Exam 1 Flashcards
1
Q
James Monroe
A
- President from 1817-25
- separate spheres
- west was republican and Europe was monarch
- Monroe Doctrine
- Didn’t want US involvement in foreign affairs
- Us would not try to spread republicanism in Europe
- Us would not interfere with existing colonies in Americas (Haiti or Canada)
- US was weak during his presidency
- Many countries wrote to him to form alliance, but he did not want any part of it
- cautious to recognize latin american countries because he thought pre-existing forces could easily take over the new independent colonies once again
2
Q
Simon Bolivar
A
- from very wealthy slave owning family; was well educated and ambitious
- successful military leader who seldom gave up
- seen as the liberator of spanish speaking latin america
- his political ideology was unclear: wanted independence from Spain, but was fearful that too much power would be given to non-whites
- wanted executive branch of government to have lots of power
- Opinions to foreign nations were mixed” distrust towards America; positive attitude towards Britain and wanted an alliance with them
- created the Congress of Panama which failed
- established Gran Columbia
- resigned in attempts to keep them together
- seen as a hero for the fragmentation
3
Q
Cornelius Vanderbilt
A
- first wealthy tycoon
- involved in steamship, railroad, and moving people
- created the nicaragua route for trade in early 1850s.
- created competition for Panama railroad because it was cheaper and faster
- His company was known as the Accessory Transit company
- is upset when William Walker takes over the company
4
Q
Panama Railroad Company
A
- established by US investors
- started in 1850 and done by 1855
- brought in huge numbers of people to build
- dangerous work
- people who road it were getting attacked by local bandits
- US influence became extremely strong
- US dollar replaced colombia currency
- most prestigious railroad until 1869
- effect; Panama became increasingy tied to US
5
Q
William Walker
A
- Famous filibuster
- known as “grey eyed man of destiny” from Tennessee
- victourious military leader
- went to Mexico; briefly declares an independent republic, but it fails; he is taken back to US and put on trial; not found guilty.
- Nicaraguan liberals think he can help them win the war on the conservatives
- 1855 he takes 58 men to Nicaragua and becomes a top military leader
- created coalition government
- had plans to reform Nicaragua and encouraged 1200 Americans to come live
- established English as official language and legalized slavery
- Became president of Nicaragua
- makes several enemies including Vanderbilt bc he took over the Accessory Transit Company and gave it to his competitors; in return Vanderbilts arms Costa Ricans to fight war against him
- several other countries wage war on him
- the war cost 40,000 lives and lasted from 1856-57
- Had granada torched before he left
- Goes to coast and has US naval officer take him back to US where he was put on trial and not found guilty
- Seen as hero in USA
- Attempted to return to Nicaragua but was intercepted by British forces and turned into British Honduras where he was executed
- Remembered all throughout Central America as a representation of the US’s intentions
6
Q
Ulysses S. Grant
A
- President during the time of the Bay of Samana
- Goes through assertive effort to acquire Bay of Samana partly because he thought the Dominican Republic wanted it
- Made a treaty with Dominican Republic that said they would become part of the US; didn’t pass
- sent fact finding mission that says it was a good idea to acquire; senate says no, race problem
7
Q
Monroe Doctrine
A
- Writtenin 1823
- US stated this unilaterally and it was unclear was US would do if a European country invaded Latin America
- US was incredibly weak in the 19th century and had no teeth to back it up
- During the age of the filibusters, the british expanded interest in Central America coast but US never did anything about it
- Addressed that there would be no colonization of the Americas and the US would not attempt to expand republicansim in Europe
- A few times throughout history, Countries asked for the US to act on the Monroe Doctrine but were rejected due to the fact that there was nothing in the Doctrine that said action would be taken
- was in the best interest of the US; didn’t want to get involved in things that would hurt us
- First explicit statement by US regarding views of the Western Hemisphere
- Latin Americans themselves had stopped Spain’s return, not US threats
- Latin America realized that despite having issued the Monroe Doctrine the US lacked any real power or interest to confront the European nations directly
8
Q
Manifest Destiny
A
- Westward expansion intensified after the Louisiana Purchase
- Term coined in 1840s by John L. O’Sullivan
- The problem was that there were people living and other countries in the territories the US wanted.
