Imperialism Vocab
US History

imperialism: the policy by which strong
nations extend their political, military, and
economic control over weaker territories

annex: to incorporate a territory into an
existing political unit, such as a state or a
nation

Alfred T. Mahan: military historian and an
officer in the US Navy; who wrote a book “The
Influence of Sea Power Upon History” he
called upon America to build a great fleet

William Hearst & Joseph Pulitzer:
newspaper editors who heightened the
public’s dislike of the Spanish government by
using yellow journalism

yellow journalism (yellow press):
the use of sensationalized and exaggerated
reporting by newspapers to attract readers

jingoism: aggressive nationalism

sensationalism: to arouse an intense
emotional response

Spanish American War: US went to war with
Spain to help Cuba win its independence
(aka: “Splendid Little War”)

USS Maine: US Navy ship destroyed by
unknown reasons but it led the US to declare
war on Spain

Rough Riders: volunteer cavalry unit who
fought in a famous land battle on San Juan Hill

Buffalo Soldiers: all black regiment of the
Spanish American War

Treaty of Paris: ended the Spanish American
War; Spain freed Cuba, turned over the islands
of Guam and Puerto Rico to the US and sold
the Philippines to the US for $20 million

Open Door Policy: reflected three American
beliefs: (1) growth of US economy based on
exports (2) US had a right to intervene abroad
to keep foreign markets open and (3) feared
that the closing of an area to American
products, citizens, or ideas threatened US
survival

Boxer Rebellion: 1900 rebellion in which
members of a Chinese secret society sought to
free their country from Western influence

Platt Amendment: a series of provisions that
the US insisted that Cuba add to its new
Constitution, commanding Cuba to stay out of
debt and giving the US the right to intervene in
the country and the right to buy or lease
Cuban land for naval and fueling stations

Roosevelt Corollary: official American policy
stated that disorder in Latin America could
force the US to send its military into Latin
American nations to protect American
economic interests (aka Big Stick Policy)

Dollar Diplomacy: refers to the policy of using
the US government to guarantee loans made to
foreign countries by American business
people

Moral Diplomacy: US had a moral
responsibility to deny recognition to any Latin
American government it viewed as oppressive,
undemocratic or hostile to the United States