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1898. American Imperialism was the belief that America should expand its influence to other countries. The "Big Stick Diplomacy" was a political approach that we used. It was obtained from a phrase Theodore Roosevelt used to say, "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." It basically meant that we would try to negotiate peacefully but have the power of our great navy behind us: the "big stick". This event affected the US and the world because it made us more confident to try and take over other countries and put them under our influence. It was a big part of the Spanish-American War and our decision to take the Phillippines from them.

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In the late 1890s, two newspapers in New York City, the New York World and the New York Journal, were fighting against each other for readers. They began exaggerating headlines and focusing on topics like crime, scandal, sports, and violence. They would sensationalize minor news.

Yellow journalism affected America and the world because it influenced people's opinions concerning the Spanish-American War. It exaggerated the destruction of the USS Maine, making unverified claims that the Spanish had destroyed it. This influence pushed people to want to go to war with the Spanish. Yellow journalism affected things badly for Spain. It was one of the factors that made them eventually lose the islands they owned to America.

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Spain was in control of Cuba, Guam, and the Philippines. In 1895, Cuba began revolting against Spain. Meanwhile in America, yellow journalism was exaggerating the activities that were happening in Cuba to sell more newspapers. Americans began supporting the Cubans.

In 1898, the US navy sent the USS Maine to Havana. It was sunk by an explosion. The US thought that the Spanish had done it, and that knowledge combined with the yellow journalism made the demand for war against Spain irresistible. They both declared war on each other.

The United States won and acquired Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. We gained a lot more land and resources because of the war. However, the war began the issue of imperialism and split us into two different sides: the side that supported imperialism and the side that did not.

This affected the US because the citizens had two differing opinions of imperialism. This affected the world because it showed them that we were not afraid to expand our power.

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The Panama Canal was a canal built by the French and US, made to provide a direct and faster route between the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. The French began construction of the canal in 1881 and quit construction in 1889 because of the high death rate and engineering problems. The US continued construction in 1904 and opened the canal in 1914.

The US wanted to finish building the Panama Canal because of the military and economic advantages they would gain. They wanted a quicker and easier way to get their naval military forces from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans without having to go all the way around. The Panama Canal basically cut the trip in half. This also helped our defense capabilities because we could defend both sides of the continent more easily. A few economic advantages was the travel time was cut by almost half, which lowered shipping costs. It also helped the US control many trade routes between Europe and Asia because going through the Panama Canal was the fastest way.

This affected the US because it lowered shipping costs, increased income because of the number of ships passing through, and made our naval forces even more powerful.

This also affected the rest of the world because it made global trade much faster and easier, but created some conflicts with the Latin America countries, because they thought that the US's control over the Panama Canal was imperialism.

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New Innovations or Weapons from the War: 1914-1918

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New Innovations or Weapons from the War: 1914-1918

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Many relatively new inventions were used by both sides in WWI, like machine guns, tanks, and chemicals.

Machine guns were invented in 1884. They were often used in the war. They could fire 600 bullets per minute with a range of more than 1,000 yards. This gave a good advantage to the defense because these rapid-fire weapons could destroy the other side's offense.

Tanks were invented in 1915 by Britain and first used in battle in 1916. They were able to cross rough terrain, squash barbed wire, and withstand arms fire. They were able to push through enemy lines and protect their troops.

There were quite a few different chemical weapons invented in WWI. Most of them were created to kill many people in one area. A few of the chemicals created were chlorine, phosgene, and mustard gas. They were used as liquids in artillery shells, which would break on impact. The liquid would then evaporate. Chlorine and phosgene were very deadly and affected the lungs, while mustard gas caused painful chemical burns.

I think the weapons affected the US because the invention of all these new weapons affected the US's industry. We began producing many of these new weapons to use in the war and helped with the growth of the US economy during the war. I also think it helped our economy as a whole because these inventions paved the way for more inventions later on.

I think these weapons affected the world as a whole because there were a lot more deaths on the battlefield once the weapons were introduced. Machine guns and chemical agents were especially deadly and dangerous, as they could kill many people at one time. However, just like in the US, it also boosted many economies because of the need for weapons.

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U.S. Involvement in World War I : Began in 1917

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U.S. Involvement in World War I : Began in 1917

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The United States joined World War 1 officially on April 6, 1917. They had been involved with the Allies for months before that, though, giving them supplies, money, and materials. One of the main reasons they joined the war almost three years after it had started was because, in 1916, the German forces had been sinking some of our boats. President Wilson had threatened to cut all diplomatic relationships with Germany unless they stopped attacking passenger ships. The Germans agreed, but in 1917, they began attacking ships again. They sank many ships and also sent the Zimmermann Telegram to Mexico, asking for their support in the war. The US government decided to go to war.

We were fighting in the war for over a year, helping on the sea, land, and with supplies and money, until November 11th, 1918, when Germany signed an armistice.

This affected the US because it made citizens ration their food and supplies, took away their freedom of speech, and made over 4.7 million US citizens fight. Its role in the world was that US involvement caused the war to be won faster and with fewer deaths on the Allies' side.

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The Sedition Act of 1918 extended the Espionage Act of 1917. It was supposed to help prevent disloyalty against the US during WW1. It made it a crime to speak, write, or publish anything that could ignite any kind of rebellion or disloyalty toward the US government, military, and constitution. People who broke this law could pay up to 10,000$ and face up to 20 years in prison.

