Chapter 27 13 Themes

Chapter 27

Empire and Expansion

Big ideas matter. Here are the most important themes for this chapter.

The over-arching theme of chapter 27 is that America took over new lands, mostly in the Caribbean and the Pacific.

1. The Spanish-American War saw the U.S. gain Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guantanomo Bay in Cuba, the Philippines, and other smaller islands.
2. The Philippines proved to be hard to handle since the Filipino people didn’t want the U.S. there. They waged a guerilla war and resented American control until it was turned back over to the Philippines after WWII.
3. The U.S. managed to get an “Open Door Policy” with China. This opened the Asian giant to international trade.
4. Teddy Roosevelt became a vigorous president who obtained and built the Panama Canal. His “Big Stick Policy” toward Latin America increased America’s influence, but also increased animosity toward the U.S.

Back to the themes index.