Welcome to the Website of South Seneca's MS-HS Media Center

Serving the Middle and High School Students of South Seneca School District

~~ US Expansionism  and Imperialism 1867 – 1917 ~~

Vocabulary:

US Foreign Policy 1867-1917
Imperialism and Expansion

You can also check out The Spanish-American war at http://www.smplanet.com/imperialism/remember.html

1.    Imperialism The policy of taking over governments and resources of other nations to build an empire. Empire-building.

2.    Spanish American War (political cartoon)

3.    Isolationism
 The policy of staying out of world affairs. Avoiding foreign entanglements.

4.    Yellow Press William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer published exaggerated stories in their respective newspapers with the intention of selling newspapers and generating nationalistic fervor. Americans supported overseas ventures such as the Spanish-American War due to the distortions published in the print media of that time, called the "Yellow Press."

5.    The Maine Incident
 In 1898, the USS Maine was stationed in Havana Harbor protecting US citizens and economic interests. It exploded, and the Yellow Press accused Spain. McKinley was given a pretext to ask for a declaration of war against Spain. The actual cause of the explosion is now thought to be a boiler accident.

6.    Commodore George Dewey

Directed to Manila Harbor in the Philippines by the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Theodore Roosevelt, he defeated 10 Spanish ships without a loss of an American life. The Philippines became an American possession as a result of the battle.

7.    "Rough Riders"
 This group was a volunteer militia led by Theodore Roosevelt fighting in Cuba during the Spanish-American war. He led them up Kettle Hill, more popularly knows as San Juan Hill, defeating the Spanish and making himself a national hero.

8.    Emilio Aguinaldo
Filipino rebel leader, he waged was against US forces, resulting in the death of 4000 Americans. He was captured but settled in the US< where during World War II, he was arrested as a Japanese sympathizer. He was eventually exonerated.

9.    "Spheres of Influence"
 A geographical area of a nation, in this case China, where exclusive rights to trade and invest are maintained. Spheres of influence were often located closely to the borders.  

10.                       William H. Seward (pg 674)
Secretary of State under Andrew Johnson, he convinced Congress to purchase Alaska for $7,000,000 from Russia. Many referred to Alaska as "Seward's Folly" because they did not realize the extent of natural resources.

11.                       Josiah Strong
He was an expansionist minister who published Our Country, a book that called for the immediate acquisition of overseas territory.

12.                       Great White Fleet
A fleet of 16 battleships sent by Roosevelt around the world to demonstrate American powe

13.                       Matthew C. Perry

He opened up trade with isolationist Japan in 1854.

14.                       Samoa Islands

15.           Queen Liliuokalani

16.                       Henry Cabot Lodge

17.                       Alfred T. Mahan

18.                        Open Door Policy  

G. Britain, France, Germany, Japan. and Russia agreed with this US plan to force China to trade with  nations equally. 

19.                       Wake Island

20.                       Roosevelt Corollary
 Theodore Roosevelt added this policy to the Monroe Doctrine when he promised to use force to protect Latin American nations from debt and disorder. He warned Europe to stay our of the western hemisphere.

21.                       Russo-Japanese War

22.                       “Battle for Santiago

23.                       Dollar diplomacy

24.                       “Yellow Jack”

25.                       Pan-American Union

26.                       Protectorate ("They Can't Phase Her")

27.                       Spanish American War (maps)