17 Freedoms Boundaries at Home and Abroad

Vocabulary flashcards covering the key people, legislation, and conflicts of late 19th-century American imperialism and overseas expansion.

Origins of Imperialism

Overseas empire justified by economic expansion and racial ideologies during the late 19th century.

American Expansionism

The U.S. movement to expand overseas beginning in the 1890s, driven by trade, naval bases, and missionary work.

Queen Liliuokalani

The ruler of Hawaii who was overthrown in 1895 by a group of American planters and businessmen.

Annexation of Hawaii (1898)

The official U.S. takeover of Hawaii, which served as a strategic stop in the Pacific as the U.S. gained Guam and the Philippines.

Spanish-American War (1898)

A conflict that marked a turning point for the United States toward becoming a global power.

Teller Amendment

A document that promised the U.S. would not annex Cuba after the Spanish-American War, supporting Cuban independence.

Platt Amendment

A reversal of previous policy that allowed U.S. intervention in Cuban affairs and granted the U.S. the right to a naval base at Guantanamo Bay.

Puerto Rico

A region transferred to the United States as a territory after Spain lost the Spanish-American War, rather than becoming independent like Cuba.

Philippine-American War (1899–1902)

A conflict in which Filipinos resisted U.S. colonial rule, leading to contradictions between American ideals and the practice of military force.

The Insular Cases

Supreme Court rulings stating that constitutional rights did not fully extend to U.S. territories, creating unequal citizenship.

Freedom with Limits

The post-expansion era result where freedom expanded for corporations and white elites but narrowed for African Americans, immigrants, and colonial subjects.