Unit 5- Reading Guide 2
Vocab: Define each of the following terms
Teller Amendment
Foraker Act
The Insular Cases
Emilio Aguinaldo
John Hay
Open Door Notes
Boxer Rebellion
Hay-Pauncefote Treaty
Name_________________________
Panama Canal
Roosevelt Corollary
Treaty of Portsmouth
Dollar diplomacy
Francisco “Pancho” Villa
Emiliano Zapata
John J. Pershing
Guided Reading Questions: Provide comprehensive answers, in complete
sentences, to each of the following questions.
1. What “promises” did U.S. forces make to Puerto Ricans during their
occupation of the island during the Spanish-American War? Did these
promises include independence?
2. Why was Puerto Rico strategically important to the United States?
3. What was the decision of the Insular Cases? Did these decisions support the
worries of anti-imperialists (use what you know about the critics)? How did
Congress change the status of Puerto Ricans following these court decisions?
4. What was the root cause of the 3-year war between Filipino rebels and the
U.S. soldiers? How was the U.S. similar to the Spanish, in its treatment of
Filipinos? What were the costs of this war?
5. Following the war, who becomes civil governor in the Philippines? What
steps does America take to improve conditions in the Philippines?
6. Why is China such a valuable market for U.S. imperialists? What countries
already had “spheres of influence” in China?
7. What was the goal of John Hay’s “Open Door notes?”
8. Why did U.S. interests come under attack during the Boxer Rebellion? How is
this rebellion put down? How might Hay’s second series of Open Door notes
have eased tension with China?
9. Explain each of the following country’s role in the eventual building of the
Panama Canal: Great Britain, France, Colombia, and the U.S.. What situation
prompted the U.S. government to actively encourage a 1903 revolt in Central
America?
10. What series of events finally led to U.S. rights to build the canal? How long
did it take to build it? Why is it significant?
11. What developments in Latin America prompted formulation of the Roosevelt
Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine? Provide an example. What was the
premise of Roosevelt’s foreign policy for the Western Hemisphere?
12. In what country was the Roosevelt Corollary first put into action? How did
that work?
13. Explain Roosevelt’s role in the following events: the Russo-Japanese war; the
voyage of the Great White Fleet; and the Gentlemen’s Agreement.
14. What was the goal of Taft’s “Dollar Diplomacy?” Provide an example.
15. Explain President Wilson’s feelings about imperialism and America’s
responsibility in the Latin America. How would Mexico challenge Wilson’s
foreign policy?
16. What incident(s) nearly brought the U.S. and Mexico to all out war? How was
their skirmish resolved?
17. What notorious actions by Pancho Villa and his men enflamed tensions
between the U.S. and Mexico? How did President Wilson respond? What
events in Europe brought Wilson’s mission in Mexico to a halt?