Help with thus question of maerican early and partcipation in the world war 2?

Question

what were the circumstances leading the u.s. to play a significant role on the world stage during and after the administration of president Mc kinley

Answer 1

Fragmented as this question is - - - -

America had always been a potential power but was quite wrapped up in subduing the natives for the bulk of the 1800's - - - President McKinley was the First Executive to authorize a war of liberation wrenching Cuba and The Philippines from a dominant European Power supposedly as a hyper-aggressive interpretation of The Monroe Doctrine, that countries in the America's would rule themselves. Fitting The Phillipines and Puerto Rico into that equation was more problematical - - -

Ultimately Cuba was allowed to form its own Government despite being covetted by Americans since the early 1800's.

Leaping to World War Two - - - at first sheer economics, how could a nation stavred for economic wealth turn down requests for arnaments & equipment? What made people mad was not that America was aiding Britain as early as 1938 with tehcnology & weapons was that America was not trading as freely with Germany .....

America's actual involvement in World War Two began with the need to protect American shipping from the threat of German U-Boats and thus there were 'incidents' all through 1941 including one US Destroyer torpedoed and a battleship targetted - - -

On December 7th 1941 the Japanese Empire attacked America - - - and that put those two countries at War - - - however it was Hitler who declared War against America, as an ally of Japan, another eample of Hitler's abject stupidity as a War Leader - - - yes America would have eventually declared War against Germany but it would have been more difficult, many Senators & Reps supported Germany even as war was raging and would have gladly demaned that America go solely against 'the Yellow Peril.' Little known fact - - - but there it is - - -

Peace.....

Answer 2

"The 1896 election was a realigning election that marked the beginning of the Progressive Era. McKinley presided over a return to prosperity after the Panic of 1893 and was reelected in 1900 after another intense campaign against Bryan, this one focused on foreign policy. As president, he fought the Spanish-American War. McKinley for months resisted the public demand for war, which was based on news of Spanish atrocities in Cuba, but was unable to get Spain to agree to implement reforms immediately. Later he annexed the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam, as well as Hawaii, and set up a protectorate over Cuba."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mckinley

"Although [William Jennings] Bryan never won an election after 1892, he continued to dominate the Democratic party. He strongly supported going to war with Spain in 1898, and volunteered for combat, arguing that "Universal peace cannot come until justice is enthroned throughout the world. Until the right has triumphed in every land and love reigns in every heart, government must, as a last resort, appeal to force.""

"After the war, Bryan came to denounce the imperialism that resulted from it. He strongly opposed the annexation of the Philippines (though he did support the Treaty of Paris that ended the war). He ran as an anti-imperialist in 1900, finding himself in an awkward alliance with Andrew Carnegie and other millionaire anti-imperialists. Republicans mocked Bryan as indecisive, or even a coward, a theme high school history teacher Henry Littlefield claimed was echoed in the portrayal of the Cowardly Lion in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900). In 1900, he combined anti-imperialism with free silver, saying:"

"The nation is of age and it can do what it pleases; it can spurn the traditions of the past; it can repudiate the principles upon which the nation rests; it can employ force instead of reason; it can substitute might for right; it can conquer weaker people; it can exploit their lands, appropriate their property and kill their people; but it cannot repeal the moral law or escape the punishment decreed for the violation of human rights."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Jennings_Bryan#War_and_Peace:_1898.E2.80.931900

"The Spanish-American War was a conflict between the Kingdom of Spain and the United States of America that took place from April to August 1898. It was caused by American demands that Spain resolve peacefully the insurrection in Cuba, which Spain was unable to do. The explosion of the American battleship "Maine" raised tensions but was not the main cause of the war, nor was "yellow journalism" in New York City that harped on Spanish atrocities. The war ended after quick, decisive naval and military victories for the United States in the Philippines and Cuba. Only 113 days after the outbreak of war, the Treaty of Paris, which ended the conflict, gave the United States ownership of the former Spanish colonies of Puerto Rico, the Philippines and Guam. The U.S. took control of Cuba, ended the insurrection, expelled the Spanish and granted independence there in 1902."

"The decisive event was probably the speech of Republican Senator Redfield Proctor in mid-March, thoroughly and calmly analyzing the situation and concluding war was the only answer. The business and religious communities, which had opposed war, now switched sides, leaving President William McKinley and Speaker of the House Thomas Brackett Reed almost alone. Thus, on April 11, McKinley asked Congress for authority to send American troops to Cuba for the purpose of ending the civil war there. On April 19, Congress passed joint resolutions proclaiming Cuba "free and independent" and disclaiming any intentions in Cuba, demanded Spanish withdrawal, and authorized the President to use as much military force as he thought necessary to help Cuban patriots gain freedom from Spain. (This was adopted by Congress from Senator Henry Teller of Colorado as the Teller Amendment, which passed unanimously.) In response, Spain broke off diplomatic relations with the United States, and declared war on April 23. On April 25, Congress declared that a state of war between the United States and Spain had existed since April 20 (later changed to April 21)."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish-American_War

"The [sinking of the Maine] was a precipitating cause of the Spanish-American War that began in April 1898 and which used the rallying cry, "Remember the Maine." The episode focused national attention on the crisis in Cuba but was not cited by the William McKinley administration as a casus belli, though it was cited by some who were already inclined to go to war with Spain over their atrocities and loss of control in Cuba."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Maine_%28ACR-1%29

"As Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Navy, [Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt, Jr.] prepared for and advocated war with Spain in 1898. He organized and helped command the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, the Rough Riders, during the Spanish-American War."

"Roosevelt understood the strategic significance of the Panama Canal, and negotiated for the U.S. to take control of its construction in 1904; he felt that the Canal's completion was his most important and historically significant international achievement. He was the first American to be awarded the Nobel Prize, winning its Peace Prize in 1906, for negotiating the peace in the Russo-Japanese War."

"Roosevelt was instrumental in preparing the Navy for the Spanish-American War and was an enthusiastic proponent of testing the U.S. military in battle, at one point stating "I should welcome almost any war, for I think this country needs one"."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt

"By 1899, the Philippine-American War ensued between the United States and the Philippine revolutionaries, which continued the violence of the previous years. The US proclaimed the war ended when Aguinaldo was captured by American troops on 1901-03-23, but the struggle continued until 1913."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines#History

"In the twentieth century the term "imperialism" also grew to apply to any historical or contemporary instance of a greater power acting, or being perceived to be acting, at the expense of a lesser power. Imperialism is therefore not only used to describe frank empire-building policies, such as those of the Romans, the Spanish or the British, but is also used controversially and/or disparagingly, for example to describe actions of the United States since the American Presidency's acquisition of overseas territory during the Spanish-American War."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperialism

""Empire" is a historical novel by Gore Vidal, published in 1987."

"One of Vidal's most rousing and comprehensive novels, it concerns [...] the years 1898 to 1904, portraying the conjunction of government and media in the creation of modern-day America. As with Vidal's other books of the American Chronicle series, the novel offers an insight into the journalism of the time, following the exploits of William Randolph Hearst in his efforts to displace Roosevelt as President in 1904. Following the events leading up to and following the ascension of Theodore Roosevelt to the Presidency."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_%281987_novel%29