This affected the US because it took away our right to free speech. Many people thought it was a violation of the First Amendment, and many people were opposed to the law. This also affected the rest of the world because the news in American newspapers was very restricted. The only news that was allowed was the news that the US wanted. This could be either good or bad, depending on which side you were on. If you were Germany, there was no news you could use from the US to help you, but if you were the Allies, none of your plans were being leaked.

These laws were created to try and prevent people from saying anything that could help the opposing side in the war, but also restricted free speech and any opposing thoughts about the US government or the war in general.

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The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty signed on June 28th, 1919, between Germany and the Allied powers. It was signed in the Palace of Versailles, but the US never signed it. It put the whole blame on Germany for the war. They were forced to take responsibility, pay huge reparations to the Allies, give up a bunch of their land, cut down their military, and give away all their overseas colonies.

The League of Nations was a part of the Treaty of Versailles. The League of Nations was an international organization. It was supposed to help reduce future conflicts, but it was not as powerful as it should have been because the US never joined it. The Senate never approved the decision, even though President Wilson was one of the creators of the League of Nations. Most people didn't want to join because they thought they would lose independence and wanted to stay out of foreign conflicts in the future.

I think these things affected the US because we made separate peace treaties with Germany because we didn't like the League of Nations. So, instead, we signed the Treaty of Berlin with them. This made it so we kept our independence but also isolated ourselves from European countries.

These things affected the rest of the world because the US didn't like the League of Nations, so we didn't sign the Treaty, and the League was way weaker. Also, the Treaty of Versailles had a big impact on Germany. Their economy basically collapsed, and it made a lot of Germans harbor resentment because they didn't think the war was entirely their fault. This showed up 20 years later in WW2.

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American Imperialism:

Kennan, George, et al. “U.S. imperialism.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._imperialism. Accessed 9 March 2025.

Wanamaker, J. “Big stick ideology.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_stick_ideology. Accessed 9 March 2025.

Spanish-American War:

Degetau, Frederico. “Spanish–American War.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish%E2%80%93American_War. Accessed 9 March 2025.

“Spanish-American War - Philippines, Cuba, Conflict.” Britannica, 15 February 2025, https://www.britannica.com/event/Spanish-American-War/Fighting-in-the-Philippines-and-Cuba. Accessed 9 March 2025.

Yellow Journalism:

“Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations.” Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations - Office of the Historian, https://history.state.gov/milestones/1866-1898/yellow-journalism. Accessed 9 March 2025.

“Yellow journalism.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_journalism. Accessed 9 March 2025.

U.S. Involvement in World War I:

“Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations.” Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations - Office of the Historian, https://history.state.gov/milestones/1914-1920/wwi. Accessed 9 March 2025.

Wikipedia. “United States in World War 1.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_in_World_War_I. Accessed 9 March 2025.

Treaty of Versailles:

“Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations.” Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations - Office of the Historian, https://history.state.gov/milestones/1914-1920/paris-peace. Accessed 9 March 2025.

“Treaty of Peace with Germany (Treaty of Versailles), 1919.” U.S. Capitol - Visitor Center, https://www.visitthecapitol.gov/artifact/treaty-peace-germany-treaty-versailles-1919. Accessed 9 March 2025.

“Treaty of Versailles.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Versailles. Accessed 9 March 2025.

The Home Front during World War I:

“Espionage Act of 1917 and Sedition Act of 1918 (1917-1918) | Constitution Center.” The National Constitution Center, https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/historic-document-library/detail/espionage-act-of-1917-and-sedition-act-of-1918-1917-1918. Accessed 9 March 2025.

“Sedition Act of 1918.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedition_Act_of_1918. Accessed 9 March 2025.

Panama Canal:

Brenner, Victor D. “Panama Canal.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal. Accessed 9 March 2025.

de Lesseps, Ferdinand. “Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations.” Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations - Office of the Historian, https://history.state.gov/milestones/1899-1913/panama-canal. Accessed 9 March 2025.

“Panama Canal | Definition, History, Ownership, Treaty, Map, Locks, & Facts.” Britannica, 5 March 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Panama-Canal. Accessed 9 March 2025.

New Innovations or Weapons from the War:

“How Britain Invented The Tank In The First World War.” Imperial War Museums, https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/how-britain-invented-the-tank-in-the-first-world-war. Accessed 9 March 2025.

“Military Technology in World War I | Articles & Essays | Newspaper Pictorials: World War I Rotogravures, 1914-1919 | Digital Collections.” Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/collections/world-war-i-rotogravures/articles-and-essays/military-technology-in-world-war-i/. Accessed 9 March 2025.

“World War I - Technology, 1914, Arms Race.” Britannica, 6 March 2025, https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-I/Technology-of-war-in-1914. Accessed 9 March 2025.

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The concept of a vehicle to provide troops with both mobile protection and firepower was not a new one. But in the First World War, the increasing availability of the internal combustion engine, armour plate and the continuous track, as well as the problem of trench warfare, combined to facilitate the production of the tank.

The name 'tank' came from British attempts to ensure the secrecy of the new weapons under the guise of water tanks. During the First World War, Britain began the serious development of the tank. Ironically, the Royal Navy led the way with the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, establishing the Landships Committee in early 1915.

The military combined with engineers and industrialists and by early 1916 a prototype was adopted as the design of future tanks. Britain used tanks in combat for the first time in the Battle of Flers-Courcelette on 15 September 1916.

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How Britain Invented The Tank In The First World War

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The concept of a vehicle to provide troops with both mobile protection and firepower was not a new one. But in the First World War, the increasing availability of the internal combustion engine, armour plate and the continuous track, as well as the problem of trench warfare, combined to facilitate the production of the tank.