Imperialism & Overseas Expansion (1865-1917) Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture slides covering Global and U.S. Imperialism, Hawaiian Annexation, and the Spanish-American War.

Imperialism Factors

The three main factors fueling new imperialism: economic competition between nations, political and military competition, and belief in the racial and cultural superiority of Anglo-Saxon descent.

Spheres of Influence

Regions in China where individual foreign nations, including Japan and European powers, held special trading rights and political powers by the late 1800s.

Open Door Policy

A policy proposed by Secretary of State John Hay allowing each foreign nation in China to trade freely within other nations' spheres of influence.

The Boxers

A secret martial arts society in China that began a violent revolt in 1899 to rid the country of "foreign devils".

Admiral Alfred T. Mahan

Author of The Influence of Sea Power Upon History who urged the U.S. to construct a modern fleet, establish Caribbean bases, build a Panama canal, and acquire Pacific islands to protect shipping lanes.

Racial Darwinism

The application of survival of the fittest to human races, asserting the racial superiority of Anglo-Saxons and justifying a responsibility to Christianize and civilize non-white peoples.

McKinley Tariff (1890)

U.S. tariff legislation that eliminated the duty-free status of Hawaiian sugar, triggering an economic crisis that led Hawaiian growers to push for U.S. annexation.

Queen Liliuokalani

Hawaiian monarch who inherited the throne in 1891 and attempted to restore political power to native Hawaiians by proposing a new constitution without property voting requirements.

Sanford B. Dole

Head of the government established in Hawaii after American business owners and U.S. Ambassador John L. Stevens overthrew Queen Liliuokalani in 1893.

Jose Marti

Exiled Cuban poet and journalist living in N.Y.C. who launched a revolution in 1895, directing guerrillas to target American sugar plantations to force U.S. intervention against Spain.

Yellow Journalism

Sensationalized and exaggerated style of news reporting practiced by publishers like William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer to attract readers and stir public sentiment.

General Valeriano Weyler

Spanish general sent to suppress the revolt in Cuba who relocated civilians into concentration camps, resulting in roughly $300,000$ deaths; dubbed "the Butcher" by American press.

DeLome Letter

A letter written by Spanish minister Enrique Depuy de Lome, published in the N.Y. Journal, which insulted President McKinley by calling him a coward.

U.S.S. Maine

American battleship sent to Cuba to safeguard citizens and property; its explosion on February 15, 1898, killed 260 men and served as a catalyst for war with Spain.

Platt Amendment

Provision permitting the United States to lease or buy lands in Cuba for the purpose of establishing naval bases (such as Guantanamo Bay) and coaling stations.

George Dewey

U.S. Naval Commodore who led the Asiatic Squadron into Manila Bay on May 1, 1898, completely destroying the Spanish fleet with only one American fatality.

Rough Riders

Volunteer cavalry unit led by Leonard Wood and Teddy Roosevelt that spearheaded the charge up Kettle Hill, aiding infantry forces in capturing San Juan Hill.

Treaty of Paris (1898)

Peace treaty ending the Spanish-American War under which Cuba gained independence, Spain ceded Puerto Rico and Guam to the U.S., and the U.S. acquired the Philippines for $\$20\text{ million}$.