In the late 1800s, Imperialism was a popular concept. Imperialism is one country directly taking territory from another country or indirectly controlling that country’s politics or economy. The idea was popular because many nations were producing more goods than they could consume within their borders. Great Britain, established so many colonies in so many other countries that a popular saying of the time was, “The sun never sets on the British Empire.”

Imperialism led to conflicts between nations. For example, people in the United States were upset because Spain controlled Cuba, a small island close to the United States. The Spanish government treated the Cubans badly and built camps in which native Cubans were forced to live. Many U.S. newspapers called for the U.S. government to do something about the situation. In response, the government sent a warship, the USS Maine, to Havana Harbor. On February 15, 1898, the ship exploded and killed two hundred sixty American sailors. A team of experts from the United States said that the ship had hit a mine. Spanish officials said that the explosion came from inside the ship. Today we know the Spanish were correct, but in 1898 U.S. citizens were outraged and cried out for war.

The Spanish American War was short and popular in the United States. Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt resigned his post and organized the “Rough Riders,” who traveled to Florida to board a ship for Cuba. In Florida the men learned there was not enough room on board the ship for everyone’s horses, only the officers’ horses. The group was still determined to fight and changed its name to “The Weary Walkers.” In Cuba the group fought fearlessly and took San Juan Hill during a battle.

In the Pacific, Admiral George Dewey sailed into Manila Bay in the Philippines and attacked the Spanish fleet there. He easily defeated the fleet and claimed the Philippines for the United States. The United States won the war in only 113 days and gained territory in Guam and Puerto Rico. Cuba won its independence. The war established the United States as a major world power and made Teddy Roosevelt a hero who would later become president.