Terms & Names: Chapter 22

Queen Liliuokalani: (1891) plantation owners succeeded in deposing the Hawaiian king and put Queen L into power. She strove to establish independence from American interests. The planters, withe help from US sailors, got pissed and overthrew her.

Frederick Jackson Turner: essay, The Significance of the Frontier in American History, said the frontier had been essential to the growth of the economy and to the cultivation of democracy. 

Alfred Thayer Mahan: author The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660-1783 (1890). Argued all the world's great empires, starting with Rome, relied on their control of seas. Called for construction of ultra, mega, super power US Navy. 


Social Darwinists: those such as Herbert Spencer who applied the findings of Charles Darwin, (misconstrued, I'll have you know!) coined "survival of the fittest," and applied it to social survival. Contributing factor to "gospel of wealth" ideas of philanthropists such as Carnegie. 

Theodore Roosevelt: "geopolitician" contributed to US foreign policy under McKinley, shrewd analyst of international relations, understood the US couldn't rule totally, sought balance of power among industrialized nations. Wasn't concerned for less powerful nations, thought whites superior. 

Jingoists: nationalists who thought that a swaggering foreign policy and a willingness to go to war would enhance their nation's glory. 

Dupuy de Lome: Spanish minister to Washington, author of the stolen letter which was published in the New York Journal, in which he insulted McKinley, which was one of the final straws in the Spanish-American War. 

William McKinley: Republican, super into high tariffs on imports as fuel for government finances, his term was prosperous after the 1893 depression, second term marked by foreign policy, resisted calls for war with Spain at first, annexed Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam, Hawaii, and a protectorate over Cuba. Assassinated by Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist.

General Valeriano Weyler: aka "the Butcher," leader of the Spanish army, forced Cubans into concentration camps, approximately 200,000 Cubans died as a result of disease and starvation at his hands.

Wiliam Randolph Hearst: owner of New York Journal, transformed newspaper publishing by printing sensational and shocking stories described in lurid detail. Accused of yellow journalism.

Josheph Pulitzer: owner of New York World, transformed newspaper publishing by printing sensational and shocking stories described in lurid detail. Accused of yellow journalism. 

yellow journalism: the practice of embellishing stories with titillating details when the true reports did not seem dramatic enough. 

the Maine: US battleship exploded in Havana harbor to protect US citizens and their property, "purportedly" attacked by the spanish but which most likely had a malfunctioning boiler, motivating factor in US going to war with Spain.

Teller Amendment: declaration that the US would not use the Spanish-American War as an opportunity to acquire territory in Cuba. 

George Dewey: commanded US fleet in Manila harbor in the Philippines during the war's first major battle, in which US forces destroyed an entire Spanish fleet and lost only one sailor (to heat stroke.)

Rough Riders: a colunteer cavalry unit composed of Ivy League gentlemen, western cowboys, sheriffs, prospectors, Indians, and small numbers of Hispanics and ethnic Europeans, led by Theodore Roosevelt and Colonel Leonard Wood. 

Kettle Hill: battle in which Rough Riders charged into Spanish defenses, after hillside was cleared by other troops, namely Black American cavalries. US won, BTW. 

San Juan Hill: next to Kettle Hill, the US captured Spanish forces on top, notably Black Americans helped to secure the hill. 

Treaty of Paris: (December 10, 1898) American diplomats demanded Spain cede the Philippines to US, for $20 million. 

Emilio Aguinaldo: leader of the anti-colonial movement in the Philippines, nearly negotiated deal with US which would have given the Philippines independence in exchange for a US naval base at Manila. 

William Jennings Bryan:  Democratic nominee president in 1896, 1900 and 1908, Secretary of State under Wilson, leader of the free silver movement in 1890s, peace and prohibition advocate, "The Great Commoner," he fought for the every-man's right, invented the idea of going all over the nation to campaign for president,

William Howard Taft: aka "Dollar Diplomat," didn't really understand the balance of power concept, all his stuff was focused on expanding opportunities for corporate investment overseas.