- US was gaining territories: Spanish Florida, land aquried from treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, talk of Cuba,
- Created the question of Where to next? and in what direction? How much farther?
- US was spreading liberty and potential for further growth
- brought with it a great deal of filibusters
- The Us believed that God was on their side
9
Q
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
A
- Nueces river and American blood shed on American Soil
- Solved the US-Mexican war
- signed in 1848; US gained half of Mexican territory
- US bougth California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado for 15 million, and border of Texas is favored in US
- led to civil war with the gaining of slave territory; territory was underpolulated; race concsious whites did not want a lot of Mexicans
- solidified US beliefs that God was on their side and especially with finding gold in California
- brought in many Mexican families and Latino immigrants which shaped/changed demographics and culture
10
Q
Filibusters
A
- unauthorized military invasion of foreign nations by an individual
- people would independently set out in hopes of territorial expansion
- Most famous: William Walker
- No one in US was ever found guilty of filibustering because they believed in what they were doing
- The Civil War brought a decline of filibusters
11
Q
Nitrates
A
- Chileans worked lands owned by Bolivia and Peru in Atacama desert where they found Nitrates
- used in fertilizer and explosives
- Bolivia made agreement that there would be no rise in taxes for 25 years, but a new dictator came into power and changed the agreement
- One of the causes of the War of the Pacific
- frayed relations
- became center for Chile’s economy along with copper
12
Q
US-Mexican War
A
- instability after independence (had major political problems)
- Texas became independent although Mexico refused to recognize it
- Texas was to be annexed by US, but mexico offered to recognize independence if they didn’t annex
- Texans believed border to be at Rio Grand and Mexico thought is was the Nueces river
- Polk wanted a war after the Slidell mission failed
- Sent troops below Nueces river Mexico viewed this as invasion
- American blood shed on American soil
- US won a very uneven war; US had national identity, stability and an army that included professionals and enthusiastic volunteers; Mexico was the opposite
- ended with Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848
- Impacted US economic development, set precedent for future presidents on how to wage successful war, started a significant demographic trend with many mexican families and latino immigrants
- the war devestated Mexico
- Long-term negative impact on Latin American relations- confirmed suspicions about their northern neighbors; US as a threat: a democracy inside an empire
13
Q
War of the Triple Alliance
A
- 1865-1870
- Uruguay was torn between the whites and the reds; had a civil war between Blancos and Colorados
- Uruguay was there the triple Alliance war began
- Most of northern Uruguay had Brazilian rancher that did not take the border seriously and thought that Uruguay should pay them for damages done to their land
- Brazilian invasion in 1864, they put a Colorado goverment in charge that they thought would tend to the northern Brazilians living in Uruguay;
- in order to discourage anyone from messing with them, Paraguay built the largest army in all of Spanish America; Paruguay promised that they would intervene which they did; they invaded Brazil.
- Paruguay asked Argentina if they could send troops through their territory, they said no, but did it anyway;
- Brazil formed alliance with Argentina
- Brazil had little army and had to build a bigger one and drove Paraguay out of territory within six months
- effects: huge paraguayan loss of life and territory; hundreds of thousands of lives and 30% of territory; Brazil is one of the countries that expanded most during this time
14
Q
War of the Pacific
A
- Chile is most successful at creating gov after independence
- Peru and Bolivia did not have stable governments
- Chileans in the Atacama Desert
- Bolivian Agreements made and unmade
- Chile sent troops to area to occupy before Bolivia could
- Chile attacks Bolivia which gets Peru involved because they said if Bolivia was attacked they would step in; Chile had a navy that blockaded Peru and occupied the captial city of Lima
- war gets taken into highlands and becomes a very ugly race war
- US tried to meditate but Chile ignores
- Peru and Bolivia lost; Bolivia lost coast line they still resent to this day and part of peru nd bolivia became part of Chile
- frequent issues between chile peru and bolicia
- atacama desert becomes center of Chile’s economy because of nitrates and copper
- US influence was not as strong as the British
15
Q
Our sister republics
A
- Pan-Americanism: Americas have a commonality that they belong together
- European enemy
- US as change agent
- anti-colonial and imperialistic
- Universalism- US abandoning it and moving toward s exceptionalism
- slavery expanding
