Unit 7: Imperialism and the Spanish American War

Imperialism

advocate of extending a nation's power or dominion by acquiring territories or gaining control over the outlying areas

Commodore Matthew Perry

Convinced Japan to end isolationism and purchase American goods in 1854

Guano Acts

Sea captains were given the power to acquire unclaimed islands

Guano Islands

70 islands acquired for fertilizer from bird waste.

Jingoism

Extreme patriotism, often leading to aggressive foreign policy.

Economic Motivations

Desire for raw materials and new markets.

Leading Expansionists

Figures advocating for colonial expansion, like Lodge.

Alfred Thayer Mahan

Argued sea power is key to national greatness, wrote "influence of sea power on history"

Great White Fleet

U.S. naval fleet symbolizing military power.

Fredrick Jackson Turner

Proposed frontier thesis; warned against economic stagnation.

Spanish-American War

Conflict resulting in U.S. control over former Spanish colonies.

Cuban Insurgents

Used guerrilla warfare against Spanish colonial rule.

Yellow Journalism

Sensationalist news that fueled public support for war.

General Weyler

Spanish general known for brutal tactics in Cuba.

USS Maine

Ship that exploded, prompting U.S. entry into war.

Battle of Manila Bay

Decisive naval battle leading to U.S. victory.

Rough Riders

Volunteer cavalry led by Teddy Roosevelt in Cuba.

Cuban Uprising of 1895

Cuban revolt against Spanish colonial rule.

Autonomy

Self-rule offered to Cuba within Spanish Empire.

Spanish Colonies in America

Only Puerto Rico and Cuba remained by late 1800s.

Public Pressure

Influenced McKinley to declare war on Spain.

Military Challenges

U.S. army poorly equipped and inexperienced at war's start.

Disease Casualties

5,083 Americans died from disease in the war.

Teddy Roosevelt

Assistant Secretary of Navy who led Rough Riders.

Canned Beef Scandal

Poor quality food contributed to soldier deaths.

Admiral Schley

U.S. naval officer who defeated Spanish fleet.

Treaty of Paris

Agreement that officially ended the Spanish-American War.

Teller Amendment

Prohibited U.S. from annexing Cuba post-war.

Platt Amendment

Limited Cuba's treaty-making and borrowing powers.

Guantanamo Bay

Naval base leased to the U.S. by Cuba.

Protectorate

Self-governing country under foreign control.

Major William Gorgas

Discovered yellow fever's cause: mosquitoes.

Hawaii Annexation

Hawaii annexed by U.S. in 1898 for strategic reasons.

Dole Republic

Hawaii's government led by sugar farmers.

William Seward

Purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867.

Seward's Folly

Nickname for Alaska purchase, seen as wasteful.

Emilio Aguinaldo

Leader of Filipino revolt against U.S. rule.

Open Door Policy

U.S. policy for equal trade access in China.

Boxer Rebellion

Chinese uprising against foreign imperial powers.

Roosevelt Corollary

Extension of Monroe Doctrine; U.S. intervention in Latin America.

Gunboat Diplomacy

Using military force to achieve foreign policy goals.

Dollar Diplomacy

Using financial power to influence foreign affairs.

Nobel Peace Prize

Awarded to Roosevelt for mediating Russo-Japanese War.

Cuban Independence

Cuba gained independence after U.S. occupation.

Filipino-American War

Conflict following U.S. annexation of the Philippines.

McKinley Tariff

Tariff that affected sugar growers in Hawaii.

Queen Liliuokalani

Last monarch of Hawaii before annexation.

Hawaii for Hawaiians

Slogan reflecting native resistance to annexation.

Reasons not to be imperialists

-we were a colony once, too

-vastness of american continent

-contiguous to US; Alaska

-too far away for democracy

-second class citizens; fourteenth ammendment

-immoral (declaration of independence), all equal

why do americans feel that they should be seen as equal to other great powers?

industry

senator henry cabot and teddy roosevelt

leading imperialists

what motivated leading imperialists to seize colonies?

-had to hurry before classes taken

-nation becoming soft and flabby

-jingoism

-economic: raw materials and markets

jingoism

extreme patriotism

josiah strong

wrote "our country", a popular American minister in the late 1800s who linked Anglo-Saxonism to Christian missionary ideas, said we are divinely commissioned to spread our way of life

key to greatness

sea power:

-large navy

-coaling stations

-military ports and bases

-canal to connect pacific to atlantic

cuban war for independence

tipped the scale over to imperialism

De Lome Letter

Spanish Ambassador's letter that was illegally removed from the U.S. Mail and published by American newspapers. It criticized President McKinley in insulting terms. Used by war hawks as a pretext for war in 1898.

philippines

where the spanish american war starts

george dewey

A United States naval officer remembered for his victory at Manila Bay in the Spanish-American War, U.S. naval commander who led the American attack on the Philippines

leonard woods

Leader of the Rough Riders

william shafter

American general who led the invading force in Cuba, with the intent of driving out admiral Cervera. He was so fat and gouty that he had to be carried on a door. His troops were not remotely prepared for the Cuban climate.

blackjack pershing

U.S. military commander who led the AEF in Europe during WWI; he resisted putting American troops under any Allies' command, leader of tenth negro cavalry

el caney

Was the location other than San Juan Hill where major fighting took place on July 1 in Cuba.

admiral sampson

led american fleet to blockade cuba, mistakenly let Spanish into and out of Cuba

-Cuba

-Manila in the Philippines

-Puerto Rico(w/o firing a shot)

-Pacific Island of Guam(coaling station)

places the american troops occupied at the end of the spanish american war

walter reed

American doctor who led the medical efforts to conquer yellow fever during U. S. occupation of Cuba

guantanamo

A naval station in Cuba granted to the US by the Platt amendment

election of 1900

Republican, William McKinley defeated Democrat, Williams Bryan. The issue was imperialism.

spheres of influence

Areas in which countries have some political and economic control but do not govern directly (ex. Europe and U.S. in China)

Leon Czolgosz

Killed president McKinley in 1901. He was an anarchist, one who believes in the absence of government.

russo-japanese war

(1904-1905) War between Russia and Japan over imperial possessions. Japan emerges victorious.

panama canal

a ship canal 40 miles long across the Isthmus of Panama built by the United States (1904-1914)

locks

an enclosure with gates built in a canal or river so that ships can be raised or lowered by changing the water level

william gorgas

Army physician who helped eradicate Yellow Fever and Malaria from Panama so work on the Panama Canal could proceed

george washington geothal

engineer who constructed the panama canal

Hay-Pauncefote Treaty

permission granted by Panama for the US to dig a canal ; permitted by the British in order to make friends with US in hope of future support against Germany ; negociated under Roosevelt ; greatly facilitated trade

Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty

(1903) treaty that granted the US land to build the Panama canal in exchange for $10 million and annual payments to Panama. Occured shortly after Panama's independance.