History Topic
What is Nationalism and how did it grow?
Nationalism is devotion to one’s nation. It grew because
there was a lot of competition among European nations
for large empires. In the late 1800s, nationalist feelings
grew stronger in many countries, causing several
European nations to take strong actions to protect their
interests (such as having colonies).
Identify Valeriano Weyler (358)
Weyler was Spain’s best general in 1895, who led
150,000 troops to put down the Cuban rebellion.
What is yellow journalism and how does it connect to
the Spanish American War?
Sensational headlines and stories, known as yellow
journalism, increased American public opinion in favor of
the Cuban rebels. The stories printed in newspapers such
as the journal strengthened American sympathy for the
Cuban rebels. America felt sorry for the Cuban rebels and
wanted to support them. Slowly, more Americans said
that the US should intervene between Spain and Cuba,
which led to the Spanish-American War.
Briefly describe the four steps of the Spanish American
War
First, in 1898, riots erupted in Havana, the capital of
Cuba. President McKinley decides to move the battleship
U.S.S. Maine into Havana’s harbor to protect American
citizens and property.
Second, the de Lome letter was published. It was stolen
from the Spanish Ambassador to Washington, Dupuy de
Lome. The letter described McKinley in a negative way,
so it caused a commotion because of how it ridiculed
McKinley but also because yellow journalism created a
sensation around it.
Third, the U.S.S. Maine exploded due to accidental fire,
but the American public blamed Spain. The newspapers
created more sensationalized stories about this which
made the American people more mad at Spain. However,
McKinley still hesitated to go to war.
Connection to myself or other events
Fourth, the Philippines, Spain’s last possession, was also
rebelling against Spain. Theodore Roosevelt, the assistant
Secretary of the Navy, ordered the naval commanders to
prepare for military action against Spain. McKinley
specifically ordered Admiral George Dewey to attack the
Spanish fleet in the Philippines if war broke out with
Spain.
Fifth, McKinley made his war message after his last
attempt to make peaceful demands (compensation for
the Main, an end to the reconcentration camps, a truce
in Cuba, and Cuban independence) Spain agreed to
everything but Cuban independence, and McKinley
decided that he could not resist the growing pressure to
go to war. On April 11, he sent the war message to
Congress, and Congress recognized Cuban independence
and authorized war against spain.
What did the United States receive from the Spanish
American War?
In the Treaty of Paris of 1898, the war with Spain and
America was officially over. Spain recognized Cuba’s
independence. The United States paid Spain $20 million
and Spain gave the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and the
Pacific Island of Guam to the United States. These
became “unincorporated” territories of the United
States, which meant that these lands were not intended
for eventual statehood.
What Dilemmas took place in the Philippines?
It was very controversial for the United States to gain the
Philippines because it would become a colonial power
while at the same time it was trying to promote its basic
principle that all people have the right to liberty. When
rebel Philippine leader Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed that
the Philippines was a republic, or an independent
country, in 1899, the United States ignored him. A violent
three-year war followed where thousands of Americans
were killed and hundreds of thousands of Filipinos were
killed. The Philippines finally gained complete
independence in 1946.
What was the Platt Amendment? How did it impact
Cuba?
Cuba was beginning to write its own constitution, and
originally stated that Cuba would not allow American
involvement in Cuba. The United States did not like this,
and said that they would not accept Cuba’s new
constitution unless Cuba included a document called the
Platt Amendment. The Platt Amendment said that the
Cuban government could not enter any foreign
agreements, must allow the United States to establish
naval bases as needed on the island, and must give the
United States the right to intervene whenever necessary.
Cuba really wanted the U.S. occupation to end, so they
reluctantly agreed to the Platt Amendment. This
impacted Cuba because the United States used its
military to intervene in what Cuba was doing twice in
history until the Platt Amendment was no longer
enforced in 1934.
How did the U.S. obtain Hawaii? (363)
In 1893, with the help of the United States Marines,
pineapple planter Sanford B. Dole removed Queen
Liliuokalani, the queen of independent Hawaii, from
power. Dole proclaimed Hawaii was now a republic and
requested that it be annexed by the United States.
President McKinley said that it was in the U.S.’s Manifest
Destiny to incorporate Hawaii. Congress approved the
annexation in 1898 based on the fact that the United
States needed naval stations in Hawaii in order to protect
its world trade.
Identify the Open Door Policy, Spheres of Influence.
What was the importance of the Open Door Policy?
