US imperialism and WWI

Reasons for U.S. Imperialism

Economic motives, military/naval power, nationalism & belief in cultural superiority (Social Darwinism)

Economic motive for imperialism

Access to new markets and natural resources

Social Darwinism

Belief in cultural superiority used to justify imperialism

Annexation of Hawaii

Annexed for strategic location and sugar plantations

Seward’s Folly

Purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867

Causes of Spanish-American War

USS Maine explosion, Yellow Journalism, U.S. support for Cuba

Teller Amendment

Declared U.S. would not annex Cuba

Territories gained after Spanish-American War

Philippines, Guam, Puerto Rico

Filipino-American War

Filipinos resisted U.S. rule; conflict lasted from 1899–1902

Open Door Policy

U.S. policy to allow equal trade in China

Panama Canal

Allowed quicker movement between oceans; symbol of U.S. global power

Roosevelt Corollary

U.S. claimed right to intervene in Latin America

Big Stick Diplomacy

Theodore Roosevelt's policy of using diplomacy backed by force

President during Spanish-American War

William McKinley

M.A.N.I.A.

Causes of WWI: Militarism, Alliances, Nationalism, Imperialism, Assassination

Spark of WWI

Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

U.S. Neutrality in WWI

U.S. tried to stay out under President Wilson

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

German attacks on ships without warning

Sinking of the Lusitania

British ship sunk by Germans, killing Americans

Zimmerman Telegram

Germany encouraged Mexico to attack U.S.; pushed U.S. to war

Wilson's war justification

“Make the world safe for democracy”

Selective Service Act

Required men to register for the draft

Liberty Bonds

Citizens loaned money to government to fund war

War Industries Board

Coordinated war production and resources

Women in WWI

Took over industrial jobs and military support roles

The Great Migration

Movement of African Americans to northern cities for jobs

Committee on Public Information

Created propaganda to support war effort

Espionage and Sedition Acts

Limited free speech and targeted dissenters

American Expeditionary Forces (AEF)

U.S. troops in WWI led by General Pershing

General John J. Pershing

Commander of AEF

Trench Warfare

Defensive, grueling warfare style in WWI

New Technologies in WWI

Machine guns, tanks, poison gas

U.S. role in ending WWI

Fresh troops helped tip balance in favor of Allies

Wilson’s Fourteen Points

Plan for lasting peace after WWI

League of Nations

International peacekeeping group; U.S. did not join

Treaty of Versailles

Peace treaty ending WWI; punished Germany

War Guilt Clause

Part of Treaty of Versailles blaming Germany for war

Reparations

Payments Germany was required to make for war damages

Impact of WWI on U.S.

Became global power, rise of isolationism

Isolationism in 1920s

U.S. pulled back from global involvement

Red Scare

Fear of communism in the U.S. after WWI

Immigration after WWI

Restricted due to nativism and isolationism

Postwar economy

Economic boom in the 1920s

Imperialism

Policy of extending a country’s power through colonization or force

Isolationism

Policy of avoiding foreign affairs

Annexation

Formal acquisition of territory by a nation

Neutrality

Not taking sides in a conflict

Mobilization

Preparing a nation's military for war

Armistice

Agreement to stop fighting (e.g., Nov 11, 1918)

Propaganda

Biased info used to influence public opinion

Espionage

Spying to gain political or military secrets

Reparations

Compensation paid by a defeated country for war damages