AP US History
Chapter 21 Study Guide – The Republican Experiment
Chapter Summary
The 1890s witnessed a new type of expansion for America as an increasing number of Americans
supported growth beyond the continental borders of the United States. The Spanish-American War
granted the United States new acquisitions in the Caribbean and in the Pacific Ocean. Additionally,
the United States annexed Alaska and Hawaii. United States foreign policy began to actively
support the construction of an empire. By the turn of the century, America had built an empire that
stretched from the Caribbean to the Pacific. This empire would be tested within a couple of decades.
Roosevelt and the Rough Riders
1. Who were the Rough Riders? Who organized this group?
America Looks Outward
2. How was the expansion of the 1890s different from earlier expansionist moves of the US?
3. Define isolationism:
4. Define imperialism:
5. Identify and explain the reasons that Americans started to embrace expansion beyond US
borders:
6. What was “Seward’s Folly”?
a. Why did Secretary of State Seward do this?
7. Why does the author say, “The Monroe Doctrine assumed new importance” in the 1890s?
8. Examine the map on page 607. Why were the Hawaiian and Samoan Islands so important to
the US?
9. Describe the “bloodless revolution” in Hawaii in 1893:
10. Other than economic advantages, why did the US decide to annex Hawaii in 1898?
11. Who was Alfred Thayer Mahan?
a. Why did Mahan argue a powerful navy was necessary?
b. How did he propose to build a powerful navy?
c. How did this relate to imperialism?
War with Spain
12. Describe the effects of the Spanish-American War (1898):
13. Define yellow journalism:
14. What was the de Lome letter? How did it contribute to the beginning of the SpanishAmerican War?
15. What happened to the battleship Maine? How did this contribute to the beginning of the
Spanish-American War?
a. Examine the picture on page 611 and its caption. What role did the “yellow” press
play in the aftermath of the sinking of the Maine?
16. What was the Teller Amendment?
17. Why did President McKinley’s Secretary of State call the Spanish-American War “a
splendid little war”?
18. What role did African Americans play in the Spanish-American War?
19. Who was George Dewey? Why is he considered to be the first hero of the war?
20. What is Guantanamo Bay? What role did it play in the war?
21. What happened at San Juan Hill?
Acquisition of Empire
22. Describe the provisions of the treaty between the US and Spain that ended the war:
a. What was the name of this treaty?
23. Examine the political cartoon on page 616. Identify the various symbols in the cartoon.
How do the students in the first row compare to others in the classroom?
a. According to this cartoon, how do Americans regard other races and ethnicities?
b. How would Americans define civilization at this time?
24. What was the main issue of debate in the ratification of the Treaty of Paris?
a. Describe the arguments against ratification of this treaty:
25. What was the Anti-Imperialist League?
26. What happened with the ratification of the Treaty of Paris in the Senate?
27. What caused the Philippine-American War?
28. Who was Emilio Aguinaldo?
29. Why was the Philippine-American War so difficult for the Americans?
a. How did this war end?
30. What was the Foraker Act?
31. Describe the provisions of the Platt Amendment:
32. How did Japan, England, France, Germany, and Russia treat China?
33. What was the Open Door Policy?
a. Why did America advocate this policy?
34. Explain the message of the political cartoon on page 621:
35. What was the Boxer Rebellion?