Exploring The Territories Of The United States

Exploring The Territories Of The United States — page 3
The Panama Canal is the shipping channel that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean It is 48 miles 77 kilometers long The Spanish-American War made the United States a colonial power for the first time The war also served to unite the country and repair the enormous damage to national esteem resulting from the Civil War In the Spanish-American War President William McKinley was careful to give high-level commissions to former Confederate officers Officers and enlisted men from the South eagerly volunteered to show their patriotism and courage Although some Americans spoke out against what they viewed as an undemocratic tendency to expand into faraway places a general surge in nationalism occurred throughout the country The construction of the Panama Canal completed in 1914 also enhanced U S status abroad Although the people in some territories are U S citizens they cannot vote for the U S president and are limited in other respects In general territorial subjects live thousands of miles from American shores and are far poorer than citizens of any state Many of them rely upon U S military spending and tourism to keep their economies healthy 6