Key Terms 7.2 Imperialism: Debates

William H. Seward

U.S. Secretary of State (1861-1869); advocated expansionism, purchased Alaska, and annexed Midway Island

Monroe Doctrine

U.S. policy (1823) opposing European interference in the Americas, asserting U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere

Purchase of Alaska (1867)

U.S. acquisition of Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million, derisively called “Seward’s Folly.”

Hawaii

Pacific islands settled by U.S. missionaries and entrepreneurs annexed after American settlers overthrew Queen Liliuokalani in 1893

Pearl Harbor

A naval base in Hawaii sought by the U.S. for strategic control of Pacific trade routes

Queen Liliuokalani

Hawaiian monarch overthrown by American settlers in 1893; opposed U.S. annexation

Grover Cleveland

U.S. President who opposed imperialism and blocked Hawaii’s annexation

James G. Blaine

Secretary of State who promoted Pan-American cooperation and trade among Western Hemisphere nations

Pan-American Conference (1889)

Meeting of Western Hemisphere nations to promote economic and political cooperation, creating the Pan-American Union

Richard Olney

Secretary of State who enforced the Monroe Doctrine during the Venezuela boundary dispute with Britain

“New Imperialism”

Late 19th-century global expansion of industrial nations seeking resources, markets, and strategic dominance

Alfred Thayer Mahan

U.S. Navy captain who argued for a strong navy to secure foreign markets and enhance U.S. global power

Darwinism

Application of “survival of the fittest” to justify U.S. expansion and imperialism as a natural and moral duty

Expansionists

Advocates for U.S. territorial and economic growth abroad for power, markets, and global influence

Josiah Strong

Religious leader who supported imperialism, claiming Anglo-Saxon Americans had a duty to spread Christianity and civilization