The United States became an imperial power at the end of the 1890s. The United States wanted to gain colonies around the world. We knew we probably were going to have to go to war to do this. When we learned about how poorly the Spanish were treating the people of Cuba, we wanted to help the people of Cuba. After a series of incidents, we went to war against Spain in 1898. As a result of the Spanish-American War, we got Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines from Spain. We were now a world power.
As we became a world power, we needed to build up our navy. We knew that world powers must be able to protect their trade. We also knew that world powers needed bases around the world where their ships could stop, resupply, and refuel. Thus, the Great White Fleet was built to develop and show off our naval power. This fleet was used to help Panama become independent. It also sailed around the world to show the military might of the United States.
By defeating Spain in the Spanish-American War and by building up our navy, the United States became a world power in the 1890s.
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