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Unit 2: Empire & Expansion

Terms in this set (45)

Imperialism
The policy in which stronger nations extend their economic, political, or military control over weaker territories
Reasons for Imperialism
Desire for Military Strength
Thirst for New Markets
Belief in Cultural Superiority
Great White Fleet
Name for the steam-powered ships of the enlarged and modernized American Navy of the early 1900s.
Alfred T. Mahan
Author who argued in 1890 that the economic future of the United States rested on new overseas markets protected by a larger navy; wrote "The Influence of Sea Power Upon History."
Annexation of Hawaii
The U.S. acquisition of the Hawaiian islands in 1898; led by American businessmen on the islands after a new nationalist queen took the throne & proposed removing the property owning qualifications for voting
Key Figures
Queen Liliuokalani; Sanford Dole
Cuban War of Independence
Continued sporadically between 1868 and 1898, as Cubans fought to break from the Spanish Empire; by this time Cuba and the Philippines remained the only two Spanish colonies of the once massive Spanish Empire
Key Figures:
José Martí, General Valeriano Weyler
Reconcentration Policy
Policy in which Spain moved rural Cubans into camps to prevent them from giving aid or recruits to the rebels who were fighting for independence
Key Figures:
General Valeriano Weyler
Yellow Journalism
Journalism that exploits, distorts, or exaggerates the news to create sensations and attract readers.
Key Figures:
William Randolph Hearst, Joseph Pulitzer
De Lôme Letter
Letter which criticized William McKinley by calling him weak and concerned only with gaining the favor of the crowd; publication of the letter helped generate public support for a war with Spain
Key Figures:
Enrique Dupuy de Lôme, William McKinley, William Randolph Hearst
USS Maine
U.S. battleship that exploded in Havana Harbor killing 268 men; American newspapers and the United States Naval Court of Inquiry blamed a Spanish mine; led to a declaration of war against Spain in 1898
Key Figures:
William Randolph Hearst
Rough Riders
Volunteer regiment of US Cavalry led by Theodore Roosevelt during the Spanish American War; their victory at Kettle Hill cleared the way for the U.S. to take San Juan Hill and end the Spanish American War
Treaty of Paris of 1898
Treaty ending the Spanish-American War; Spain granted independence to Cuba, ceded Puerto Rico and Guam to the United States, and sold the Philippines to the United States for $20 million
Insular Cases (1901)
U.S. Supreme Court case which ruled that the Constitution did not automatically apply to people in acquired territories; instead Congress determines their rights
Platt Amendment (1901)
Amendment added to the Cuban Constitution in 1901 giving the U.S. the right to intervene on the island and to buy or lease land on the island for naval stations and refueling stations; remained in effect until 1932
Philippine-American War (1899-1902)
Continuation of the Philippine struggle for independence; when Filipinos resorted to guerilla warfare American forces responded by moving the rural population into designated zones where more than 200,000 died; fighting ended in 1902 but the Philippines remained under American until 1946
Key Figures:
Emilio Aguinaldo
Anti-Imperialist League
Group formed in 1898 to oppose the U.S. annexation of the Philippines; claimed that imperialism violated the fundamental principle that just republican government must derive from "consent of the governed"
Key Figures:
Mark Twain, Jane Addams, Andrew Carnegie, Samuel Gompers
Open Door Policy
U.S. policy of promoting equal opportunity for international trade and commerce in China, and respect for China's administrative and territorial integrity
Key Figures:
William McKinley, John Hay
Boxer Rebellion (1900)
An anti-imperialist, anti-foreign, and anti-Christian uprising in China; ended by an international force that included Americans; ultimately, China agreed to pay more than $330 million in reparations to those countries
Gunboat Diplomacy
A foreign policy that is supported by the use or threat of military force; "speak softly and carry and big stick"
Key Figures:
Theodore Roosevelt
Panama Canal
Water passage across the isthmus of Panama linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
Key Figures:
Theodore Roosevelt
Roosevelt Corollary
Roosevelt's extension of the Monroe Doctrine stating that the United States has the right to protect its economic interests in South and Central America through the use of military force
Key Figures:
Theodore Roosevelt
Dollar Diplomacy
A foreign policy that uses a country's financial power to extend its international influence
Key Figures:
William Howard Taft
Moral Diplomacy
A foreign policy in which support is denied to any country that was as oppressive, undemocratic, or hostile to U.S. interests; also known as "Missionary Diplomacy"
Key Figures:
Woodrow Wilson
Mexican Revolution (1910-1920)
Armed rebellion in which the Mexican people fought for political and social reform; the U.S. intervened in order to ensure a government favorable to American interests and to capture rebel leader "Pancho" Villa after he killed Americans in several border towns
Key Figures:
"Pancho" Villa
Causes of World War I
Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism (MAIN)
Nationalism
Extreme patriotism often marked by a feeling of superiority over other countries
Militarism
The development of armed forces and their use as a tool of diplomacy
Allied Powers
Britain, France, Russia and their allies during World War I
Central Powers
Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and their allies during World War I
Trench Warfare
A form of warfare in which opposing armies fight each other from trenches dug in the battlefield
Lusitania Incident (1915)
The British ocean liner sunk by a German submarine, killing more than 100 Americans onboard
Zimmerman Note (1917)
Communication intercepted by U.S. officials stating that Germany would help Mexico take back territory lost if they declared war on the United States
Committee of Public Information
Government agency created to popularize World War I through the publication of propaganda, including posters & movies; also known as the Creel Committee
Selective Service Act (1917)
Law authorizing the U.S. government to draft troops into military service for World War I
American Expeditionary Force
Name given to U.S. troops sent to Europe during World War I
Key Figures:
General John Pershing
War Industries Board
Government agency established to coordinate the purchase of war supplies during World War I
War Labor Board
Government agency created to oversee labor disputes during World War I; essentially prohibited strikes while encouraging progressive goals such as higher wages, an 8-hour work day, & unionization
Great Migration
The movement of African Americans out of the South and into the North during and after World War I
Food Administration
Government agency created to help produce and conserve food during World War I; relied on voluntary compliance; resulted in increased farm production & food exports to the Allies
Espionage & Sedition Acts (1917-1918)
Laws passed during World War I limiting many forms of speech including that which was considered to be disloyal or disruptive to the war effort
Schneck v. United States (1919)
Supreme Court case which held that the government can limit speech if the speech provokes a "clear and present danger"
Fourteen Points
War aims outlined by Woodrow Wilson at the end of World War I; called for self-determination, freedom of the seas, free trade, end to secret agreements, reduction of arms and a league of nations; mostly rejected by European leaders
Treaty of Versailles (1919)
Peace treaty that ended World War I
War-Guilt Clause
Statement in the Treaty of Versailles that blamed Germany for the outbreak of World War I; forced Germany to pay reparations totaling $31 billion to the Allies & accept severe military restrictions & loss of territory
League of Nations
The organization founded after World War I to provide a forum to resolve international disputes and prevent future wars
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