Dewey’s success in Manila led to the annexation of Hawaii in July 1898 under McKinley. Queen Liliuokalani had first been overthrown by U.S. Marines in 1892 but when Pres. Grover Cleveland came into office he rejected the treaty of annexation. The navy then set their sights on another annexation, one that would serve as a coaling base: Guam, a Spanish island in the central Pacific. The desire to have a global navy became apparent and so was Pres. McKinley’s new ambition, “We must keep all we get; when the war is over we must keep what we want.” (America: A Concise History 2015) A strategic base in the Caribbean was also in the works, pointing to Puerto Rico. The goal was now acquisition, a reflection of the widely held belief in that period
