Terms

The Cuban Revolution

This started the U.S. involvement in the Spanish-American War. A "sugar tariff" made the Cubans mad and they blamed Spain.

The Maine

This was an American ship which was blown up. American journalists immediately blamed Spain, even though evidence shows that Spain had nothing to do with it. It only turned Americans more towards war.

Platt Amendment

This amendment limited Cuban independence. It stated that any time intervention was needed in Cuba, the U.S. could intervene.

Teller Amendment

This amendment stated that once Spain left Cuba, America would. It, of course, was violated.

Imperialists vs. Anti-Imperialists

Imperialists wanted to expand and form an empire. Anti-imperialists were happy at home and felt they did not need to expand.

Philippine Insurrection

Led by Aguinaldo, the Filipinos revolted against Spanish rule, only to be taken over by the U.S. for nearly 50 years.

John Hay

He was a strong imperialist. As the Secretary of State, he declared the Open Door Policy.

Annexation of Hawaii

American planters in Hawaii wished to be annexed to avoid high tariffs on their products. Cleveland, however, did not want to annex Hawaii.

Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty

This treaty gave the U.S. permission to build the Panama Canal for $10 million and an additional $250,000 per year.

Yellow Journalism

This outrageous form of writing, by Pulitzer and Hearst, angered Americans and led them to cry for war.

Open Door Policy

America had no sphere of influence in China, and wanted to trade freely there. So, Hay came up with the Open Door Policy; all nations could trade freely in China.

Emilio Aguinaldo

He was the leader of the Filipinos.

Roosevelt Corollary

This was a modification of the Monroe Doctrine which turned the U.S. into an "international policeman." It strengthened U.S. involvement in Latin affairs.

Hay-Pauncefote Treaty

This treaty broke the Clayton-Bulwer treaty and stated that the U.S. would build the Panama Canal alone.

Big Stick Diplomacy; Theodore Roosevelt

This was Roosevelt's foreign policy. Roosevelt ended the Russo-Japanese War with the Nobel Prize winning Treaty of Portsmouth. He also started the "gentlemen's agreement," which limited Japanese immigration and kept Japanese school children segregated, and had the Great White Fleet sail around the world in 1908 to show the U.S.' naval power. He was also the supervisor of the Root-Takahira agreement, which stated that the U.S. and Japan would agree to the Open Door Policy in China.

Dollar Diplomacy; William Howard Taft

Taft wanted to use money and investments to gain the friendships of other nations. Instead, he sent troops to Nicaragua. He was truly a follower of Roosevelt's "Big Stick" policy.

Moral Diplomacy; Woodrow Wilson

This was Wilson's foreign policy, which stated that good will would gain alliance of nations. Instead, he sent troops to Mexico, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. He was also a follower of Roosevelt's "Big Stick" policy.

Alfred Thayer Mahan

He wrote The Influence of Sea Power on History. It stressed that the U.S. needed a powerful navy to be a world power.

Josiah Strong

He was a racist preacher who believed that we needed to "civilize" the Filipinos, which he flagrantly called "our little brown brothers."

Treaty of Paris, 1898

This treaty ended the Spanish-American War. Its provisions were that the U.S. would receive Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Phillipines. Spain would recieve $20 million.

Spanish-American War

The Spanish-American war was caused by three things in particular: the Maine incident, yellow journalism, and the DeLome letter.

Insular Cases

These cases brought up the question of whether territories of the U.S. were subject to American laws. The answer was yes, but only if the territories were planned to be states.

Boxer Rebellion

The Boxers, a group of Chinese rebels, took Beijing and killed as many foreigners as possible. This showed the anti-foreign sentiment of the Chinese.

Panama Canal

The U.S. sparked the Panama Revolution in order to bring the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty around. Later, the U.S. felt guilty and paid Colombia $25 million in compensation.

de Lome Letter

This was a letter written by the Spanish Ambassador calling Wilson a weak president. Hearst published it in his paper, and it angered the American public. This led to the Spanish-American War.