US Becomes a World Power

Foreign Policy (1865-1917)

Focused on westward expansion, protecting interests abroad, and limiting foreign influences.

William H

Secretary of State (1861-1869) who prevented foreign intervention in the Civil War and purchased Alaska.

Monroe Doctrine

Policy that Seward invoked to threaten France and prevent their occupation of Mexico.

Alaska Purchase

Acquired from Russia for $7.2 million, initially a seal-hunting colony.

Industrialization

Late 19th-century U.S. industrial growth aimed at securing raw materials and markets.

Survival of the Fittest

Concept applied to international competition, emphasizing military and colonial advantages.

Missionaries

Belief in Anglo-Saxon superiority and a religious duty to spread Christianity and Western benefits.

Alfred Thayer Mahan

Navy captain advocating for a strong navy to secure foreign markets.

Pan-American Conference

Initiated in 1889 to foster cooperation and trade among American nations.

Venezuelan Boundary Dispute

U.S. intervention under the Monroe Doctrine improved British-American relations.

Spanish-American War

Conflict justified by American investments, Spanish misrule, and the Monroe Doctrine.

Yellow Press

Sensationalist journalism that fueled public demand for intervention in Cuba.

De Lome Letter

Spanish minister's criticism of President McKinley, seen as an insult to the U.S.

Sinking of the Maine

U.S. ship explosion in Havana that escalated tensions leading to war.

Teller Amendment

Stated that the U.S. would not seek political control over Cuba after the war.

Rough Riders

Volunteer cavalry led by Theodore Roosevelt during the invasion of Cuba.

Annexation of Hawaii

Overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani and eventual annexation in 1898.

Treaty of Paris (1898)

Ended the Spanish-American War, leading to U.S. acquisition of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.

Anti-Imperialist League

Opposition group against U.S. expansionism, led by figures like William Jennings Bryan.

Platt Amendment

Conditions for U.S. withdrawal from Cuba, establishing it as a protectorate.

Open Door Policy

U.S. proposal for equal trading rights in China to prevent European domination.

Boxer Rebellion

Anti-foreign uprising in China, suppressed by an international force.

Roosevelt's Big Stick Policy

Approach emphasizing diplomacy backed by military strength.

Panama Canal

U.S. project to connect the Atlantic and Pacific, facilitated by the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty.

Roosevelt Corollary

Extension of the Monroe Doctrine asserting U.S. intervention in Latin America for debt collection.

Dollar Diplomacy

Taft's policy promoting U.S. trade by supporting American businesses abroad.

Moral Diplomacy

Wilson's approach emphasizing respect for other nations' rights and support for democracy.

Jones Act of 1916

Granted the Philippines a bill of rights and promised independence when stable.

Tampico Incident

U.S. military response to the arrest of American sailors in Mexico, escalating tensions.

Pancho Villa

Mexican revolutionary whose actions led to U.S. military intervention under General Pershing.