Samoan Incident
Samoan Incident (1888–89).The Samoan Islands, which lay on an important sealane, were the site of a war scare in the 1880s between Germany and the United States as both nations expanded into the Pacific. Some historians see the crisis as a critical turning point in U.S. foreign policy, a harbinger of American overseas expansionism.
In 1878, Washington secured a coaling station at the harbor of Pago Pago on Tutuila in exchange for protection against other foreign powers. However, Berlin also sought territory, particularly Apia Harbor on Upolu, and in December 1888, when German ships shelled Apia, British and American warships confronted them. Expansionist secretary of state James Blaine threatened Germany, and Congress voted $500,000 to protect U.S. interests. But early in March 1889, the three nations agreed to a conference in Berlin.
On 16 March, a hurricane hit Apia, destroying all three U.S....
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