Unit 7 1890-1819

Spanish-American War

A conflict in 1898 between the U.S. and Spain that resulted in U.S. territorial gains, including Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.

Teller Amendment

A statement added to a joint resolution of Congress on April 20, 1898, that stated the U.S. would not annex Cuba after the Spanish-American War.

Platt Amendment

An amendment to the 1901 Army Appropriations Act that outlined the role of the United States in Cuba and restricted Cuba's sovereignty.

Puerto Rican citizenship

The status granted to Puerto Ricans in 1917, establishing them as U.S. citizens but limiting their political rights.

Zimmerman Note

A secret diplomatic communication from Germany to Mexico proposing a military alliance against the U.S., intercepted by British intelligence in January 1917.

Great Migration

The movement of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North between 1916 and 1970, significantly during and after World War I.

Espionage Act

A law passed in 1917 that made it a crime to interfere with military operations or to promote insubordination in the military.

Sedition Act

An act passed in 1918 that further restricted free speech by making it illegal to speak against the government or the war effort.

Shank v. United States

A Supreme Court case decided in 1919 that ruled that the First Amendment rights could be restricted if there was a clear and present danger.

14 Points

President Wilson's principles for peace to end World War I, emphasizing self-determination, free trade, and the establishment of the League of Nations, presented in January 1918.

League of Nations

An international organization formed after World War I in 1919 that aimed to maintain world peace; the U.S. did not join.

Treaty of Versailles

The peace treaty that ended World War I, which imposed heavy reparations and territorial losses on Germany, signed in June 1919.

Women's Christian Temperance Union

An organization formed in the late 19th century advocating for the prohibition of alcohol.

19th Amendment

An amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1920, granting women the right to vote.

Turner thesis

The argument that the American frontier was a key factor in shaping the nation's democracy and character, suggesting that its closure in the 1890s would lead the U.S. to expand its influence overseas.

Alfred C. Mahan

A naval officer and historian who argued for the importance of a strong navy and wrote 'The Influence of Sea Power upon History'.

White man's burden

The belief that Western nations had a duty to civilize non-Western people, often used to justify imperialism.

Queen Liliuokalani

The last reigning monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii, who was overthrown by American businessmen in 1893.

Dollar diplomacy

President Taft's foreign policy aimed at furthering U.S. interests overseas by encouraging American investments in foreign economies.

Moral diplomacy

Wilson's foreign policy that sought to promote democracy and moral progress in other nations while avoiding imperialism.

Alfred C. Mahan

A naval officer and historian who argued for the importance of a strong navy and wrote 'The Influence of Sea Power upon History'. His ideas were influential in shaping U.S. naval strategy and expansionism during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Queen Liliuokalani

The last reigning monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii, who was overthrown by American businessmen in 1893. Her reign and subsequent overthrow marked a significant moment in U.S. imperialism in the Pacific.

Woodrow Wilson

The 28th President of the United States, who served from 1913 to 1921. He is known for his leadership during World War I, his Fourteen Points for peace, and the establishment of the League of Nations, reflecting his vision for a new world order.

John Hay

The U.S. Secretary of State under President McKinley and Roosevelt, who was instrumental in promoting the Open Door Policy in China, emphasizing American economic interests abroad during the late 19th century.

William Howard Taft

The 27th President of the United States (1909-1913) known for his 'Dollar Diplomacy' policy, which sought to extend American influence through economic means rather than military intervention.

George Dewey

A U.S. naval commander best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War in 1898. His actions heralded the emergence of the U.S. as a global naval power.

Henry Cabot Lodge

An American Republican senator and historian who was a leading figure in advocating for American expansionism and played a vital role in the debate over the League of Nations after World War I.

Carrie Chapman Catt

An American women's suffrage leader who campaigned for the 19th Amendment, she was a key figure in the women's rights movement during the early 20th century and served as president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association.

Florence Kelley

A social and political reformer who fought for labor laws and women's rights in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, advocating for improved working conditions and child labor laws.

Alice Paul

A prominent women's rights activist who played a key role in the passage of the 19th Amendment and later founded the National Women's Party, advocating for women's suffrage and equality.