APUSH Chapter 27
What were the outcomes of the Spanish-American War?
Peace was arranged by the Treaty of Paris signed December 10, 1898 (ratified by the US senate, Feb. 6, 1899). The Spanish Empire was practically dissolved, Cuba was freed, but under US tutelage by terms of the Platt Amendment, with Spain assuming the Cuban debt. Puerto Rico and Guam were ceded to the US emerged from the war with new international power. In both Latin America and East Asia it had established an imperial foothold. The war tied the US more closely to the course of events in those areas.
Why was the Panama route chose for the canal?
TR's motto was "speak softly and carry a big stick" and "let your actions do the speaking." He believed that a president should lead and was a master politician. He was the first "modern president."
Russo-Japanese War
Russia and Japan were fighting over Korea, Manchuria, etc. Began in 1904, but neither side could gain a clear advantage and win. Both sent reps to Portsmouth. NH where TR mediated Treaty of New Hampshire in 1905. TR won the noble peace prize in his efforts, the 1st president to do so.
What factors caused America to turn its attention to the world beyond her borders?
In the final decades of the 19th century, American grew hungry for empire and expansion, and became incredibly aggressive in its American thanks to the desire to tap overseas markets, the yellow press of Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, the racist views of that Anglo-Saxon ought to dominate the "backwards peoples" (a view made popular by Reverend Josiah Strong's our country: Its possible Future and It's Present Critics,) the development of a new steel navy (which prompted Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan's 1890 book 'The Influence of Sea Power Upon History,' 1669-1783), and the rise of imperialism among the European powers seeking to expand into Africa in the 1880s and the Chinese Empire in the 1890s.
How has US citizenship caused Puerto Ricans to be different from other immigrants?
Instead of being a technical "alien" in country, they already have citizenship. Despite being new in the country and nothing nothing (just like other immigrants), they don't have to go through the naturalization process.
Benevolent Assimilation
McKinley and the US were trying to assimilate the Philippines to help them become better. American dollars went to the Philippines to improve roads, sanitation, and public health. Although the US might have looked intrusive, they were actually trying to improve the condition of the Philippines.
Were Filipino immigrants welcomed with open arms in America? Explain.
Some Filipino immigrants were welcomed with open arms, especially those whose skills were needed at the time, like nurses, who are in short supply at times. Others did the same thing as the Mexicans and either came in illegally or came in on visas. They were less welcomed.
Why did Commodore Dewey have such an easy victory over the Spanish fleet at the Philippines?
On May 1, 1898, Dewey's squadron, consisting of six brand new warships, sailed into Manila harbor. The 10-ship Spanish ships were so old and rotting that they could barley float. Dewey's forces quickly defeated the Spanish fleet, without a single US sailor dying. On the Spanish side, around 400 sailors died. The Maine, which most Americans than believed had been destroyed by a Spanish mine, was avenged.
What was happening in Cuba that caused Americans to be concerned?
Thanks to the oppressive Spanish rulers and crippled economy (caused by the American tariff of 1894's barriers against Cuban sugar production,) Cuban rebels (known as the insurrectors) launched an effort to fight for independence in 1895, adopting the scored-earth policy against cane fields, sugar mills, and passenger trains. Americas business interests in Cuba (which included $50 million investment stake and an annual trade stake of $100 million,) atrocities committed by Spanish authorities (including infection ridden re concentration camps,) and yellow journalism served to galvanize anti-Spanish sentiment in America.
Explain the similarities and differences between the Monroe Doctrine and the Roosevelt Corollary?
The reaction of several European powers to Latin American debt defaults worried Roosevelt to the point where he declared the "preventive intervention" doctrine (the Roosevelt Collary to the Monroe Doctrine) which held that intervention by the US in Latin American countries to the development of the 'Bad Neighbor' policy, which came to justify whole sale interventions and landing of Marines, turning the Caribbean into a 'Yankee Lake'; in 1906, US marines were sent to Cuba to help bring down a revolt against the Cuban president before withdrawing 3 years later and causing distrust of American interests to spread in Latin America.
Give evidence to show that Teddy Roosevelt was an unconventional president.
With the pre-existing lakes, the route across Panama required the least amount of digging and dredging to create a passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
What were the arguments for and against the annexation of the Philippines?
The people that were for annexing the island argued that there was business interests in thoughts of new markets and fields of investments, the US wanted to become an empire and so they wanted to expand more. USA, especially didn't want to lose these islands to Japan or Germany. But some people did argue against annexing the islands. One of the biggest things that stood out was that the islands were 6,000 miles away from the Pacific coast. Another reason that people argued against this was that some senators thought that annexation was a violation of American tradition and this lead other people to follow.
What caused America's foray into imperialism? Define your opinion.
