Key Concepts of American Imperialism and WWI

A.T. Mahan

Admiral who advocated for a strong navy to protect shipping lanes and proposed strategically placed military bases for ships to refuel.

Social Darwinism

Used by some Americans to justify Anglo-Saxon (white European) superiority and argue that the US had a responsibility to spread Christianity and 'civilization' to 'inferior' peoples as part of American imperialism.

Monroe Doctrine

Foreign policy issued by President James Monroe in 1823 stating that no European country could spread its influence in the Western hemisphere.

Yellow Press/Yellow Journalism

Sensationalist reporting used by newspapers (especially William Randolph Hearst) to show Spanish abuses and gain support for aiding Cubans before the Spanish-American War.

Roosevelt Corollary (1904)

Extension of the Monroe Doctrine used to justify US involvement in Latin American affairs, including intervention in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

Dollar Diplomacy

Policy of using money to achieve American foreign policy goals.

Teller Amendment

Congressional resolution that recognized Cuba as an independent nation with complete control over its government and people when intervening against Spain.

Platt Amendment (1901)

Required in Cuba's constitution that allowed the US to protect Cuba but also intervene in their affairs, preserve independence, keep order, and establish naval bases (including Guantanamo Bay).

Open Door Policy

Policy proposed by John Hayes ensuring no country would have special trading rights in China and preventing private trade agreements between China and other nations.

Spheres of Influence

Ports or regions in China where specific countries (US, Britain, France, Germany, Russia) had rights over trade, mines, and railroads.

Great White Fleet

Battleships sent by the US to show naval power and presence in the Pacific, in response to fear of Japanese expansion.

Alliance System

Mentioned in context of WWI where countries formed two major groups: Allies (France, Russia, Great Britain, US) and Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire).

A.E.F. (American Expeditionary Forces)

US troops sent to France under General John J. Pershing, including National Guard, draftees and volunteers.

General John Pershing

Named commander in chief of the American Expeditionary Forces who led the first US troops sent to France and wanted to maintain independent control of US forces.

Plan XVII

France's anticipation of a German attack, leading them to build up defenses between France and Germany.

Selective Service Act (1917)

Military conscription law passed by Congress after declaring war, requiring men between 21-30 to register for the draft.

Central Powers

Alliance in WWI including Germany, Austria-Hungary, and smaller nations from the Ottoman Empire (with Italy initially but it switched to the Allies in 1917).

Liberty Loans/War Bonds

Called 'Victory Bonds', these were sold to citizens who essentially loaned money to the government to fund the war effort.

Allied Powers

WWI alliance including France, Russia, Great Britain, and later the US (1917).

Trench Warfare

War tactic during WWI where fighting occurred from trenches, resulting in a stalemate situation with no potential winners.

Espionage and Sedition Acts

Laws passed in 1917-1918 that outlawed saying, printing, or writing anything deemed 'unpatriotic' to silence opposition to the war.

Big Four

Leaders at the Treaty of Versailles: Wilson (US), Lloyd George (Britain), Georges Clemenceau (France), and Vittorio Orlando (Italy).

Lusitania

British passenger liner sunk by a German U-boat on May 7, 1915, killing 128 Americans and bringing the US closer to entering WWI.

War Guilt Clause

Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles that blamed Germany for the war and forced them to pay reparations ($33 billion).

Zimmermann Telegram

Message from Germany proposing an alliance with Mexico, promising to return Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona to Mexico if the US entered WWI.

League of Nations

Organization established by Wilson to keep peace by resolving disputes between nations. The US ultimately rejected joining.

Treaty of Versailles

Peace treaty signed after WWI that punished Germany by disbanding its armed forces, taking away colonies and European territory, and imposing reparations.

Schlieffen Plan

German war strategy mentioned in the document but not explained in detail.

Irreconcilables

Group of Republicans who opposed the League of Nations, fearing the US would be dragged into international conflicts.

Flapper

Term for the 'modern woman' of the 1920s characterized by flashy dress, bobbed hair, cosmetics, and liberated lifestyle (smoking, drinking, dancing).

Migration

The Great Migration described as the movement of 1.6 million African Americans from the South to the North between 1910-1940.

