We have done it! We have reached the end of the nineteenth century with the beginning of the Spanish-American War. In the first of a string of episodes, we will be exploring the country's first overseas venture - war with Spain over its island possessions in the Caribbean and the Pacific. In the aftermath of the Civil War, the United States was already thinking beyond its continental borders. With the purchase of Alaska and new found influence in Samoa and the Hawaiian Islands, the United States was already considering what was next. With Spain's influence on a steep decline, there were an insurrection in Cuba which captured the attention of public opinion and those magnates who had invested heavily in the Cuban sugar industry. Uncertain whether to negotiate of go to war, Presidents Cleveland and McKinley proceeded carefully until events dictated their actions.

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