AP US History
Chapter 20 Questions
1) What were the motivations for US imperialist behavior in the late 19th/early 20th centuries?
American imperialism was mainly the result of the desire to spread political and economical
influence of the United States. Some people, like Alfred Thayer Mahan, saw imperialism as the chance
to expand sea power and create strategic locations for military bases, such as places for refueling on
long trips. The imperialism that took place in the 1800s-1900s was referred to as the new Manifest
Destiny, where Americans expanded outside of continental territory because of the loss of the frontier.
With the loss of the frontier, there was also an increasing lack of natural resources such as ivory, gold,
and sugar cane, all of which could be found in new territories outside of North America (especially
Cuba, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico). There were occasionally instances of overproduction in the United
States, which prompted businessmen to search for new markets in new lands. Natives also played a
large part for the motivations for expansion: Americans wanted to spread Christianity and democracy,
which was much easier than before due to their past experiences with Native Americans. Other
powerful nations, like Britain and Germany, were also exercising imperialist behavior and the United
States did not want to be left with nothing.
2) What were the causes and consequences of the Spanish-American War? Why was it called “A
Splendid Little War?” Is that an accurate nickname?
The Spanish-American War was a short war that resulted in the acquisition of many important
lands for the United States. Many Americans were unaware of the situation between Cubans and the
Spanish until John Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst exaggerated Spain’s cruelty in the so called
yellow journalism. Americans sympathized with the Cubans and wanted to help them become
independent of Spain (partly because they, too, had once created a revolution against Britain).
Although yellow journalism helped gain awareness of the events in Cuba, a scandalous letter written
by Spanish minister Dupuy de Lome also created support for war. American press published De
Lome’s letter criticizing President McKinley of his cowardice and the fact that such an insult came
from a foreigner angered Americans. The final cause was the explosion of the American battleship, the
Maine, which was falsely blamed on Spain and intensified support of war with Spain. Secretary of
State John Hay referred to the war as “a splendid little war” because the entire event only lasted four
months and there were considerably few deaths. In addition to the ease of winning the war, the benefits
were indeed “splendid”; the United States gained acquisition of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the
Philippines in the Treaty of Paris in 1898.
3) Describe American interest and intervention in China.
With the acquisition of the Philippines, Americans were growing interested in the rest of Asia,
especially China, which Americans had already developed an important trade with and was becoming
so weak that other nations were becoming interested in taking advantage of the country. As a result,
Secretary of State, John Hayes, created the Open Door Notes, policies to keep American relations with
China while preventing other nations from having a greater influence. In addition, the Chinese would
still maintain a supposedly sovereign nation. The terms of the policy included: nations had to respect
each other’s rights/privileges in China, Chinese officials would continue to collect tariff duties, and the
nations wouldn’t discriminate against others by imposing port dues/ RR rates within their sphere of
influence. The policies were not accepted at first by the other nations but after the Boxer Rebellion,
they accepted the Notes. The United States intervened in the Boxer Rebellion, where the Chinese
wanted to get rid of foreign influence.
4) What were the various results of American imperialistic activity between 1880 and 1910?
Overall, the results of American imperialistic activity in the late 1800s to early 1900s were
beneficial, especially to the United States. First of all, the United States gained more territory, which
meant more locations for military bases, natural resources, and new markets. New markets naturally
led to more trading partners like the Chinese and allowed the economy to grow. The United States
entered the international competition for power because it became more influential and sometimes
regarded as a threat by other nations. American involvement in Spanish colonial affairs led to shifts of
the nation being an interventionist country, of which the nation is still famous for today. The territories
that were acquired from the Spanish during the Spanish-American War gave the new industries cheap
labor but also allowed African Americans to become more aware of the discrimination against them
when they saw the black Cubans fighting for independence. The war inspired Root to create a modern
military system with policies that would help make the American military be more efficient. In
addition to the benefits to the United States, other nations were able to experience the spread of
American democracy and Christianity.