AP US History: Late 19th Century Foreign Policy and the Progressive Era

Vocabulary flashcards covering U.S. imperialist foreign policy in the late 19th century and domestic Progressive Era reforms from the provided AP US History notes.

Social Darwinism

The application of Charles Darwin's theories from On the Origin of Species ($1859$) to nations and societies, asserting that international competition leads to the extinction of weak countries and the expansion of strong ones.

The Influence of Sea Power upon History

An $1890$ book by Admiral Mahan asserting that naval dominance was essential to world power, motivating the U.S. transformation to a steel navy in the $1880\text{s}$.

Yellow Journalism

Sensationalized news reporting by journalists that stirred public sentiment in favor of war with Spain, particularly after the attack on the USS Maine.

USS Maine

An American ship docked in Cuba that exploded, killing $260$ crew members and serving as a key cause for the U.S. declaration of war against Spain in $1898$.

Splendid Little War

A nickname for the Spanish-American War of $1898$, which lasted only $13$ days, resulted in limited casualties, and ended with U.S. acquisition of new territories.

Teller Amendment

A congressional declaration stating that the U.S. did not intend to annex Cuba and that Cuba would remain independent after the Spanish-American War.

Platt Amendment

Legislation that granted Cuba protectorate status, allowed the U.S. to intervene to restore order, and established a U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay.

Philippine-American Quasi-War

An $1899$–$1902$ conflict triggered by U.S. attempts to annex the Philippines, involving Filipino resistance led by Emilio Aguinaldo and costing $3500$ U.S. lives.

Roosevelt Corollary

President Theodore Roosevelt's addition to the Monroe Doctrine establishing preventive intervention to directly address chronic wrongdoing in Latin America and prevent European interference.

Big Stick Policy

President Theodore Roosevelt's foreign policy approach involving assertive naval presence and military threats, demonstrated during the construction of the Panama Canal.

Progressivism

A reform movement from the late $1890\text{s}$ to late $1910\text{s}$ that sought to use the power of the government to solve domestic urban, economic, and social problems.

Laissez-Faire

An economic policy of minimal government intervention in capitalism and business affairs, which Progressive reformers sought to replace with state and federal regulation.

Muckraking

Investigative journalism aimed at exposing societal problems, corporate corruption, and working conditions to spur government reform.

Hull House

A settlement house established by Jane Addams to support urban immigrants through moral, religious, and government-assisted community services.

Jacob Riis

A Progressive police reporter and photographer who documented urban poverty and housing conditions in New York City to inspire social reform.

Ida Wells

A reporter and Progressive reformer who wrote extensively about racial lynching in the American South to demand government action.

The Jungle

A $1906$ novel by Upton Sinclair that exposed dangerous working conditions and unsanitary practices in the meatpacking industry, leading to federal regulation.

Socialism

An economic system based on Karl Marx's The Communist Manifesto ($1848$) advocating government ownership of corporations and industries, championed in the U.S. by Eugene Debs.

Triangle Shirtwaist Co. Fire

A $1911$ disaster in NYC in which $150$ workers were killed, prompting strict state building codes, fire exit specifications, and workplace safety laws.

Wisconsin

Identified as the most Progressive state during the early $1900\text{s}$ for pioneering state-level legislative reforms.

Sherman Anti-Trust Act

A federal law utilized by Progressive presidents to dismantle secret corporate alliances and monopolies.

1902 Coal Strike

A labor conflict in which Theodore Roosevelt broke precedent by intervening on behalf of striking workers, threatening to seize coal mines with the U.S. military.

Meat Inspection Act

Federal legislation passed under Theodore Roosevelt in response to Upton Sinclair's book that instituted government inspection of meat products.

Pure Food and Drug Act

Progressive federal legislation regulating ingredients and truthful labeling of consumable products and pharmaceuticals.

William Howard Taft

The $27\text{th}$ U.S. President ($1909$–$1913$) who prosecuted twice as many trust cases as Roosevelt, including an antitrust lawsuit against U.S. Steel.

Clayton Anti-Trust Act

Progressive law enacted under Woodrow Wilson that strengthened existing antitrust laws and made it harder for corporations to conceal trusts.

Federal Reserve Act

Legislation under Woodrow Wilson establishing a centralized system for the government to regulate interest rates and control the national money supply.