Others in the Pacific Wake, Midway, and Guam (and Samoa
too)
Slide 2
Secretary of State William H. Seward Secretary of State under
Lincoln Johnson He envisioned a GREAT EMPIRE and wanted to annex
Canada Hawaii Several Caribbean islands Virgin Islands Dominican
Republic Several Pacific islands Alaska Our population is destined
to roll its resistless waves to the icy barriers of the north, and
to encounter oriental civilization on the shores of the Pacific.
~William Seward
Slide 3
What do you think almost happen to him? Had been in serious
carriage accident just nine days earlier - close to death -
bedridden Night of Lincolns assassination (PLAN included hitting
top officials in administration) One of the co-conspirators - Lewis
Powell (aka Lewis Paine) Talked his way into the Seward house -
Pretending that he was delivering medicine - Stopped on the stairs
by Seward's son, Frederick Lewis Panicked attacking Frederick and
dashing into the Secretary of State's bedroom. He stabbed Seward
multiple times, injured another of Seward's sons and his bodyguard,
and retreated into the night thinking he had mortally wounded the
Secretary of State. It was only after Powell was captured the next
day that he discovered that Seward was still alive; Seward went on
to make a full recovery
Slide 4
US claimed the islands of Midway (1867) and Wake* (1899) in the
Pacific. * The claim is currently disputed by the Republic of
Marshall Islands - sovereignty over Wake (boundary dispute)
Slide 5
1)Northwest of Hawaii and approximately half way between the
West coast of the United States and Japan 2)Perfect way station for
both military and merchant vessels. 3)Islands uninhabited little
stood in the way of the United States annexing the islands
4)Established Naval and Air bases - airstrip and a few Air Force
buildings Why Midway and Wake? LOCATIONPRIME LOCATION! This marks
Americas first annexation of a territory not on the North American
continent 3
Slide 6
Island WAS occupied however escalating tensions between
competing Samoan warlords AND it wasnt only US looking there -
Britain and Germany - Three powers met in Berlin - Split the
islands into three different protectorates. *To diffuse tensions,
and possibly war All this was done without consulting the local
Samoans. HistoriansHad the United States not previously expanded
its control into Hawaii and Midway they would not have had the
leverage and strength within the region grab themselves a share of
these valuable islands. American Samoa still exists as a territory
of the United States (Refueling Station) Samoa Annexed the area in
1889.
Slide 7
Guam Why? 1)The strategic position 2)Nature of the land itself.
1)Northern half - plateau of coral formation, 2)Southern half -
hilly Guam mattered to Spain, the country that had claimed the
island since 1668 Inhabited primarily by the native Chamorro While
President McKinley unabashedly admitted he couldn't find the
Philippine Islands on a map "within 2,000 miles", Guam was even
harder to find
Slide 8
Guam was ceded to the United States by the Treaty of Paris
ended the Spanish American War in 1898 and formally purchased from
Spain for $20 million in 1899. At the time of the turnover, the
local population of Guam about 10,000 inhabitants. U.S. President
William McKinley issued an executive order placing Guam within the
administration of the Department of Navy. Under Navy
administration, Guam experienced many improvements in the areas of
agriculture, public health, sanitation, education, land management,
taxes, and public works. The U.S. Navy continued to use Guam as a
refueling and communication station until 1941, when it fell to
invading Japanese forces shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Still a territory of the US today
Slide 9
Nowlets turn our attentions to another attention-grabbing
area
Slide 10
Purchase of Alaska March 30, 1867 Secretary of State William H.
Seward agreed to purchase Alaska from Russia for bargain price $7.2
million ($0.02 per acre). At the time, critics thought Seward was
crazy and called the deal "Seward's folly." Seward was laughed at
for his willingness to spend so much on "Seward's icebox"
Slide 11
Background Why buy an ice box? Seward had wanted to buy Alaska
for a long time. #1 - so large would increase the size of the U.S.
by nearly 20 percent. Who was there already? Russia FIRST OFFER TO
SELL during President James Buchanan's administration...But the
Civil War stalled negotiations. After the war, it was not easy for
Seward to convince the Senate that Alaska would be an important
addition to the United States.