Congress enacts the Platt Amendment as part of the Army Appropriations Act, stipulating seven conditions for withdrawal of U.S. troops remaining in Cuba after the Spanish-American War, plus an eighth condition requiring Cuba to sign a treaty accepting these conditions. The amendment, spearheaded by …
William McKinleyOrville H. PlattElihu RootLeonard WoodCuban Constituent Assembly+1 moregilded-ageimperialismregime-changecubaterritorial-control+1 more
The Siege of Peking begins as the anti-foreign, anti-imperialist Boxer movement (Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists) surrounds foreign legations in Beijing, trapping diplomats and missionaries including 56 American sailors and Marines from USS Oregon and USS Newark. The siege triggers …
Secretary of State John Hay issues a diplomatic circular to Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, and Russia articulating the “Open Door” policy for China, advocating three principles: (1) no power would interfere with trading rights of other nations within its sphere of …
John HayWilliam Woodville RockhillWilliam McKinleyAmerican Asiatic AssociationEuropean imperial powers+1 moregilded-ageimperialismcorporate-powertrade-policychina+1 more
Fighting erupts between U.S. forces and Filipino independence fighters led by Emilio Aguinaldo, transforming America’s supposed “liberation” of the Philippines from Spain into a brutal three-year war of imperial conquest. The conflict begins just two days before the Senate ratifies …
Emilio AguinaldoWilliam McKinleyU.S. Army forcesPhilippine independence movementFilipino civiliansgilded-ageimperialismwar-crimesmilitary-atrocitiescounterinsurgency+1 more
President McKinley signs the Newlands Resolution (House Joint Resolution 259) annexing the Hawaiian Islands, legitimizing a corporate coup d’état executed five years earlier by American sugar planters who overthrew the constitutional monarchy of Queen Liliuokalani. The annexation occurs …
William McKinleySanford B. DoleQueen LiliuokalaniSugar plantation ownersCommittee of Safety+1 moregilded-ageimperialismcorporate-powerregime-changeterritorial-expansion+1 more
The Spanish-American War’s largest scandal erupts as U.S. Army soldiers receive widespread distribution of extremely low-quality, heavily adulterated beef products from Chicago meatpacking corporations. General Nelson Miles denounces the meat as “embalmed beef,” describing how …
Russell A. AlgerWilliam McKinleyArmour & CoSwift & CoMorris & Co+2 moregilded-agecorruptionwar-profiteeringspanish-american-warcorporate-negligence+1 more
The United States declares war on Spain following the April 20 ultimatum demanding Spanish withdrawal from Cuba, launching what Secretary of State John Hay will call “a splendid little war” that transforms America into a global imperial power. Spain had severed diplomatic ties on April …
William McKinleyTheodore RooseveltU.S. NavySpanish EmpireCuban revolutionariesgilded-ageimperialismspanish-american-warmilitary-interventionterritorial-expansion
An explosion tears through the hull of the USS Maine anchored in Havana Harbor, Cuba, sinking the ship and killing 266 American sailors. Sober observers and an initial report by the colonial government of Cuba conclude the explosion occurred on board, but newspaper magnates William Randolph Hearst …
William Randolph HearstJoseph PulitzerNew York JournalNew York WorldUSS Maine crew+1 moregilded-agemedia-manipulationimperialismpropagandaspanish-american-war
President McKinley signs the Dingley Tariff Act into law, establishing the highest protective tariffs in U.S. history at an average of 52% in its first year of operation (57% increase on average). The act shields domestic industries from foreign competition by hiking duties on sugar, salt, tin cans, …
William McKinleyNelson Dingley Jr.Republican PartyIndustrial trustsManufacturing corporationsgilded-agecorporate-powereconomic-policyprotectionismmonopoly-power
William McKinley defeats William Jennings Bryan to win the presidency in what becomes a watershed moment in American campaign finance, powered by Republican National Committee Chairman Mark Hanna’s revolutionary systematic fundraising from corporations. The Ohio industrialist, shipping …
William McKinleyMark HannaStandard OilJohn D. RockefellerRepublican National Committee+1 moregilded-agecampaign-financecorruptioncorporate-powerelectoral-politics+1 more