Harlem Renaissance

Period of artistic, literary, musical, and political growth for Black Americans mentioned in the document.

Marcus Garvey

Jamaican-born founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) who believed Blacks should have a permanent homeland in Africa (Liberia).

Prohibition (Volstead Act)

US law banning alcohol (leading to 18th Amendment), based on the belief that alcohol caused immorality, crime, poverty, and violence.

Bootleggers

People who manufactured alcohol illegally during Prohibition.

Speakeasies

Underground bars during Prohibition.

Scopes Trial

Legal case involving a teacher (Scopes) who taught evolution in his high school science class against Tennessee law, symbolizing tensions between older beliefs and social change.

Babe Ruth

Mentioned as the first sports hero during the 1920s.

Disarmament

Mentioned in connection with the Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928), a conference held to get nations to demilitarize (specifically navies).

Quota

Immigration Quota Laws (1921-1925) limited immigration from certain areas, allowing Western Europeans, Canadians, and Mexicans but restricting others.

Teapot Dome Scandal

Scandal where oil-rich government land in Wyoming was secretly leased to oil companies, with Secretary of Interior Albert Fall receiving bribes.

Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928)

Conference held to get nations to demilitarize or disarm (specifically navies).

Assembly Line

Manufacturing technique established by Henry Ford to produce inexpensive automobiles (Model T) for the general public.

Berlin Conference

Conference held in 1884-1885 where European powers met to formalize rules for colonizing Africa, establishing guidelines for claiming territories and leading to the 'Scramble for Africa.'

King Leopold II

King of Belgium who established a brutal colonial regime in the Congo Free State, resulting in millions of deaths through forced labor, mutilation, and starvation.

Jingoism

Extreme patriotism characterized by aggressive foreign policy and the willingness to use military force.

Sarajevo Crisis

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary and his wife by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914.

Battles of Verdun and Somme

Two of the bloodiest battles of WWI; Verdun (February-December 1916) resulted in approximately 700,000 casualties, and the Battle of the Somme (July-November 1916) resulted in over 1 million casualties.

Paris Peace Conference

Meeting of Allied victors after WWI (January-June 1919) to set peace terms, resulting in five treaties with defeated nations, including the significant Treaty of Versailles.

Article X

Key provision in the League of Nations covenant that committed member nations to preserve the territorial integrity and political independence of all League members against external aggression.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Peace agreement signed March 3, 1918, between the new Bolshevik government of Soviet Russia and the Central Powers, where Russia surrendered large territories to Germany.

Lost Generation

Term coined by Gertrude Stein referring to the generation that came of age during WWI, characterized by disillusionment and loss of traditional values.

Cotton Club

Famous Harlem nightclub during the 1920s and 1930s that featured many of the best Black musicians while maintaining a whites-only audience policy.

Louis Armstrong

Revolutionary jazz trumpeter and vocalist who rose to prominence in the 1920s, transforming jazz into a major American art form.

Duke Ellington

Composer, pianist, and big band leader who became a major figure in jazz during the 1920s, known for his sophisticated compositions.

Bessie Smith

Known as the 'Empress of the Blues,' she was one of the most popular and influential blues singers of the 1920s and early 1930s.

Installment Plan

Consumer financing innovation that became widespread in the 1920s, allowing people to buy expensive items by making regular payments over time.

mass media

From 1910-1930, American mass media evolved dramatically with newspapers reaching peak influence, radio emerging as the first truly national medium after 1920, and Hollywood film developing from silent pictures to "talkies" by 1927, collectively transforming how Americans received news and entertainment.

Jazz Age

The Jazz Age (1920-1929) was a period of profound cultural transformation in America characterized by the popularization of jazz music, speakeasies during Prohibition, flappers challenging gender norms, and unprecedented consumer prosperity, ending abruptly with the 1929 stock market crash.

Battles of Verdun and Somme

Though fought in Europe in 1916 before American entry into WWI, the horrific casualties at Verdun (700,000) and the Somme (1.3 million) reinforced American isolationist sentiment, influenced U.S. military planning, and later contributed to the disillusionment that shaped American culture and foreign policy throughout the 1920s.