Chapter 21 Key Terms - Spanish American War and Imperialism - APUSH

Jingoism - 1890

An ultra form of nationalism calling for an aggressive foreign policy.

Yellow Journalism - 1878

Journalism that exploits, distorts, or exaggerates the news to create sensations and attract readers.

De Lome Letter - 1898

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.

"Remember the Maine" - 1898

A slogan of the Spanish-American war referring to the sinking of a battleship in Cuba. Stirred up by yellow journalism, this lead McKinley to declare war.

Teller Amendment - 1898

This Amendment was drafter by Henry M. Teller which declared that the US had no desire for control in Cuba & pledged the US would leave the island alone.

Rough Riders - 1898

Volunteer regiment of US Cavalry led by Teddy Roosevelt during the Spanish American War

Treaty of Paris - 1898

The treaty that concluded the Spanish American War, Commissioners from the U.S. were sent to Paris on October 1, 1898 to produce a treaty that would bring an end to the war with Spain after six months of hostility. From the treaty America got Guam, Puerto Rico and they paid 20 million dollars for the Philippines. Cuba was freed from Spain.

Anti-Imperialist League - 1898

Objected to the annexation of the Philippines and the building of an American empire. Idealism, self-interest, racism, constitutionalism, and other reasons motivated them, but they failed to make their case; the Philippines were annexed in 1900

Insular Cases - 1901

Determined that inhabitants of U.S. territories had some, but not all, of the rights of U.S. citizens.

Platt Amendment - 1901

Allowed the United States to intervene in Cuba and gave the United States control of the naval base at Guantanamo Bay.

Spheres of Influence - 1890s

An area where a foreign nation controlled economic developments such as railroad construction and mining.

Open Door Policy - 1899

A policy proposed by the US in 1899, under which ALL nations would have equal opportunities to trade in China.

Boxer Rebellion - 1900

A 1900 Uprising in China aimed at ending foreign influence in the country.

Big Stick Policy - 1904

Theodore Roosevelt's method for achieving American goals in the Caribbean; it featured the threat and use of military force to promote America's commercial supremacy, to limit European intervention in the region, and to protect the Panama Canal.

Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty - 1903

U.S. guaranteed the independence of the newly-created Republic of Panama.

Roosevelt Corollary - 1904

Roosevelt's 1904 extension of the Monroe Doctrine, stating that the United States has the right to protect its economic interests in South And Central America by using military force

Treaty of Portsmouth - 1905

Ended the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905). It was signed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, after negotiations brokered by Theodore Roosevelt (for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize). Japan had dominated the war and received an indemnity, the Liaodong Peninsula in Manchuria, and half of Sakhalin Island, but the treaty was widely condemned in Japan because the public had expected more.

Great White Fleet - 1907

Roosevelt sent the Navy on a world tour to show the world the U.S. naval power. Also to pressure Japan into the "Gentlemen's Agreement."

Gentlemen's Agreement - 1907

Agreement when Japan agreed to curb the number of workers coming to the US and in exchange Roosevelt agreed to allow the wives of the Japanese men already living in the US to join them

Algeciras Conference - 1906

International conference called to deal with the Moroccan question. French get Morocco, Germany gets nothing, isolated. Result is U.S, Britain, France, Russia see Germany as a threat.

Dollar Diplomacy - 1909

Foreign policy created under President Taft that had the U.S. exchanging financial support ($) for the right to "help" countries make decisions about trade and other commercial ventures. It was exchanging money for political influence in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Jones Act - 1916

Law according territorial status to the Philippines and promising independence as soon as a "stable government" could be established. The United States did not grant the Philippines independence until July 4, 1946.

Conciliation Treaties - 1910

Wilson's commitment to democracy was shared by Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan. Bryan negotiated treaties in which nations pledged to submit disputes to international commissions and observe a one-year cooling-off period before taking military action. Thirty of these treaties were negotiated.

White Man's Burden - 1899

Late 1800s theory and, fundamentally, a racist justification for Western imperialism, asserting that white Europeans and Americans had a moral obligation to "civilize" and "uplift" non-white, non-Western populations. Popularized by Rudyard Kipling's 1899 poem, it framed colonization as a paternalistic duty to bring Christianity, technology, and governance to "sullen" or "childlike" peoples, while concealing economic exploitation

Seward's Folly - 1867

Popular term for Secretary of State William Seward's purchase of Alaska from Russia. The derisive term reflected the anti-expansionist sentiments of most Americans immediately after the Civil War.

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

Emilio Aguinaldo

Leader of the Filipino independence movement against Spain (1895-1898). He proclaimed the independence of the Philippines in 1899, but his movement was crushed and he was captured by the United States Army in 1901.

Pancho Villa

A popular leader during the Mexican Revolution of 1910. An outlaw in his youth, when the revolution started, he formed a cavalry army in the north of Mexico and fought for the rights of the landless in collaboration with Emiliano Zapata.

Alfred Thayer Mahan

Navy officer whose ideas on naval warfare and the importance of sea-power changed how America viewed its navy; wrote "The influence of Sea Power upon History"

Josiah Strong

American clergyman who preached Anglo-Saxon superiority and called for stronger U.S. missionary effort overseas

Queen Liliuokalani

the Hawaiian queen who was forced out of power by a revolution started by American business interests.

Richard Olney

Secretary of State under Cleveland, he was authorized by the President to deliver a message to London that the British were ignoring the Monroe Doctrine in their attempt to dominate Venezuela.