As historians say, race and gender are what propelled America into imperialism. In that time, masculinity was the powerful dominance over the world and the expansion westward provided ample opportunity to display that characteristic through cowboys and gold diggers. The idea of dominance over countries even farther west appealed to the masses who were looking for an adventure. The Anglo-Saxon supremacy also contributed because the arrogance of whites looking for domination help push for conquering of countries such as Cuba and Philippines. When men such as Theodore Roosevelt expanded imperialism, it caught on like wild fire.
Guantanamo
Controversial prison facility constructed after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Located on territory occupied by the US military, but not technically part of the US, the facility serves as an extra-legal holding area for suspected terrorists.
Was American involvement in China beneficial to China?
After being defeated by Japan in 1894-45, a weakened China was subjected to the establishment of spheres of the influence by European powers, causing a concerned America (particularly churches and merchants) to act; secretary John Hay's Open Door note, sent to the Great Powers in the summer of 1899, proposed that each power announce that they would respect Chinese rights and fair competition within their spheres of influence. In 1900, Secretary Hay announced that the Open Door would embrace territorial and commercial integrity in China, policies which would become internationally accepted with the Nine-Power Treaty of 1922.
Why did President Cleveland not want to annex Hawaii?
Grover Cleveland, an anti-imperialist, opposed annexation as an infringement upon a sovereign nation and tried to restore the Queen (Liliuokalani).
In what way do the Philippines show the good and bad sides of American imperialism?
In 1898, in an effort to free Cuba from the oppression of its Spanish colonizers, American captured the Philippines. This brought about question of what American should do with the Philippines. Soon, controversy ensued both in the American politician arena as well as among its citizens. Throughout its history, American had always been expansionist, but had always limited itself to the North American continent. Beginning in the mid-19th century, however, there emerged a drive to expand outside the continent. When American expanded to the Philippines, the policy it followed was a stark break from past forms of expansionism. Despite much controversy, America followed the example of the imperialistic nations in Europe and sought to conquer the Philippines as an imperialist colony that they would rule either directly or indirectly.
How did Teddy Roosevelt win the Nobel Peace Prize?
In 1906, Roosevelt was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work with the Russo-Japanese talks as well as his mediation of North African disputes at Algeciras, Spain.
What issues were important in the 1900 election?
In the Republican convention of 1900, McKinley was renominated thanks to his victorious war, increased prosperity and protection of the gold standard, and Theodore Roosevelt was nominated for VP in an effort by New York party bosses to neutralize their hardheaded governor; the Democrats nominated William Jennings Bryan in Kansas City, who charged that Lincoln had freed 3.5 million Africans and McKinley in contrast had enslaved 7 million Filipinos.
Anti-Imperialist League
(1898-192) A diverse group formed in order to protest American colonial oversight in the Philippines. It included university presidents, industrialists, clergy men, and labor leaders. Strongest in the northeast, the Anti-imperialist League was the largest lobbying organization on the US foreign-policy issue until the end of the 19th. It declined in strength after the US signed the Treaty of Paris (which approved the annexation of the Philippines), and especially after hostilities broke out between Filipino nationalists and American forces.
Open Door Note
(1899-1900) A set of diplomatic letters in which secretary of state John Hay urged the great powers to respect Chinese rights and free and open competition within their spheres of influence. The notes established the 'Open Door Policy,' which sought to ensure access to the Chinese market for the US, despite the fact that the US did not have a formal sphere of influence in China.
Hay-Pauncefote Treaty
(1901) A treaty signed between the US and Great Britain, giving Americans a free hand to build a canal in Central America. The treaty nullified the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty of 1950, which prohibited the British or US from acquiring territory in Central America.
Platt Amendment
(1901) Following its military occupation, the US successfully pressured the Cuban gov. to write this amendment into its constitution. It limited Cuba's treaty-making abilities, controlled its debt, and stipulated that the US could intervene military to restore order when it saw fit.
Insular Cases
(1901-4) Beginning in 1901, a badly divided Supreme Court decreed in these cases that the Constitution did not follow the flag. In other words, Puerto Ricans and Filipinos would not necessarily enjoy all American rights.
Roosevelt Corollary
(1904) A brazen policy of 'preventive intervention' advocated by Theodore Roosevelt in his annual message to congress in 1904. Adding ballast to the Monroe Doctrine, his corollary stipulated that the US would retain a right to intervene in the domestic affairs of Latin American nations in order to restore military and financial order.
Great White Fleet
(1907-09) Roosevelt sent the Navy on a world tour to show the world the US naval power. Also to pressure Japan into the "Gentlemen's Agreement".
Root-Takahira Agreement
(1908) Signed on November 30, 1908, the US and Japan agreed to respect each other's territorial possessions in the Pacific and to uphold the Open Door in China. The agreement was credited with easing tensions between the two nations, but it also resulted in a weakened American influence over further Japanese hegemony in China.
