HOTUS unit 5

US in the Caribbean:  

Roosevelt’s Big Stick: Referring to a proverb popularized by Roosevelt, the Big Stick was a symbol of Roosevelt’s views towards American foreign policy during his presidency. The “big stick” is pulled from the larger quote “Speak softly and carry a big stick,” meaning to not chirp others but to carry a quiet sense of strength and intimidation. In relation to foreign policy, this signified Roosevelt’s belief in a powerful standing military and the use of intimidation of smaller, less powerful nations. One example of this foreign policy put into action is the US’ treatment of Spain in the late 1800s, starting from the intervention in the Cuban War of Independence and extending into their demand for control of the Philippines. (Kalapatapu)

Acquisition of Panama Canal Zone: President Roosevelt was a strong supporter of naval development, and he believed that a canal in Panama would allow movement of naval/commercial vessels between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. After Colombia refused to cede land, the US facilitated an uprising in which Panama gained independence from Colombia. After the revolution, Panama gave the US the right to construct and operate the canal and gave them dominion of the Panama Canal Zone. (Rio)

Roosevelt Corollary: The Roosevelt Corollary was Theodore Roosevelt’s  addition to the Monroe Doctrine in which the United States has the exercise “an international police power” in the Western Hemisphere. In 1904, Roosevelt ordered American forces to seize customs houses of the D.R to ensure payment of the country’s debt to Europe and America. In 1906, he placed forces in Cuba to oversee a disputed election until 1909. It was significant because it allowed the United States the permission to bring military forces in Latin America countries to prevent Europe from taking those countries. In the Monroe Doctrine, James Monroe pledged to defend the hemisphere from European intervention(Earle)

Dollar Diplomacy: Dollar diplomacy was Taft’s plan to control the western hemisphere. He differed from Roosevelt in the way that he did not think that direct military control and policing was the best way to protect the hemisphere from European intentions. He thought that the best way to do this was to emphasize economic investment and loans from American banks. Generally, he thought that economic control and power would be a better way to protect these countries from European intervention. (Murray)

Liberal Internationalism (pg. 580) 

Wilson in Mexico

Central Powers: 

Allies: 

U-Boats: 

Lusitania: British passenger liner that was sunk by a German U-boat during WWI, this significantly changed American public opinion against Germany and contributed to the eventual U.S. entry into the war due to the large number of American casualties on board the ship. It was a major turning point in American foreign policy leading up to the war. (Camargo)

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare: Unrestricted submarine warfare is a state of warfare in which a naval power alters its targets from purely military ships to commercial/civilian boats. Primarily used by Germany in the first and second world wars, unrestricted submarine warfare constitutes an escalation in any military conflict and usually serves to provoke or instigate a retributional attack from the nation attacked through USW. In WWI, German U-boats practiced unrestricted submarine warfare against American supply ships traveling across the Atlantic Ocean in order to stop the flow of aid from the US to their allies in Europe (Great Britain, France). (Kalapatapu)

Zimmermann Telegram/note: The Zimmerman Telegram was a message from Germany to Mexico proposing a military alliance and support in reclaiming territory it had lost to the United States during the Mexican-American War. The British intercepted the telegram and strategically sent it to the US at the “perfect time” in order to encourage them to join the war. It is so influential within the US because people in the West previously did not care about the war, but this changed their minds because they believed Mexico was eyeing their territory. Furthermore, the telegram provided a tangible reason for the US to take action against Germany, rallying public outrage and contributing to Wilson’s declaration of war in 1917. (Major)

14 Points (will read in class)

Committee on Public Information: 

Espionage and Sedition Acts: Due to the presence of spies in the US, the government doubled down on anti- American sentiment. Even if people just had small critiques, they faced the possibility of jail time. For example, the socialist candidate of the 1912 election Eugene V. Debs was arrested for commenting on the US government during a speech and was in prison throughout 1920. (McCord)

War Industries Board: 

War Labor Board:

Selective Service Act: The Selective Service Act, passed in May 1917, required all men between the ages of 21 and 30 (later expanded to 18-45) to register for the draft, which accounted for 24 million people at the time. This act reflects the high demand for yet lack of men willing to fight in the war, leading the government to draft more than 2.8 million men under this act. (Major)

Doughboys:

Flu Pandemic: Also known as the Spanish Flu, the Flu Pandemic of 1918 largely spread due to war mobilization and arrived in two waves. Standing as one of the most deadly pandemics in human history, the Flu affected almost ⅓ of the global population at the time. Unlike other diseases, the Spanish Flu specifically had a high mortality rate within young adults, including soldiers. Similar to the responses to modern-day COVID-19, many cities passed mask mandates and closed schools to curb the spread of the pandemic. Despite its devastating effects, the Flu Pandemic has been overshadowed in history by the war, giving it the name “The Forgotten Pandemic.” (Major)

Anti German Crusade:

La Gran Liga Mexicanista de Beneficencia y Protección:

AEF: 

Battle of Chateau-Thierry: 

Meuse-Argonne offensive: There was a 700 man battalion known as the lost battalion that got held up in the Argonne forest by the german army for several weeks. Many men had died and all were either weak or sick due to the damp, cold climate. The U.S. media referred to them as the “Lost Battalion” because they hadn't been found for so long. During the offensive, the German army came in with torches and started burning the trench the Americans were staked out in. Unexpectedly, the battalion shot blindly at the Germans, causing them to leave, and the offensive quickly ended. Soon after a member of the U.S. army came and found the battalion and brought them to aid. (McCord)

Native American Role in/Perception of the War: Many Native Americans volunteered or were drafted to serve in the army. While many of them believed that their service could help them win freedom and citizenship, others saw the draft as a violation of their sovereignty. Additionally, many white officers assigned Native American soldiers more dangerous tasks than other soldiers, causing their mortality rate to be much higher than other groups. (Rio)

Treaty of Versailles: The Treaty of Versailles officially ended World War 1. It accomplished a lot of the goals Wilson listed in his Fourteen Points. The treaty established the League of Nations (which was one of Wilson’s main goals), applied the principle of self-determination to Eastern Europe and redrew the map of that region. Additionally, a lot of new European nations emerged from the war including Poland, Finland, Austria, and Hungary. However, despite Wilson’s assertion for peace in his Fourteen Points, the treaty had some extremely harsh terms, especially for Germany, paving the way for inevitable future conflicts in the European region (Pandya). 

Clemenceau:  

League of Nations: