Period 7.1-7.4 Flashcards
(27 cards)
Purchase of Alaska
Purchase of the Alaska territory from Russia campaigned for by William H. Seward. This came with no immediately apparent usefulness and was referred to as “Seward’s Folly”.
Hawaii
A subject of interest to many American parties, a group of settlers aided in the overthrow of its government and petitioned to be annexed by the US. Cleveland was opposed to imperialism, so he blocked the motion.
Expansionists
Various American groups who desired the acquisition of land overseas for political, economic, social, and religious reasons.
Jingoism
Intense form of nationalism calling for an aggressive foreign policy that was on the rise in the U.S.
Yellow Journalism
Sensationalistic reporting that featured bold and lurid headlines of crime, scandal, and disaster. Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph were the owners of two magazines that encouraged this practice.
Anti-Imperialist League
Organization led by William Jennings Bryan which rallied opposition to further acts of expansion in the Pacific.
Insular Cases
Series of Supreme Court cases that ruled that constitutional rights were not automatically extended to territories.
Platt Amendment
Required Cuba to agree to permit the U.S. to intervene in Cuba’s affairs and to allow the U.S. to operate naval bases around the island.
Spheres of Influence / Open Door Policy
Proposal by John Hay to the European nations establishing influence in China that advocated for equal access to trade.
Big Stick Policy
The name given to Roosevelt’s aggressive foreign policy, which promoted imperialism and attempted to build the reputation of the U.S. as a world power.
Great White Fleet
An around the world cruise of U.S. Navy battleships sent by Roosevelt as a show of power.
Panama Canal
Canal built through Panama using land gained from U.S. involvement in Panama’s rebellion from Colombia. This built bitter regional tensions between Colombia and Panama with the U.S.
Roosevelt Corollary
Policy taken by the U.S. to collect debts owed by Latin American countries to European ones that justified U.S. involvement in multiple developing countries and created deep regional conflicts between Latin America and the U.S.
Gentlemen’s Agreement
Understanding between the U.S. and Japan in which the Japanese government secretly worked to restrict the emigration of Japanese workers to the U.S. in return for Roosevelt persuading California to repeal its discriminatory laws.
Dollar Diplomacy
Policy adopted by William Howard Taft that focused on promoting U.S. trade by supporting American enterprises abroad.
Moral Diplomacy
Foreign policy adopted by Woodrow Wilson and his secretary of state Bryan that sought to demonstrate that the U.S. respected the rights of other nations and was opposed to self-interested imperialism.
Expeditionary Force
The U.S. sent a force into Mexico to hunt Pancho Villa in response to the murders of several Americans. The Mexican president protested this involvement and tensions continued to rise.
Muckrakers
Journalists and news organizations that focused on exposing corruption and scandal, targeting a growing middle-class reader base.
Secret Ballot
Voting system that allowed for more privacy in the voting process, preventing parties or corporations from intimidating or manipulating the votes of citizens.
Direct Primary
System that allowed for citizens to elect state and federal representatives, began in Wisconsin from Robert La Follette and spread elsewhere.
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
Tragedy in which 146 workers were trapped in a burning factory. This sparked work hour reforms for women and improvements in worker safety and fire protocols.
Square Deal
Roosevelt’s policy of compromise between owners and workers, notably through an issue where coal miners went on strike and the president had to mediate a deal between the parties.
Trust Busting
Roosevelt’s strategy of breaking up “bad trusts” (mainly railroad companies) and regulating “good trusts”.
The Jungle
book that described horrible and unsanitary working conditions practiced in meatpacking factories, unintentionally created an uproar around quality assurance and greatly influenced Roosevelt.
