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U.S. Imperialism and Foreign Policy Key Terms

History30 CardsCreated 5 months ago

This deck covers key figures, policies, and events related to U.S. imperialism and foreign policy during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Alfred T. Mahan

Admiral who was an advocate for military expansion. He believed and wrote that only nations with strong militaries ruled the world.
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Key Terms

Term
Definition
Alfred T. Mahan
Admiral who was an advocate for military expansion. He believed and wrote that only nations with strong militaries ruled the world.
Theodore Roosevelt
26th President. Increased size of Navy, 'Great White Fleet'. Added Roosevelt Corollary to Monroe Doctrine. 'Big Stick' policy. Received Nobel Peace Pr...
Emilio Aguinaldo
Filipino freedom fighter who used Guerilla warfare tactics to fight against the Spanish, and later against the Americans.
Jingoism
Intense nationalism.
Imperialism
A policy in which a strong nation seeks to dominate other countries politically, socially, and economically.
Teller Amendment
Legislation that promised the US would not annex Cuba after winning the Spanish-American War.

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TermDefinition
Alfred T. Mahan
Admiral who was an advocate for military expansion. He believed and wrote that only nations with strong militaries ruled the world.
Theodore Roosevelt
26th President. Increased size of Navy, 'Great White Fleet'. Added Roosevelt Corollary to Monroe Doctrine. 'Big Stick' policy. Received Nobel Peace Prize for mediation of end of Russo-Japanese war. Later arbitrated split of Morocco between Germany and France.
Emilio Aguinaldo
Filipino freedom fighter who used Guerilla warfare tactics to fight against the Spanish, and later against the Americans.
Jingoism
Intense nationalism.
Imperialism
A policy in which a strong nation seeks to dominate other countries politically, socially, and economically.
Teller Amendment
Legislation that promised the US would not annex Cuba after winning the Spanish-American War.
Anti-Imperialist League
1898 - Opposed American annexation of Philippines and American imperialism in general; informed public of financial, military, and morale costs of imperialism.
William Jennings Bryan
Democratic presidential nominee in 1896, gave 'Cross of Gold' speech that supported Populist and free silver platform; did not support imperialism.
Spheres of Influence
Areas in which countries have some political and economic control but do not govern directly (ex. Europe and U.S. in China).
Big Stick Diplomacy
Diplomatic policy developed by Roosevelt where the 'big stick' symbolizes his power and readiness to use military force if necessary. It is a way of intimidating countries without actually harming them and was the basis of U.S. imperialistic foreign policy.
Platt Amendment
Legislation that severely restricted Cuba's sovereignty and gave the US the right to intervene if Cuba got into trouble.
Yellow Journalism
Journalism that exploits, distorts, or exaggerates the news to create sensations and attract readers.
White Man's Burden
Rudyard Kipling; it is the duty of more developed countries to civilize others.
Mark Twain
Author of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884); revealed the greed, violence, and racism in American society; did not support imperialism.
Open Door Policy
A policy proposed by the US in 1899, under which ALL nations would have equal opportunities to trade in China.
Roosevelt Corollary
Imperialistic policy of Teddy Roosevelt which depended on a strong military and asserted America as the police force of the Western Hemisphere.
Rough Riders
Volunteer regiment of U.S. Cavalry led by Teddy Roosevelt during the Spanish-American War.
Gentleman's Agreement
An informal agreement between the United States and the Empire of Japan whereby the U.S. would not impose restriction on Japanese immigration or students, and Japan would not allow further immigration to the U.S.
Seward's Folly
Purchase of Alaska.
USS Maine
'Start' of the Spanish-American War; exploded off the coast of Cuba and it was blamed on Spanish torpedoes; heightened by yellow journalists.
John Hay
Secretary of State under McKinley and Roosevelt who pioneered the Open Door Policy and Panama Canal.
George Dewey
A United States naval officer remembered for his victory at Manila Bay in the Spanish-American War.
Rudyard Kipling
British writer who wrote of 'The White Man's Burden' and justified imperialism.
Josiah Strong
Reverend and author who argued that it was the role of the racially superior Anglo-Saxon race to civilize and Christianize savage races.
Boxer Rebellion
1899 rebellion in Beijing, China started by a secret society of Chinese who opposed the 'foreign devils'. The rebellion was ended by British troops.
Queen Lil'
Queen of Hawaii before annexed by America.
Gunboat Diplomacy
Diplomacy in which the nations threaten to use force in order to obtain their objectives.
Matthew Perry
A commodore in the American navy. He forced Japan into opening its doors to trade, thus bringing western influence to Japan while showing American might.
Joseph Pulitzer
He used yellow journalism in competition with Hearst to sell more newspapers.
William Randolph Hearst
A leading newspaperman of his times, he ran The New York Journal and helped create and propagate 'yellow journalism'.