U.S. History Unit 3: Imperialism and WWI

Vocabulary flashcards covering the key terms, policies, people, and events of U.S. Imperialism and World War I from the Unit 3 review.

The Influence of Sea Power Upon History (1890)

Book by Alfred Thayer Mahan arguing that national greatness and overseas expansion depended on naval power and overseas bases.

The White Man's Burden (1899)

Poem by Rudyard Kipling reflecting Social Darwinist and imperialist ideas that encouraged American expansion and missionary goals.

Gunboat Diplomacy (Japan, 1854)

Commodore Matthew Perry's military-backed diplomatic approach that opened Japan to United States trade in 1854 following his arrival in 1853.

Midway Island

Pacific island acquired by the United States in 1867 as part of early overseas expansion.

Hawaiian Treaties of 1875 and 1887

Agreements that expanded trade between Hawaii and the United States and helped secure American use of Pearl Harbor.

Seward's Icebox

Derisive nickname for Alaska, purchased in 1867 from Russia by Secretary of State William Seward for $7.2 million (about 2 cents per acre); it held valuable resources and became a state in 1959.

Overthrow of Hawaii (1893)

U.S.-backed revolution against the Hawaiian monarch; President Grover Cleveland initially refused annexation due to the use of force, leading Hawaii to become a republic before being annexed by the U.S. in 1898.

USS Maine

U.S. naval ship whose disaster in 1898 turned American public opinion in favor of war with Spain.

Teller Amendment

Measure stating that once Spain was overthrown in Cuba, the island would receive its freedom rather than be annexed by the United States.

Rough Riders

Volunteer cavalry unit led by Theodore Roosevelt consisting of college students, cowboys, and adventurers who suffered heavy casualties charging up San Juan Hill.

Splendid Little War

Term for the Spanish-American War, which lasted fewer than four months from 1898 naval victories near Santiago Harbor and Puerto Rico until Spain accepted a truce on August 12, 1898.

Treaty of Paris (1898)

Accord concluding the Spanish-American War in which the United States acquired Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam, while Cuba gained independence.

Emilio Aguinaldo

Filipino rebel leader who fought Spain alongside the United States but subsequently revolted against U.S. occupation until the Philippines achieved independence in 1946.

Open Door Notes (1899)

Diplomatic communications issued by Secretary of State John Hay advocating equal trading access in China for all nations and opposing any single foreign power annexing the nation.

Panama Canal

Waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans built after the U.S. backed Panama's 1903 independence from Colombia, costing about $350 million and taking roughly 10 years to complete.

Dollar Diplomacy

William Howard Taft's foreign policy substituting dollars for bullets by using U.S. economic investment to stabilize troubled regions and making American bankers major lenders in Latin America.

Moral Diplomacy

Woodrow Wilson's foreign policy aimed at reducing Latin American intervention, condemning colonialism, and acting as the conscience of the world by promoting democracy and peace.

Schlieffen Plan

1905 German war strategy devised by Alfred Graf von Schlieffen to prevent a two-front war by invading France through Belgium before turning east against Russia; it ultimately failed.

No Man's Land

The disputed, heavily shelled territory between opposing World War I trench networks, typically fortified with barbed wire.

Sitzkrieg

German term meaning 'sitting war,' used to describe the prolonged stalemate produced by trench warfare on the Western Front.

Trench Foot

Severe medical ailment suffered by soldiers on the Western Front caused by prolonged exposure to wet, flooded trenches.

U-boats

German submarines introduced in 1914 that served as effective naval combat weapons during World War I.

U.S. Neutrality (1914)

Initial American stance during World War I driven by a diverse population with conflicting loyalties, a small army of about 128,000 troops, and a tradition of non-intervention.

Armistice of November 11, 1918

World War I ceasefire signed at 5 a.m. in a railroad carriage at Compiègne, France, that took effect at 11 a.m. on the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

Fourteen Points

Woodrow Wilson's peace proposal outlining open diplomacy, freedom of the seas, lowered trade barriers, arms reduction, self-determination, and an association of nations.

War Guilt Clause

Provision in the Treaty of Versailles requiring Germany to take sole responsibility for starting World War I and pay large reparations.

Treaty of Versailles (1919)

Peace treaty ending World War I in Europe that disarmed Germany, seized its overseas colonies, ceded its territory to nations such as Poland and Czechoslovakia, and assessed reparations.

League of Nations

International organization designed to address global conflicts and protect member states' sovereignty; rejected by the U.S. Senate over concerns about deploying American troops and losing sovereignty.