US History: 4.1 - Imperialism Vocabulary

Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt

progressive Governor from NY; created Presidential programs called the Square Deal; known as the trustbuster and conservationist; wanted to expand American role in Asia and Caribbean; issued the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine

Alfred T. Mahan

wrote a book titled The Influence of Sea Power Upon History which focused on naval strategy and the building of a bigger and stronger Navy to encourage expansion.

Queen Liliuokalani

Queen of Hawaii during the U.S. Annexation of Hawaii.

John Hay

U.S. Secretary of State who sought an Open Door Policy with China.

Matthew Perry

U.S. Commodore who ended Japan’s isolation by signing a treaty allowing American trade and the opening of Japanese ports to U.S. ships.

William McKinley

President of the U.S. during the period of American expansion; annexed Hawaii; Open Door policy created during his presidency.

George Dewey

naval admiral who sailed to Manila Bay in the Philippines and seized control of the city of Manila during the Spanish-American War.

Emilio Aguinaldo

led the fight against the Spanish for Philippine independence.

William Howard Taft

President of the U.S. who issued dollar diplomacy to support economic investment in Latin America.

strategic

having value in order to achieve a plan, especially in military operations.

gross national product

the total value of all of the goods and services produced in a nation in a year.

Manifest Destiny

the belief that America had the right to expand from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast in order to expand its borders.

Social Darwinism

the belief that the evolutionary idea of “survival of the fittest” applies to societies and businesses.

Social Gospel

reform movement that emerged in the late 19th century that sought to improve society by applying Christian principles.

tariff

tax placed on goods brought into a country.

annexation

the act of taking over or adding new territories to a larger state or country.

joint resolution

legislative measure that must be passed by both houses and approved by the chief executive to become effective; similar to a bill, with the force of law, and often used in unusual and temporary circumstances.

sphere of influence

a region controlled and dominated by influence.

Open Door Policy

a policy toward China allowing any nation to trade within China’s sphere of influence.

Gentlemen’s Agreement

ended school segregation in San Francisco against Japanese Americans but also limited the rights of Japanese living in America.

Spanish-American War

war fought between the United States and Spain for imperial control over parts of the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Pacific.

yellow journalism

sensational style of reporting used by some newspapers in late 1800s.

jingoism

aggressive nationalism

Treaty of Paris of 1898

granted Cuba its independence; gave the Philippines to the United States in return for $20 million; ceded Puerto Rico and Guam to the United States; increased American involvement in Latin America and in Asia as the nation sought to protect and benefit from its new possessions.

Philippine-American War

war fought between the U.S. and the Philippines when the U.S. failed to recognize the sovereignty of the Filipino republic; the Philippines was eventually granted independence in 1946.

imperialism

the policy by which once nation takes control over another either directly or through economic and political dominance.

Roosevelt Corollary

an extension of the Monroe Doctrine; the U.S. would become the international police force of the Western Hemisphere; issued in order to keep outside threats out of America's backyard.

big stick diplomacy

the United States intervened often in Latin American affairs, usually to maintain economic stability in order to protect American investments and prevent European involvement in the Hemisphere.

dollar diplomacy

President Taft’s policy of encouraging economic investment by the U.S. in Latin America.