Imperialism Vocabulary
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U.S.S. Maine – American battleship sent on a “friendly” visit to Cuba that ended in disaster and war.
manifest destiny – idea that the nation should expand to its continental borders
new manifest destiny – involved acquiring possessions separate from the continental United States
Frederick Jackson Turner -one of the first professional historians, proposed in his "frontier thesis" that the development of
American individualism and democracy was not imported from Europe, but was born and nurtured in the nation's continuous
frontier experience.
Social Darwinism - Natural scientist Charles Darwin's theory of evolution was thought by some to apply to business and
social relationships. The "fittest" business or individual would succeed if left unrestricted. Social Darwinism promoted the
values of competition and individualism.
Captain Alfred T. Mahan – American Naval officer who argued that domination of the seas through naval power was the
key to world domination.
Influence of Sea Power Upon History (1890) – Book by Mahan, his thesis was that the greatest nations in history were seapower nations, and if the US wanted to achieve greatness, it must have a great navy
Queen Liliuokalani – Native Hawaiian ruler overthrown in a revolution led by white planters and aided by US troops
Samoa – Remote Pacific site of a naval clash between the US and Germany in 1889
Pago Pago – deep water port in the Samoan Islands which nearly brought the Germans, British, and the Americans to blows
Ten Years’ War – struggle of the Cubans to overthrow Spanish rule from 1868-1878
Virginius – Cuban owned gun-running ship that was captured by the Spanish in 1873. Spanish executed 53 of its crew, the
ship was flying an American flag and many of the crew was American. Americans called for retribution but conflict was
avoided when the Spanish government returned the ship and compensated the families the executed
Gen Valeriano “Butcher Weyler – Spanish general whose brutal tactics against Cuban rebels outraged American public
opinion
Joseph Pulitzer – owner of the New York World newspaper who practiced “yellow journalism” to increase circulation of his
newspaper he used the Spanish atrocities in Cuba to help sell newspapers
William Randolph Hearst – owner of the New York Journal who was involved with Joseph Pulitzer in a newspaper
circulation war, both used “yellow journalism He was quoted as saying to an artist “You just furnish the pictures, and I’ll
give you the war.”
“yellow journalism” – term for the sensationalistic and jingoistic prowar journalism practiced by Randolph Hearst and
Joseph Pulitzer
de Lôme letter - De Lôme was the Spanish minister to the United States in the 1890s. In a private letter to a friend, he made
several insulting remarks about President McKinley. The letter was published in February 1898 and inflamed American antiSpanish sentiment, moving the United States and Spain closer to war.
Teller Amendment - A proviso to President William McKinley’s war plans that proclaimed to the world that when the
United States had overthrown Spanish misrule, it would give Cuba its freedom. The amendment testified to the ostensibly
“anti-imperialist” designs of the initial war plans.
Rough Riders - Organized by Theodore Roosevelt, this was a colorful, motley regimen of Cuban war volunteers consisting
of western cowboys, ex-convicts, and effete Ivy leaguers. Roosevelt emphasized his experience with the regiment in
subsequent campaigns for Governor of New York and Vice-President under William McKinley.
Philippines – Pacific Islands owned by Spain, which were captured by Admiral George E. Dewey for the US
Commodore George E. Dewey – American naval commander whose spectacular May Day victory in 1898 in the
Philippines opened the doors to American imperialism in Asia.
Manila Bay – Site of the dramatic American naval victory that led to U.S. acquisition of rich Spanish-owned Pacific islands,
the Philippines.
San Juan Hill – Hill in Cuba that was taken by Roosevelt and his Rough Riders during the Spanish American War.
Platt Amendment (1901) - Following its military occupation, the United States successfully pressured the Cuban
government to write this amendment into its constitution. It limited Cuba’s treaty-making abilities, controlled its debt, and
stipulated that the United States could intervene militarily to restore order when it saw fit.
Senator Albert J. Beveridge – pro-imperialist Senator who proposed that Americans were different than other imperialist
nations in that the US enlightened and reformed the societies they had acquired, and improved their lives
Emilio Aguinaldo – Filipino leader of a guerilla war against American rule for 1899 to 1901
John Hay – American secretary of state who attempted to preserve Chinese independence and protect American interests in
China
28. First Open Door Note – note addressed to England, Germany Russia, France, Japan, and Italy that advocated equal trade in
China. (America came late and was excluded)
29. Boxer Rebellion – Antiforeign Chinese revolt of 1900 that brought military intervention by Western troops, including
Americans
30. Second Open Door Note - John Hay’s clever diplomatic efforts to preserve Chinese territorial integrity and maintain
American access to China after the Boxer Rebellion.
