U.S. Imperialism and World War I: Key Figures and Policies

Alfred Thayer Mahan

A U.S. naval officer and historian who argued that a strong navy was key to becoming a world power.

Valeriano Weyler

A Spanish general in Cuba who used harsh 'reconcentration' camps to control civilians during the Cuban revolt.

Dupuy de Lôme

A Spanish diplomat whose private letter insulting President McKinley was leaked, angering Americans.

Theodore Roosevelt

U.S. president known for supporting American expansion and helping lead the U.S. into world power status.

George Dewey

U.S. Navy admiral who defeated the Spanish fleet at the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898.

Emilio Aguinaldo

Filipino leader who first fought Spain, then later fought the United States for Philippine independence.

Reconcentration

Spain's policy of forcing Cuban civilians into camps to stop them from helping rebels.

Jingoism

Extreme patriotism that supports aggressive foreign policy and war.

Imperialism

A policy of extending a nation's power by taking control of other lands.

USS Maine

A U.S. battleship that exploded in Havana Harbor in 1898, helping spark the Spanish-American War.

Rough Riders

Organized by Theodore Roosevelt, this was a colorful, motley regiment of Cuban war volunteers.

Treaty of Paris (1898)

The agreement that ended the Spanish-American War, where Spain ceded Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the U.S.

Anti-Imperialist League

(1898-1921) A diverse group formed to protest American colonial oversight in the Philippines.

Insular Cases

A group of Supreme Court cases (1901–1905) that said the Constitution does not fully apply to U.S. territories, allowing the U.S. to govern them without giving residents all the rights of statehood.

Platt Amendment

(1901) An amendment limiting Cuba's treaty-making abilities and allowing U.S. military intervention.

William Howard Taft

U.S. president who promoted Dollar Diplomacy, using money and business to influence other countries.

John Hay

U.S. Secretary of State who wrote the Open Door Policy, supporting equal trade access in China.

Philippe Bunau-Varilla

A French engineer who helped the U.S. gain control of the Panama Canal Zone.

Guerrilla Warfare

Fighting using surprise attacks and small, mobile groups instead of large armies.

Spheres of Influence

Areas where one powerful nation controls trade and politics without formal colonization.

Philippine Insurrection

The war between Filipino nationalists and the U.S. (1899-1902) after the U.S. took control of the Philippines.

Open Door Notes

(1899-1900) Diplomatic letters urging great powers to respect Chinese rights and competition.

Boxer Rebellion

(1900) An uprising in China against foreign influence, suppressed by an international force.

Big-Stick Diplomacy

Theodore Roosevelt's foreign policy: 'Speak softly and carry a big stick.' the U.S. should negotiate peacefully but be ready to use military power if needed.

Clayton-Bulwer Treaty

(1850) An agreement between the U.S. and Britain regarding the neutrality of Central America.

Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty

(1903) Agreement allowing the U.S. to build and control the Panama Canal.

Panama Canal

A man-made waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, built by the U.S. (1904-1914).

Roosevelt Corollary

(1904) A brazen policy of "preventive intervention" advocated by Theodore Roosevelt in his Annual Message to Congress in 1904. he U.S. could intervene in Latin American countries to keep European powers out

Russo-Japanese War

(1904-1905) A war between Russia and Japan over control of Korea and Manchuria; the U.S., through Theodore Roosevelt, helped negotiate peace.

Gentlemen's Agreement

(1907-1908) An informal deal between the U.S. and Japan where Japan limited emigration to the U.S., and the U.S. promised not to impose formal restrictions.

Great White Fleet

(1907-1909) A U.S. Navy fleet of 16 white-painted battleships sent around the world to show American naval power.

Root-Takahira Agreement

(1908) Agreement by which the US and Japan agreed to respect each other's territorial possessions in the Pacific and to uphold the Open Door in China.

Venustiano Carranza

Leader of the Mexican government during the Mexican Revolution who opposed foreign intervention.

Pancho Villa

Mexican revolutionary who raided U.S. towns, leading to a U.S. military expedition into Mexico.

John J. Pershing

U.S. general sent to capture Pancho Villa during the Mexican Expedition (1916-1917).

Charles Evans Hughes

U.S. Secretary of State and later Supreme Court Justice who worked on diplomatic agreements to limit naval arms before World War I.

Lusitania

British passenger liner that sank after it was torpedoed by Germany on May 7, 1915, ending the lives of 1,198 people, including 128 Americans.

Sussex

A French ship torpedoed by Germany in 1916; it angered the U.S. and led to the Sussex Pledge to limit unrestricted submarine warfare.

George Creel

Head of the Committee on Public Information, which promoted pro-war propaganda in the U.S. during World War I.

Eugene V. Debs

Socialist leader who opposed World War I and was jailed for speaking out against the draft.

Herbert Hoover

U.S. official who led food conservation and relief efforts during World War I.

Henry Cabot Lodge

U.S. senator who opposed the Treaty of Versailles, especially the League of Nations, fearing loss of U.S. sovereignty.

Warren G. Harding

U.S. president after World War I who promised a "return to normalcy" and less international involvement.

Self-Determination

The idea that people should choose their own government rather than being ruled by outsiders.

Collective Security

A system where nations work together to prevent aggression and maintain peace.

Conscription

Mandatory military service or a draft.

Zimmermann Note

(1917) German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmerman had secretly proposed a German-Mexican alliance against the US.

Fourteen Points

(1918) Woodrow Wilson's proposal to ensure peace after WW1, calling for an end to secret treaties, widespread arms reduction, national self-determination, and a new league of nations.

League of Nations

(1919) A world organization of national governments proposed by president Woodrow Wilson and established by the Treaty of Versailles.

Committee on Public Information

(1917) A government office during WW1 known popularly as the Creel Committee for its chairman George Creel.

Espionage and Sedition Acts

U.S. laws that made it illegal to criticize the government, war effort, or military.

Schenck v. United States

A Supreme Court case that upheld limits on free speech during wartime, ruling that speech can be punished if it creates a "clear and present danger" to the nation, upheld the Espionage and Sedition Acts.

War Industries Board

(1917) Headed by Bernard Baruch, this federal agency coordinated industrial production during WW1.

Doughboys

Nickname for American soldiers who fought in Europe during World War I.

Treaty of Versailles

The peace treaty that ended World War I, blaming Germany for the war, imposing reparations, limiting its military, and creating the League of Nations.