Unit 7 apush

U.S. Imperialism

A policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force.

Frederick Jackson Turner

Historian who declared the American frontier closed in 1893, marking a shift in U.S. expansion.

Motives for Imperialism

Economic, political, strategic, and ideological reasons driving U.S. expansion.

Alfred T. Mahan

Naval officer whose book emphasized the necessity of a powerful navy for a strong national defense.

White Man’s Burden

The belief that it was the duty of Western powers to civilize and uplift non-Western peoples.

Hawaii

Annexed by the U.S. in 1898 after a revolt against Queen Liliuokalani, influenced by American planters.

USS Maine Explosion

Event in 1898 that catalyzed the U.S. declaration of war against Spain.

Teller Amendment

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

Platt Amendment

Allowed U.S. intervention in Cuba; established a naval base at Guantanamo Bay.

Foraker Act

1900 law granting limited self-government to Puerto Rico.

Insular Cases

Supreme Court cases that determined constitutional rights did not automatically extend to U.S. territories.

Emilio Aguinaldo

Leader of the Philippine independence movement against Spain and later the U.S.

Open Door Policy

U.S. policy promoting equal trading rights for all nations in China.

Boxer Rebellion

An uprising in China aimed at ending foreign influence, suppressed by international forces.

Roosevelt Corollary

Extension of the Monroe Doctrine asserting U.S. intervention in Latin America to prevent European intervention.

Gentlemen’s Agreement

1902 agreement between the U.S. and Japan to restrict Japanese emigration to the U.S.

Progressive Era

A period of social activism and political reform in the U.S. from the 1890s to the 1920s.

Muckrakers

Investigative journalists who exposed corruption and social injustices during the Progressive Era.

NAACP

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, founded to fight for civil rights.

17th Amendment

Established the direct election of U.S. senators by the people.

Prohibition

Legal prevention of the sale, consumption, and production of alcohol in the U.S.

Sierra Club

An organization founded to advocate for the preservation of natural areas.

Dust Bowl

A period of severe dust storms in the 1930s that damaged agriculture in the U.S. Great Plains.

New Deal

FDR's set of programs and policies aimed at economic recovery during the Great Depression.

Social Security Act

1935 law establishing a system of old-age benefits and unemployment insurance.

Lend-Lease Act

U.S. program that provided military aid to foreign nations during WWII.

Atlantic Charter

1941 declaration between FDR and Churchill outlining postwar goals for peace and security.

Pearl Harbor

U.S. naval base attacked by Japan on December 7, 1941, leading to U.S. entry into WWII.

Korematsu v. U.S.

Supreme Court case that upheld the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII.

Island Hopping

U.S. strategy in the Pacific Theater during WWII to capture strategically important islands.

Atomic Bomb

Nuclear weapon dropped by the U.S. on Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

Double Victory Campaign

African American campaign during WWII advocating for victory against fascism abroad and racism at home.

War Production Board

Agency that oversaw the conversion of factories to wartime production during WWII.

Victory Gardens

Gardens planted by citizens during WWII to supplement food supplies.

Great Migration

Mass movement of African Americans from the rural South to urban centers in the North during the early 20th century.

Zoot Suit Riots

Racial tensions leading to riots in Los Angeles in 1943, stemming from conflicts between white soldiers and Japanese Americans.

United Nations

International organization founded in 1945 to promote peace and cooperation among countries.

Cold War

Period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union and the United States after WWII.

Iron Curtain

Metaphor for the division between Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe and the West during the Cold War.

McCarthyism

Period of intense anti-communism and government persecution of suspected communists in the U.S.