General Leonard Wood: military Governor of Cuba and Governor General of the Philippines. ??? There could be more?

Platt Amendment: (1901) delineated three conditions for Cuban independence: no treaties with foreign powers, US had broad authority to intervene in Cuban political and economic affairs, Cuba would sell or lease land to U.S. for naval station. Dependence of Cuban sugar industry on U.S. markets forced acceptance

John Hay: McKinley's secretary of state, highly involved with diplomacy with South American negotiations.

Open Door Policy: McKinley's position of not taking control of Chinese lands, but having a diplomatic stance on how to impose American influence

Boxer Rebellion: a chinese organization, the "Boxers," sparked an uprising to rid China of all "foreign devils" and foreign influence. Hundreds of Europeans were killed, as were many Chinese men and women who had converted to christianity.

Hay-Herran Treaty: (1902) allowed U.S. access to six-mile-wide strip of land across Panama on which to build canal

Panama Canal/ Canal Zone: segment of Colombian territory obtained by a French company to build a Atlantic-Pacific canal, but they epic failed it, so the US entered into negotiations to buy it, but there was a wrench in the works from the Colombian gov't who were pissed and wanted money. The French company went behind their backs to the US and negotiated a deal with them for $20 million, following the COlombian overthrow of Spain.

Roosevelt Corollary: (1904) slight change to the Monroe Doctrine, which had asserted the right of the US to keep European powers from meddling in hemispheric affairs. The corollary declared that the US possessed a further right: to intervene in the domestic affairs of nations in the Western Hemisphere to quell disorder and forestall European intervention.

Yellow Peril: rumored inferiorities slash dangers of Asians in americans, exacerbated by the hysterical stories in the press.

Philippe Buau-Varilla: a director of the French Company from which the US had bought the rights to the panama canal, declared himself Panama's diplomatic representitive, even though he was a french citizen operating out of a Wall St law firm, he and Hay signed treaty in 1903 grating the US 10-mile-wide canal zone in return for the package Colombia had rejected.

Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882: allowed U.S. to suspend immigration, and Congress subsequently acted quickly to implement the suspension of Chinese immigration, a ban that was intended to last 10 years.

Great White Fleet: US naval fleet, consisting of 16 battleships, ordered by Roosevelt to embark on a 45,000-mile world tour, including a splashy stop in Tokyo Bay which impressed upon the Japanese the might of the US navy.

"Dollar Diplomacy:" Taft's strategy for imposing US strength in the world, centered around increasing corporate power in foreign lands.

Woodrow Wilson: "struggling idealist," believed in self-determination by European powers, had a lot of involvement with South American diplomacy, tried to let Mexico do its own governing, but got fed up by their in-fighting and took over.

Francisco Madero: (1910) led forces to overthrow dictator Porfirio Diaz. Served as Mexico's president from 1910-1913 when he was overthrown by Victoriano Huerto.

Victoriano Huerta: overthrew president Madero in 1913, supported by Taft, US ambassador to Mexico helped with the coup, but Huerta's men murdered Madero, and then Wilson refused to support Huerta. Oh what tangled webs we weave!

Venustiano Carranza: enemy of Huerta, supported by Wilson, commanded rebel army, claimed to be democratic, took power after American invasion weakened Huerta's regime. Didn't behave as Wilson had anticipated, threatened US oil interests with suggested land reform. Promptly ousted with Wilson's help.

Pancho Villa: enemy of Huerta, supported by Wilson, commanded rebel army, claimed to be democratic, supported by Wilson after the epic fail with Carranza, but then Carranza's forces defeated Villa's and Villa got all pissed and went about massacring a bunch of US people for a while.

General John J. Pershing: controled an expeditionary force directed by Wilson to hunt down Pancho Villa's forces. Chased them for 300 miles, didn't catch them, US troops fought with Mexican troops, flirting with war. Pershing withdrew from Mexico in 1917. ...Read more