U.S. Imperialism and World War I Review

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering late 19th-century U.S. imperialism, the Spanish-American War, domestic mobilization during World War I, and post-war peace treaties.

Which foreign policy tool did the U.S. government use to acquire the Oregon Territory from Great Britain?

Diplomacy.

Why did realists support territorial expansion in the 1800s?

They believed it would eliminate some foreign threats.

Which belief is NOT an argument in support of imperialism?

The belief that the United States should respect other people's right to liberty.

What policy did the United States adopt when war broke out between France and Great Britain in 1793?

Neutrality.

How did railroad monopolies create economic hardships for farmers in the late 1800s?

By charging high prices to ship agricultural goods to market.

How did mass media outlets in the late 1800s practice yellow journalism?

They sensationalized the news by stretching the truth in order to sell more newspapers.

How did the outcome of the Spanish-American War change U.S. foreign policy?

It shifted U.S. foreign policy toward imperialism.

What factor increased U.S. public opinion in favor of war with Spain to free Cuba?

The publication of the de Lôme letter.

Why did many Americans sympathize with the Cuban rebels prior to the Spanish-American War?

Americans viewed Cuba's struggle against Spain as a version of the American Revolution.

Why did the battles of the Spanish-American War begin in the Philippines instead of Cuba?

The Philippines represented Spain's largest remaining colony, and resistance was already brewing there.

What caused the Battle of Manila Bay to be a decisive U.S. victory?

The Spanish ships did not have powerful enough weapons to respond to the American attack.

What were the Rough Riders?

A volunteer regiment made up of college athletes and western cowboys.

What was the Open Door Policy proposed by the United States in 1899?

An approach that urged other nations to allow free trade in China, where China was facing an imperialism frenzy.

What aspect of foreign policy did President William Howard Taft focus on during his presidency?

Economic foreign policy (Dollar Diplomacy).

Why did the United States support Panama's rebellion against Colombia?

To build an American-owned canal across Panama.

What major challenges did workers face during the construction of the Panama Canal?

Tropical diseases such as malaria and yellow fever.

What was the Roosevelt Corollary?

An extension of the Monroe Doctrine that asserted the U.S. role as an international police power (associated with the Big Stick Policy).

Which factor was NOT a contributing cause of the outbreak of World War I in Europe in 1914?

A shift in public opinion toward isolationism (the actual causes were militarism, a complex system of alliances, and a growing sense of nationalism).

Which three nations made up the Triple Alliance?

Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy.

Why were many Americans initially pleased by President Woodrow Wilson's policy of neutrality in World War I?

They believed staying neutral provided opportunities for the country to recover from an economic downfall.

What was the Bryce report?

A collection of exaggerated stories commissioned by the British government to shape opinion against Germany.

What did Germany promise Mexico in the Zimmermann Telegram in exchange for military support during World War I?

Germany promised to help Mexico regain lost territory in the United States.

What reason did President Woodrow Wilson give in his April 1917 address to Congress for entering World War I?

To preserve world democracy.

Which country did the United States officially declare war on when Congress voted in 1917?

Germany.

Why did Congress implement Selective Service registration in 1917?

The United States needed to raise troops to fight overseas.

Which underwater naval technology did the Germans deploy to wage unrestricted warfare and sink opposing ships?

U-boats (submarines).

What key battlefield invention helped end the stalemate of trench warfare in World War I?

Tanks.

What major event in 1917 dealt the Allies a significant blow on the Eastern Front?

The Russian Revolution.

Who were the Harlem Hellfighters?

An African American unit that fought in combat under French command, overcame segregation, and achieved notable military success.

How did the U.S. government primarily mobilize the domestic economy and raise funds for World War I?

By raising taxes on incomes, businesses, and goods, and selling Liberty Bonds (war bonds/service stamps) to citizens.

What was the role of the War Industries Board (WIB) during World War I?

It exercised power over private businesses to increase efficiency, eliminate waste, raise worker wages, and prevent labor strikes.

What was the Committee on Public Information (CPI), and who led it?

A government propaganda agency headed by George Creel that used emotional appeals and 75,000 'Four-Minute Men' speakers to rally public support for the war.

What actions were criminalized under the Sedition Act of 1918?

Expressing opinions critical of the government, the flag, or the war effort, leading to more than 1,000 people being charged.

How did anti-German hysteria manifest in the United States during World War I?

German Americans faced intense hostility, prejudice, verbal and physical attacks, and were broadly stereotyped as evil.

How did American women contribute to the World War I effort on the home front and in the military?

Over 1 million women took jobs in war industries, filled vacant male jobs, and served in non-combat military roles that earned them veteran status.

What caused the demographic shift of African Americans known as the Great Migration during World War I?

The desire to escape Southern poverty and racial violence/lynching, combined with the pull of new industrial job opportunities in Northern cities.

What was Woodrow Wilson's post-war peace plan called, and what was its goal?

The Fourteen Points, which was designed to protect every 'peace-loving' nation from selfish aggression.

What were the primary terms imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles?

Germany was forced to accept full responsibility for the war, pay massive financial reparations to the Allies, surrender territory, and agree to the creation of the League of Nations.

Why did the U.S. Senate reject the Treaty of Versailles and refuse to join the League of Nations?

Senators feared that membership would entangle the United States in foreign conflicts and obligate the country to defend other nations if war broke out.