was President Theodore Roosevelt's addition to the Monroe Doctrine. It justified American intervention in foreign affairs, by making America a sort of international police force. -
Great White Fleet
The Great White Fleet was composed of America's best battleships. They toured the world during Roosevelt's presidency, showing off America's might to the world.
