U.S. History Unit 3: Imperialism and WWI

John Winthrop

Puritan leader who founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony and promoted the idea of a “city upon a hill.”

Louisiana Purchase

The 1803 purchase of land from France that roughly doubled the size of the United States.

Manifest Destiny

The belief that the United States was destined to expand across North America.

Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo

The 1848 treaty that ended the Mexican-American War and gave the U.S. a large amount of Mexican territory.

Alfred Thayer Mahan

Naval officer who argued that a strong navy was essential for American world power.

Frederick Jackson Turner

Historian who argued that the frontier shaped American identity and democracy.

TR

Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president, known for the Big Stick policy and expanding American influence.

John Hay

Secretary of State who promoted the Open Door Policy in China.

Albert J. Beveridge

Senator who supported American imperialism and overseas expansion.

Yellow Journalism

Sensationalized newspaper reporting that helped increase support for the Spanish-American War.

White Man’s Burden

Poem by Rudyard Kipling portraying imperialism as a supposed duty to civilize other peoples.

Spanish-American War

1898 war between the U.S. and Spain that resulted in American control of overseas territories.

Cuba

Island whose fight for independence from Spain helped trigger the Spanish-American War.

U.S.S. Maine

American battleship that exploded in Havana Harbor in 1898, increasing support for war with Spain.

Rough Riders

Volunteer regiment in the Spanish-American War associated with Theodore Roosevelt.

San Juan Hill

Site of a famous American assault in Cuba during the Spanish-American War.

Teller Amendment

Promised that the U.S. would not annex Cuba after the Spanish-American War.

Platt Amendment

Allowed the U.S. to intervene in Cuban affairs and maintain influence over Cuba.

Puerto Rico

Island acquired by the U.S. from Spain in 1898 that remains a U.S. territory.

Philippines

Islands ceded by Spain to the U.S. in 1898, where Filipinos later fought American rule.

George Dewey

Admiral who defeated Spain's fleet at Manila Bay in 1898.

Emilio Aguinaldo

Filipino independence leader who resisted American control of the Philippines.

Guam

Pacific island acquired by the U.S. from Spain after the Spanish-American War.

Hawaii

Pacific kingdom overthrown in 1893 and annexed by the U.S. in 1898.

Liliuokalani

Last queen of Hawaii, overthrown in 1893.

Sanford Dole

Leader of Hawaii's government after the monarchy was overthrown who supported U.S. annexation.

Monroe Doctrine

1823 policy warning European powers against further colonization or interference in the Americas.

Roosevelt Corollary

Policy claiming the U.S. could intervene in Latin American countries to maintain stability.

Big Stick

Theodore Roosevelt's policy of negotiating peacefully while maintaining strong military power.

Spheres of Influence

Areas in China where foreign countries had special economic or political privileges.

Open Door Policy

John Hay's proposal that all countries should have equal trading opportunities in China.

Boxer Rebellion

Chinese uprising against foreign influence that was suppressed by an international force.

Panama Canal

Canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, completed in 1914.

Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty

1903 treaty giving the U.S. control over the Panama Canal Zone.

Dollar Diplomacy

Taft's policy of using American investments and loans to expand U.S. influence abroad.

Moral Foreign Policy

Woodrow Wilson's approach of claiming to promote democracy and morality in foreign affairs.

Pancho Villa

Mexican revolutionary whose raid on New Mexico led to a U.S. military expedition.

Militarism

Building up armed forces and emphasizing military strength.

Alliance System

Agreements between countries to support one another, helping expand World War I.

Imperialism

Extending a country's power by controlling other territories and peoples.

Nationalism

Strong loyalty to one's nation or ethnic group.

Balkanization

Breaking a region into smaller, often hostile states.

Central Powers

World War I alliance led by Germany and Austria-Hungary, joined by the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria.

Allied Powers

Countries fighting the Central Powers, including Britain, France, Russia, and later the U.S.

Franz Ferdinand

Austrian archduke assassinated in 1914, helping trigger World War I.

Kaiser Wilhelm

German emperor during World War I who supported military expansion.

Preparedness

Movement to strengthen the U.S. military before entering World War I.

Unterseeboot

German word for submarine; German U-boats attacked ships during World War I.

Lusitania

British passenger ship sunk by a German submarine in 1915, killing 128 Americans.

Zimmermann Note

German proposal asking Mexico to ally against the U.S. if America entered World War I.

Nicholas II

Last tsar of Russia, who abdicated during the Russian Revolution in 1917.

John J. Pershing

General who commanded American forces in Europe during World War I.

AEF

American Expeditionary Forces; U.S. troops sent to Europe under General Pershing.

Doughboys

Nickname for American infantry soldiers during World War I.

Trench Warfare

Fighting from trenches that caused heavy casualties and stalemates.

Vladimir I. Lenin

Bolshevik revolutionary who led the Russian Revolution and established a communist government.

Eddie Rickenbacker

America's leading fighter ace of World War I, credited with 26 aerial victories.

Manfred von Richthofen

German fighter pilot known as the Red Baron.

Armistice

Agreement to stop fighting; World War I's armistice began November 11, 1918.

Herbert Hoover

Official who led wartime food conservation efforts and helped organize postwar European relief.

Reparations

Payments demanded from defeated countries to compensate for war damage.

Liberty Bonds

Bonds sold by the U.S. government to raise money for World War I.

Sedition Act of 1918

Law restricting certain speech criticizing the U.S. government and war effort.

Treaty of Versailles

1919 peace treaty that imposed reparations and military restrictions on Germany.

Fourteen Points

Wilson's peace plan proposing principles such as self-determination and a League of Nations.

League of Nations

International organization created to promote peace after World War I; the U.S. never joined.

Henry Cabot Lodge

Senator who opposed the Treaty of Versailles without changes and helped block U.S. membership in the League of Nations.