us history unit 4

progressivism

Progressivism is a political belief that supports making changes to improve society by addressing issues like inequality, unfair business practices, and government corruption through reforms and laws.

intiative

a process that allows citizens to propose new laws or changes to existing laws, bypassing the legislature by gathering enough signatures to place the proposal on the ballot for a public vote.

recall

a procedure that allows voters to remove an elected official from office before their term ends through a special election.

referendum

process where voters directly approve or reject a proposed law or policy.

16th amendment

allows the federal government to collect income taxes from individuals and businesses.

17th amendment

allows voters to directly elect U.S. Senators, instead of them being chosen by state legislatures.

18th amendment

banned the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol in the United States, starting Prohibition.

19th amendment

gave women the right to vote in the united states

mueller v. oregon

Supreme Court case that upheld laws limiting women’s work hours to protect their health.

temperance movement

a social movement that wanted to limit or ban alcohol to improve society and reduce problems like crime and poverty

elkins act/hepburn act

laws that regulated railroads, banning unfair practices like rebates and letting the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) set maximum railroad rates.

trustbusters

people, especially government officials like Theodore Roosevelt, who worked to break up monopolies and restore competition in business.

meat inspection act/pure food and drug act

(both passed in 1906) set health and safety standards for food and medicine to protect consumers from unsafe or mislabeled products.

workmans compensation act

provided financial aid to workers injured on the job and their families, ensuring they received pay and medical care without having to sue their employers.

woodrow wilson “new freedom”

progressive reform program aimed at promoting economic opportunity, limiting big business power, and restoring competition through measures like banking reform and stronger antitrust laws.

underwood tariff act

lowered tariffs on imported goods and introduced a federal income tax to make up for lost government revenue.

federal reserve act

a central banking authority that regulates banks, controls the nation’s money supply, sets interest rates, and helps maintain economic stability.

federal trade commission

a government agency established to prevent unfair business practices, promote consumer protection, and maintain competition in the marketplace.

clayton anti trust act

strengthened earlier antitrust laws by prohibiting unfair business practices like price fixing, monopolies, and mergers that reduced competition.

imperialism

When a country extends its power over others for economic, political, or cultural reasons; the U.S. joined to gain territories, trade, and global influence.

mahans principles on a strong navy

a strong navy was essential for national power, arguing that control of the seas through battleships and naval bases ensured trade protection, global influence, and military strength.

social darwinism

he belief that some people, groups, or nations are naturally superior to others and that competition drives social progress, often used to justify inequality or imperialism.

manifest destiny

the 19th-century belief that the United States was destined to expand across the North American continent, spreading its culture, government, and values.

matthew perry and trade with japan

led U.S. naval ships to Japan in 1853–1854, forcing the country to open its ports to American trade through the Treaty of Kanagawa

sewards folly

the 1867 purchase of Alaska from Russia by Secretary of State William Seward for $7.2 million; many Americans criticized it at the time as a useless, frozen wasteland, though it later proved valuable for its natural resources.

monroe doctrine

U.S. policy warning European nations not to interfere in the Americas, asserting that the Western Hemisphere was under U.S. influence and that any colonization or intervention would be seen as a threat.

annexation of hawaii

after American settlers and business leaders overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893; the U.S. formally annexed the islands for their strategic location in the Pacific, economic value from sugar plantations, and as a naval base at Pearl Harbor.

spains treatment of cuba

harsh colonial rule, including heavy taxes, forced labor, and violent suppression of Cuban independence movements, which helped spark U.S. support for Cuban rebels.

yellow press/journalism

to sensationalized newspapers in the late 1800s that exaggerated events in Cuba and elsewhere to sell papers and sway public opinion, helping push the U.S. toward the Spanish-American War.

de lome letter

A private letter from the Spanish ambassador criticizing President McKinley that was leaked to the U.S. press, angering Americans and increasing support for war with Spain.

jingoism

Extreme, aggressive patriotism favoring war, which in the late 1800s fueled public demand for the U.S. to fight Spain.

Remember the maine!

the 1898 explosion of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor, which killed over 250 Americans. Yellow journalism blamed Spain, inflaming U.S. public opinion and pushing the United States closer to war, severely straining U.S.-Spain relations.

teller amendment

stated that the United States would not annex Cuba after helping it gain independence from Spain, promising instead to leave control of the island to its people.

rough riders

a group of volunteer soldiers led by Theodore Roosevelt during the Spanish-American War in 1898, known for bravely charging up San Juan Hill in Cuba, which helped the U.S. win the war.

9th/10th calvaries

African American regiments, known as “Buffalo Soldiers,” who fought bravely in the Spanish-American War, including key battles like San Juan Hill, often alongside units like the Rough Riders.

causes of death during war in cube

Most deaths during the Spanish-American War in Cuba were caused not by battle but by disease, especially yellow fever, malaria, and dysentery, due to poor sanitation, contaminated water, and tropical conditions.

platt amendement

allowed the United States to intervene in Cuban affairs, limited Cuba’s ability to make treaties, and gave the U.S. the right to maintain a naval base at Guantanamo Bay.

emilio auginaldo

he Filipino leader who fought first against Spain for independence and later against the United States during the Philippine-American War

insurrectors

Filipino rebels who resisted foreign control, initially fighting Spanish forces and then U.S. forces after the U.S. took the Philippines.

jones act

granted the Philippines greater self-government, promised eventual independence, and guaranteed Filipino citizens certain civil rights under U.S. rule.

spheres of influence in china

areas where foreign powers—like Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and Japan—had special trading rights, control over railroads or ports, and political influence, limiting China’s sovereignty in those regions.

john hay open door policy

aimed to ensure all countries could trade freely with China and that no single nation would control the country’s markets.

boxer rebellion

an anti-foreign, anti-Christian uprising in China in which the “Boxers” attacked foreigners and Chinese Christians; it was crushed by an international coalition, including U.S. troops, to protect foreign interests.

rumo japanese war

a conflict between Russia and Japan over control of Korea and Manchuria, ending with Japan’s victory and showing the world its growing military power.

great white fleet

a group of U.S. Navy battleships sent on a world tour by President Theodore Roosevelt to show American naval strength and promote international goodwill.

big stick diplomacy

Theodore Roosevelt’s foreign policy of “speak softly, and carry a big stick,” meaning the U.S. should try diplomacy first but be ready to use military power to achieve its goals, especially in Latin America.

Panama Canal

A strategic canal built by the U.S. between 1904–1914 across Panama, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to greatly reduce travel time for trade and naval ships, boosting U.S. influence in global trade.

Roosevelt Corollary

Added to the Monroe Doctrine in 1904, it stated that the U.S. had the right to intervene in Latin American countries’ affairs to maintain stability and prevent European intervention.

Dollar Diplomacy

President William Taft’s policy of using American investments and economic influence in other countries, particularly in Latin America and East Asia, to achieve U.S. foreign policy goals instead of relying on military force

moral diplomacy

President William Taft’s policy of using American investments and economic influence in other countries, particularly in Latin America and East Asia, to achieve U.S. foreign policy goals instead of relying on military force

pancho villa

A Mexican revolutionary leader in the 1910s who fought for land reform and Mexican independence, famously raiding towns in northern Mexico and the U.S., prompting U.S. military expeditions into Mexico.