Why were american leaders so interested in the Pacific Islands in the late 1800's?

---

They were interested in making our country wealthier by increasing commerce with other countries, especially with China. The U.S. is isolated from the rest of the world by water, so commerce with most other countries requires that goods be transported by ships. Back in the late 1800s, ships were fueled by coal, and ships which went on long cruises needed to be refueled, because they couldn’t carry enough coal for the entire, round-trip journey. The U.S. wanted to do what other industrialized countries were doing: Build coaling stations on islands which were on the shipping routes.
Vincent | Nov 16, 2009

Allgemein | Comment (0)