APUSH E
R
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A MERICAN F OREIGN P OLICY : 1898-1919
McKinley And The Spanish-American War: 1898-1901

Why did the Spanish-American War happen and how does it represent a major theoretical shift in U.S. foreign policy?

What agreement was made in Congress about Cuba before the U.S. entered the Spanish-
American War? Did the U.S. live up to those agreements?

What is the Open Door Policy? Why was it desirable? In what conflicts did it cause the
U.S. to become involved?
The Big Stick and Dollar Diplomacy: 1901-1913

Compare and contrast Big Stick and Dollar Diplomacy. What are the significant examples of each policy?

What was the primary motivating factor for U.S. involvement in the Caribbean and
Central America? How did Roosevelt explain that involvement and connect it to earlier
U.S. policy?
Wilson and World War I: 1914-1919

What events brought the U.S. into WWI? What was the reason given for U.S. involvement?
 What were Wilson’s goals for the peace agreement? How well were those goals represented in the Treaty of Versailles? Why?

Why was the Senate reluctant to ratify the Treaty of Versailles? What political groups and individuals prevented its ratification?

What domestic policy changes took place as a result of WWI?
General Questions: 1898-1919

What major concerns drove American foreign policy during this time period?
 How well do America’s actions during this time period align with the stated philosophical goals and beliefs of the United States?

Key Terms/Concepts
Frontier Thesis
Yellow Journalism
U.S.S. Maine
The De Lome LEtter
Teller Amendment
Spanish-American War
Platt Amendment
Treaty of Paris (1899)
Insular Cases
The Open Door
The Big Stick
Panama Canal
Monroe Doctrine/Roosevelt Corollary
Russo-Japanese War
“Great White Fleet”
The Gentleman’s Agreement
The Root-Takahira Agreement
Dollar Diplomacy
Banana Republics
Russian Revolution
Zimmerman Telegram
HMS Lusitania
Selective Service Act
War Revenue Act
Food Administration
War Industries Board
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Treaty of Versailles
Irreconcilables
The Big Four
Reservationists
Key People
Frederick Jackson Turner
Alfred Thayer Mahan
General Weyler
William Randolph Hearst
William McKinley
Commodore Dewey
Theodore Roosevelt
Emilio Aguinaldo
William H. Taft
Franz Ferdinand
Woodrow Wilson
Robert La Follette
Henry Cabot Lodge