George Dewey
A US naval officer remembered for his victory at Manila Bay in the Spanish-American War.
Great Rapprochement
After decades of occasionally "twisting the lion's tail," American diplomats began to cultivate close, cordial relations with Great Britain at the end of the 19th century- a relationship that would intensify further during WW1.
San Juan Hill
Battle won by Rough riders, more died from disease then from the battle
USS Maine
(1898) American battleship dispatched to keep a "friendly" watch over Cuba in early 1898. It mysteriously blew up in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898, with a loss of 260 sailors. Later evidence confirmed that the explosion was accidental, resulting from combustion in one of the ship's internal coal bunkers. But many Americans, eager for war, insisted that it was the fault of a Spanish submarine unit.
Rough Riders
(1898) Organized by Theodore Roosevelt, this was a colorful, motley regiment of Cuban war volunteers consisting of western cowboys, ex-convicts, and effete Ivy Leaguers. Roosevelt emphasized his experience with the regiment in subsequent campaigns for Governor of New York and vice-president under William McKinley.
Queen Liliuokalani
(1838-1917) Last reigning queen of Hawaii, whose defense of native Hawaiian self-rule led to a revolt by white settlers and to her dethronement.
Big Sister Policy
(1880s) A foreign policy of secretary of state James G. Blaine aimed at rallying Latin American nations behind American leadership and opening Latin American markets to yankee traders. The policy bore fruit in 1889, when Blaine presided over the first international conference of American states.
Teller Amendment
(1898) A proviso to President William McKinley's war plans that proclaimed to the world that when the US had overthrown Spanish misrule, it would give Cuba its freedom. The amendment testified to the ostensibly "anti-imperialist" designs of the initial war plans.
Theodore Roosevelt
16th president of the US, hero of the Spanish-American War; Panama canal was built during his administration; said 'speak softly, but carry a big stick' (1858-1919)
Yellow Journalism
A scandal-mongering practice of journalism that emerged in New York during the Gilded Age out of the circulation battles between Joseph Pulitzer's 'New York World' and William Randolph Heart's 'New York Journal'. The expression has remained a pejorative term referring to sensationalist journalism practiced with unethical, unprofessional standards.
"Bad Neighbor" Policy
Twist on TR's policy, Latin American irritated at US's imposing sphere of influence in the Caribbean Sea.
Describe the fighting in Cuba.
After initial panic, the Spanish "armada" was easily blockaded in Santiago Harbor, Cuba, by the American fleet, allowing American forces led by General William R. Shafter to invade with his force (which included the Rough Riders, who were led by Colonel Lenoard Wood and Theodore Roosevelt) of 17,000 men in the middle of June; after landing with relative ease, Americans swiftly defeated Spanish troops at El Caney, Kettle Hill, and San Juan Hill on July 1st. The weak Spanish fleet left Santiago Harbor to avoid the army, steaming out to the waiting blockade of American warships, causing Santiago to surrender; shortly after American troops easily invaded Puerto Rico, forcing Spain to sign an armistice on August 12, 1898. American troops stationed in the Cuban jungles were exposed to diseases (including malaria, typhoid fever, dysentery, and yellow fever) which incapacitated 100s and killed over 5,000 men; in contrast, less than 400 men were killed by Spanish troops. The Spanish-American negotiations in Paris in late 1898 resulted in the freeing of Cuba
How did a school board in California in a way that first hurt and then helped American-Japanese relations?
After the 1906 earthquake, the SF Board of Education segregated schools, dividing white students from Chinese, Korean, and Japanese students, infuriating the Japanese gov., and nearly causing a war. Roosevelt brought the members of the SF Board of Education into the oval office and forced them to agree to desegregate the schools as long as the US and Japan maintained the 'Gentlemen's Agreement', negotiated during the 1907-8, in which Japan prohibited their workers from moving to the US.
Gentlemen's Agreement
Agreement when Japan agreed to curb the number of workers coming to the US and in exchange Roosevelt agreed to allow the wives of the Japanese men already living in the US to join them.
Describe American treatment of Cuba after the Spanish-American War.
The American military government in Cuba, led by General Leonard Wood, made improvements in government, finance, education, agriculture and public health; Wood and Colonel William C. Gorgas both supported experiments by Dr. Walter Reed which identified the stegomyia mosquito as the carrier of yellow fever, and launched efforts to wipe the insects and the disease out in Havana and other cities. In 1902, American surprised old world imperialists by honoring the Teller Amendment of 1898 by with drawing from Cuba, but not without forcing the Cubans to insert the Platt Amendment into their constitution of 1901, stipulating that Cuba must adhere to American judgement on diplomatic and economic issues and giving American Guantanamo Bay.