2) Annihilate, annihilation

1. Spread of railroads led to of Indian settlements.

2. In many regions Native American villages were , so today there

are few signs of Indian civilization left.

3) Exterminate, extermination, exterminator

a) of endangered species has to be prevented.

b) During World War II millions of Jews were in concentration

camps.

c) usually kills unwanted animals.

4) Magnify, magnification

1. If one a problem, s/he makes it more complex.

2. These binoculars have xl0 .

Chapter 3

Modern history the united states before, during and after world war I

The last decades of the 19^th and the first decades of the 20^th century saw the great rise of the United States – the country that before remained at the outskirts of the world was becoming the world's leader. Trying to expand its possessions overseas the USA acquired new lands in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. But European affairs did not allow the country to stay apart from the world's problems, so the USA had to enter World War I to protect its interests in Europe.

World War I changes many aspects of life in America – the industry and agriculture boomed, many women entered the working force and finally, after the war, got the right to vote. However, the economic boom ended with Great Depression, when millions of Americans lost their jobs and had to tramp over the country.

Becoming an Empire

The last decades of the 19^th century became also a period of imperial expansion for the United States, as the country extended its influence over widely scattered areas in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and into Central America.

After the end of the Civil War, which marked a temporarily interruption of America's expansionist course, the country again rose the banner of "Manifested Destiny". The doctrine of "Manifested Destiny", first used to justify America's continental expansion was now revived for extending American influence overseas.

The first territory America acquired beyond its continental borders was Alaska. This cold and sparsely populated territory was purchased from Russia in 1867 by Secretary of State William Seward. Many Americans, indignant at this action, referred to Alaska "Seward's Icebox", but the attitude changed when 30 years later gold was discovered on the Klondike River. The discovery attracted millions of Americans to the state, and many of them settled in Alaska permanently. In 1959, Alaska became the 49^th state to replace Texas as the largest state in the Union.

In 1898, the Spanish-American War extended American influence over the islands in the Caribbean Sea and in the Pacific Ocean. By the 1890s, Cuba and Puerto Rico remained under Spanish colonial rule, in 1895, Cuba began fighting for its independence. Americans sympathized with the Cuban patriots, besides they had invested money in the Cuban sugar industry and wanted to protect their industry and investments. The US neutrality was broken three years later, in 1898, when the US battleship Maine was destroyed in Havana harbor.

The blow of the Maine killed more than 250 American sailors, causing a wave of indignation all over the country. Though the Spanish denied that they were responsible for blowing up the Maine, most Americans blamed Spain. Although President McKinley tried to preserve peace, Congress declared Cuba free and independent, directing the President to use force.

The war with Spain lasted four months; it was fought in other Spanish colonies too. The Spanish, facing the resistance of the rebels and Americans, quickly sued for peace. In December, 1898, American and Spanish negotiators agreed on the peace terms independence for Cuba, cession of the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam to the United States, and American payment of $20 million to Spain for the new territory.

Thus the American empire now stretched deep into Asia, the USA held territory in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. To provide a quick transfer of warships from one ocean to the other President Theodore Roosevelt decided to built a canal across the Isthmus of Panama, the narrowest area of land between the two oceans.

The Panama Canal was completed in 1914, marking a major technological achievement of the time. People greeted the canal's opening the way people in the 1960s greeted the landing on the Moon.

Meanwhile the new territories acquired after the war were encouraged to move toward democratic self-government. The Philippines, which soon became an economic satellite of the USA, was proclaimed Commonwealth in 1936, and attained full independence in 1946.

The Hawaiian Islands were annexed by Congress aiming to acquire an important naval base at Pearl Harbor. In 1959, Hawaii became the 50^th state in the Union.

Though Cuba got nominal independence in 1902, American economic and political influence remained strong until the Cuban Revolution in 1959, when Fidel Castro established a regime with close ties to the Soviet Union.

Puerto Rico was made officially a US territory, its people got American citizenship. In 1952, its citizens chose a commonwealth status; and now they have all political and civil rights of any other citizen of the USA.