American Expansionist Policies Overview

Monroe Doctrine

U.S. policy warning against European colonization in the Americas, asserting U.S. intervention if violated.

Hawaii

Pacific island chain annexed by the U.S. in 1898, becoming a state in 1959 after overthrowing the monarchy.

Trent Affair

1861 incident involving a British ship intercepted by the U.S., escalating tensions during the Civil War.

Seward's Folly

Mocking term for Secretary Seward's Alaska purchase, later proven valuable despite initial criticism.

Emilio Aguinaldo

Filipino leader in the Philippine Revolution against Spanish and American rule for independence.

Cuba

Caribbean island, a Spanish colony until 1898, then under U.S. protection/control before formal independence.

Manifest Destiny

19th-century belief in U.S. settlers' destined expansion across North America, justifying territorial growth.

Commodore Matthew Perry

U.S. naval officer opening Japan to trade in the 1850s, impacting U.S.-Japan relations.

King Cotton

Term reflecting the economic and political dominance of cotton in the pre-Civil War southern U.S.

Treaty of Wanghia

1844 treaty granting U.S. traders rights in Chinese ports, shaping future U.S.-China relations.

Alfred Mahan

U.S. naval officer whose ideas on sea power influenced U.S. military strategy in the late 19th century.

White Man's Burden

Concept advocating white Europeans' duty to civilize non-white peoples through imperialism.

USS Maine

U.S. Navy ship sinking in Havana harbor in 1898, sparking the Spanish-American War.

Teller Amendment

1898 U.S. measure declaring no intention to annex Cuba, intervening for Cuban independence.

Dollar Diplomacy

Early 20th-century U.S. foreign policy promoting American interests abroad through economic power.