American Imperialism and the Spanish-American War

Vocabulary flashcards covering late 19th- and early 20th-century American imperialism, the Spanish-American War, territorial acquisitions, and foreign policy.

Imperialism

The extension of a nation's power over other lands.

Motives for Imperialism

Economic interests driven by trade and the Industrial Revolution, military needs such as building coaling stations, and ideological motives including nationalism and cultural superiority.

Alaska

Territory purchased by the United States from Russia, which most people did not love at first.

Hawaii

Pacific island territory annexed by the United States to make shipping to Asia easier, supported strongly by President McKinley.

Bayonet Constitution

A constitution passed by American investors and planters in Hawaii that restricted Hawaii's independence.

Sanford B. Dole

The individual named "president" of Hawaii by the United States after the overthrow of the queen.

Sphere of Influence

An area where an outside nation exerts special economic or political control, as occurred in China.

Open Door Policy

A policy proposed by the United States instead of spheres of influence to give all nations equal rights to trade in China.

Boxer Rebellion

A rebellion in China involving attacks against foreign missionaries and Chinese Christians.

Japan

The Asian nation that opened its doors to trade and began to industrialize during the late 19th-century imperialist era.

Yellow Journalism

Sensationalist reporting or exaggeration of the truth.

USS Maine

The U.S. ship whose sinking was sensationalized by yellow journalism, sparking the Spanish-American War.

de Lome Letter

A letter that criticized President McKinley for being weak and catering to the rabble.

The Philippines

The Asian territory where the United States fought the Spanish using modern ships and later annexed, despite the fact that Filipinos did not recognize U.S. sovereignty.

Rough Riders

The 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry led into Cuba by Theodore Roosevelt.

Challenges in Cuba

Environmental, tactical, and medical obstacles faced by U.S. soldiers during the fighting in Cuba.

Results of the Spanish-American War

A U.S. victory resulting in the collapse of Spain's overseas colonial empire and the emergence of the United States as a global power.

Panama Canal

A 48–51 mile waterway crossing the Isthmus of Panama that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Moral Imperialism

The specific philosophy and foreign policy approach toward imperialism believed in by Woodrow Wilson.