How did the United States and United Kingdom become allies?

Due to the shared history and culture between the United States and Great Britain, it seems a natural alliance exists between the two countries. The two countries share a common language, similar religious traditions, and comparable legal and political systems. Today, the countries consider one another as their most important allies in the world.

The birth of an Anglo-American alliance may well have taken place during the Spanish-American War. The decades that followed the Civil War were not considered friendly between the two powers. The United States was bitter about Britain's neutrality during the Civil War among other things.  During the Spanish-American War, however, Great Britain supported the United States.  Soon thereafter, United States supported Great Britain in the Boer War. Both countries worked together to suppress the Boxer Rebellion in China and shared similar goals in the East during this period.

Despite some of these early relations, the most important development in the relationship between England and the United States occurred in the World Wars. This is particularly true of World War II when Britain was faced with the task of being the last great power facing Hitler's Nazi Germany. The United States and Britain fought together to ensure victory in North Africa, Italy, and Western Europe in World War II. They would solidify their partnership during the Cold War as the two most important members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.