Apush Imperalism Quiz

Alfred Thayer Mahan
A U.S. naval officer and historian who wrote The Influence of Sea Power upon History. Mahan argued that a strong navy was critical for national power and global influence, inspiring U.S. expansionism and naval buildup in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Anti-Imperialist League
A group of Americans opposed to U.S. annexation of the Philippines and other imperialist ventures. Members included Mark Twain and Andrew Carnegie, who believed imperialism contradicted American democratic and anti-colonial values.

Boxer Rebellion
A 1900 uprising in China aimed at expelling foreign influence, especially Western powers and Japan. The U.S. sent troops as part of an international coalition to protect American interests and uphold the Open Door policy.

Cuban Revolt
The struggle for independence by Cubans against Spanish rule, beginning in the late 19th century. American sympathy for the Cuban cause, fueled by yellow journalism, contributed to U.S. involvement in the Spanish-American War.

Emilio Aguinaldo
A Filipino nationalist leader who initially fought with the U.S. against Spain during the Spanish-American War but later led a rebellion against U.S. rule after the Philippines was annexed.

General Valeriano Weyler
A Spanish general sent to Cuba to suppress the Cuban revolt in the late 19th century. Weyler instituted brutal reconcentration policies, forcing Cuban civilians into camps to prevent them from aiding rebels. These harsh tactics earned him the nickname "The Butcher" and fueled American outrage.

Hawaii
The U.S. annexed Hawaii in 1898 after a coup led by American sugar planters overthrew Queen Liliuokalani. Hawaii's strategic location in the Pacific made it vital for military and economic purposes.

Imperialism
The policy of extending a nation's power and influence through diplomacy or military force. In the late 19th century, the U.S. embraced imperialism to expand its territories, access global markets, and project power abroad.

Insular Cases
A series of Supreme Court decisions in the early 1900s that determined the constitutional rights of inhabitants in U.S. territories (like Puerto Rico and the Philippines). The Court ruled that full constitutional rights did not automatically apply to these territories.

The Maine
A U.S. battleship that mysteriously exploded in Havana Harbor in 1898, killing 260 Americans. The incident was a catalyst for the Spanish-American War, as it was blamed on Spain (though evidence was inconclusive).

"Open Door" Notes
A series of diplomatic messages sent by Secretary of State John Hay in 1899-1900, advocating for equal trading rights in China and preventing the partition of China by European powers.

Philippines
Acquired by the U.S. from Spain after the Spanish-American War (1898) for $20 million. This led to the Philippine-American War (1899-1902) as Filipinos resisted U.S. colonization.

Platt Amendment
A 1901 amendment to the Cuban constitution that gave the U.S. significant control over Cuban affairs, including the right to intervene militarily and establish a naval base at Guantanamo Bay.

Puerto Rico
Ceded to the U.S. by Spain in 1898 after the Spanish-American War. Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory, and its residents were granted U.S. citizenship in 1917, though it remains a commonwealth.

Rough Riders
A volunteer cavalry unit led by Theodore Roosevelt during the Spanish-American War. They gained fame for their charge up San Juan Hill in Cuba.

Rudyard Kipling
A British writer and poet, author of The White Man’s Burden, which urged Western nations to "civilize" colonized peoples, reflecting the racial and cultural justification for imperialism.

Spanish-American War
A 1898 conflict between the U.S. and Spain, sparked by the Cuban revolt and the explosion of The Maine. The U.S. emerged as a global power, gaining territories like Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.

"The White Man's Burden"
A poem by Rudyard Kipling that framed imperialism as a moral responsibility to bring "civilization" to non-Western peoples, often used to justify U.S. and European colonialism.

Venezuelan Dispute
A border conflict between Venezuela and British Guiana in the late 19th century. The U.S. intervened, invoking the Monroe Doctrine to assert its influence in the Western Hemisphere, marking a shift toward a more active foreign policy.

William Jennings Bryan
A prominent politician and anti-imperialist who opposed U.S. annexation of the Philippines. Bryan also ran for president multiple times as a Democrat and was a key figure in the populist and progressive movements.

William McKinley
The 25th president of the United States (1897–1901) who led the nation during the Spanish-American War. McKinley supported imperialist policies, including the annexation of the Philippines, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.

William Randolph Hearst
A newspaper magnate whose sensationalist journalism (yellow journalism) helped fuel public support for the Spanish-American War. He famously said, "You furnish the pictures, and I'll furnish the war."

Yellow Journalism
Exaggerated and sensationalist reporting, used by newspapers like Hearst’s New York Journal and Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World, to incite public outrage and support for U.S. intervention in Cuba.