31. Open Door Policy - In a series of "Open Door" notes in 1899, Secretary of State John Hay set forth American objectives in
China: free trade and recognition of the territorial integrity of China. This marked a significant departure from the United
States' tradition of isolationism.
32. Elihu Root - Secretary of War under Roosevelt, he reorganized and modernized the U.S. Army, later served as ambassador
for the U.S.
33. Clayton-Bulwer Treaty – 1850 Treaty between the US & Great Britain that stated any canal built in Central America was to
be under joint British-U.S. control
34. Hay-Pauncefote Treaty - 1901 - A treaty signed between the United States and Great Britain, giving Americans a free hand
a free hand to build a canal in Central America. The treaty nullified the Clayton–Bulwer Treaty of 1850, which prohibited the
British or U.S. from acquiring territory in Central America.
35. Roosevelt Corollary - A brazen policy of “preventive intervention” advocated by Theodore Roosevelt in his Annual
Message to Congress in 1904. Adding ballast to the Monroe Doctrine, his corollary stipulated that the United States would
retain a right to intervene in the domestic affairs of Latin American nations in order to restore military and financial order.
36. Russo-Japanese War, Treaty of Portsmouth - Japan had attacked the Russian Pacific fleet over Russia's refusal to
withdraw its troops from Manchuria after the Boxer Rebellion (1904-1905) War fought mainly in Korea. Japan victorious,
the U.S. mediated the end of the war. Negotiating the treaty in the U.S. increased U.S. prestige. Roosevelt received a Nobel
Peace Prize for the mediation.
37. William Howard Taft & Dollar diplomacy - was a foreign policy associated with the presidency of William Taft. It
reasoned that American economic penetration would bring stability and safety to underdeveloped nations (particularly in
Latin America and Asia), and bring profit and power to the United States without the need to for actual U.S. control of the
region.
38. “Gentlemen’s’ Agreement” - In 1906, the Japanese government agreed not to issue passports to Japanese workers intending
to migrate to the United States. President Roosevelt reciprocated by getting the San Francisco school board to end its
discriminatory segregation of Japanese students
39. Root-Takahira agreement (1908) - Signed on November 30, 1908, the United States and Japan agreed to respect each
other’s territorial possessions in the Pacific and to uphold the Open Door in China. The Agreement was credited with easing
tensions between the two nations, but it also resulted in a weakened American influence over further Japanese hegemony in
China.
40. Lodge Corollary – resolution by Senator Henry Cabot Lodge that stated that non-European powers (such as Japan) would be
excluded from owning territory in the Western Hemisphere.
41. New Freedom, Woodrow Wilson – In the 1912 presidential campaign, Democratic nominee Woodrow Wilson argued for a
"New Freedom" contending that the government could best serve the public interest and provide social justice by breaking up
the trusts and restoring competition to the economy. He also promised a new approach to foreign affairs. He opposed
imperialism and the big-stick and dollar-diplomacy policies of his Republican predecessors.
42. Jones Act of 1916 - Law according territorial status to the Philippines and promising independence as soon as a “stable
government” could be established. The United States did not grant the Philippines independence until July 4, 1946.
43. General Victoriano Huerta - Huerta ruthlessly seized power in Mexico in 1913. President Wilson objected to Huerta's
murderous methods and refused to extend diplomatic recognition to the Huerta government. Huerta abdicated in 1914.
44. Pancho Villa - Villa, a Mexican "bandit" who opposed the Carranza government, raided Columbus, New Mexico, in 1916.
This provoked U.S. military intervention in Mexico. The army chased Villa, but was withdrawn before he could be found.
45. Venustiano Carranza - Carranza, a supporter of representative government, became president of Mexico in 1914. President
Wilson extended his government diplomatic recognition as a way to help Mexico's constitutionalists regain order in the
country.
46. General John J. “Blackjack” Pershing - commanded the military excursion into Mexico in 1916 to find and capture
Pancho Villa