Open Door Policy refers to the American approach to
China around 1900, where the United States favored
open trade relations between China and other nations.
China had a huge population, meaning a lot of people
who could buy goods and make the United States rich if
it could sell things to Chinese consumers. The importance
of the Open Door Policy was that the United States
would have equal access to China’s millions of
consumers. The United States insisted that there should
be open trade in China, meaning that the United States
could buy and sell goods to people in China without any
interference from the Chinese government.
Spheres of Influence refers to having economic and
political control. Powerful countries such as Russia,
Germany, Britain, France, and Japan wanted to have
spheres of influence in China because China had a huge
number of people, or potential buyers, in their
population.
What did Theodore Roosevelt mean by Speak Softly and
Carry a Big Stick?
In Roosevelt’s view, the “big stick” was the United States
Navy. The threat of military force allowed Roosevelt to
have a very aggressive foreign policy.
Describe the importance of the Roosevelt Corollary
Theodore Roosevelt wrote in the Roosevelt Corollary
that the United States did not want any more territory.
But, the U.S. government would intervene to prevent
intervention from other powerful nations in any territory.
This allowed the U.S. to intervene frequently in Latin
America, which angered a lot of Latin Americans. This
also made Congress unhappy because the President had
stronger powers while weakening the powers of congress
in the area of foreign policy.
What was Dollar Diplomacy? What was the importance
of it?
Dollar Diplomacy refers to President Taft’s foreign policy
approach (came after President Roosevelt – the “big
stick” policy). Taft’s main foreign policy goals were to
keep the open door trade with Asia and to preserve
stability in Latin America. As for the rest, he preferred
“substituting dollars for bullets.” By this he meant
maintaining orderly societies abroad through increased
American investment in foreign economies.
Unfortunately, Dollar Diplomacy did not succeed as well
as Taft had hoped. Although it increased the level of
United States financial involvement abroad, the results
were not always profitable, such as trying to build a
railroad in China which was lost when the country
collapsed in revolution. Also, Dollar Diplomacy created
enemies in Latin America where local revolutionary
movements opposed American influence.
What is a muckraker? What is the importance of
muckrakers?
A muckraker is a journalist who played a key role in
alerting the public to wrongdoing in politics and business,
such as Upton Sinclair who exposed the unsanitary
conditions of the meat industry. Muckrakers are
important because they have the power to identify
serious abuses and create a healthier and safer society.
What was the importance of the Zimmerman Note?
The Zimmerman Note was a telegram sent by Germany’s
foreign secretary in 1917 to Mexican officials proposing
an alliance with Mexico and promising U.S. territory if
Mexico declared war on the United States. The
importance of this note is that it made a lot of Americans
very angry and edged the United States closer to War
with Germany. Britain was very happy because it needed
the U.S. as an ally.
What were Liberty Bonds and what was their
importance?
Liberty Bonds were special war bonds to support the
Allied cause. These bonds were important because
selling these bonds to American people raised money for
the US government to finance the troops in World War I.
These funds allowed the United States to pay about one
quarter of its war costs and still loan more than $10
billion to the Allies during and just after the war.
What was the Sedition Act and how did it effect
Americans?
The Sedition Act of 1918 made it illegal to obstruct the
sale of Liberty Bonds or to discuss anything “disloyal,
profane, scurrilous, or abusive” about the American form
of government, the Constitution, or the army and the
navy. The Sedition Act violated the First Amendment’s
guarantee of freedom of speech, but many felt that the
needs of war required harsh measures. This affected
more than 1,500 Americans who were prosecuted for
criticizing the American government.
What was the League of Nations? How did congress feel
about it?
The League of Nations was an organization in which the
nations of the world would join together to ensure
security and peace for all its members. President Wilson
worked to create this idea. However, Congress did not
like one section, Article 10, which said that the League
would see an attack on one country as an attack on all
countries in the league. Congress feared that this would
drag the United States into unpopular foreign wars.
Congress ended up rejecting this idea.
What was contained in the treaty of Versailles?
The Versailles Treaty contained a redrawing of the map
of Europe, which created new ethnic minorities in several
countries and failed to resolve ethnic tensions. The treaty
also included German war guilt and financial
responsibility. France and Britain wanted to cripple
Germany. They insisted that Germany supply
reparations, or payment for economic injury suffered
during a war. However, Germany never forgot or forgave
this humiliation (led to WWII).
Review questions on page 447 (12-14)