A naval captain and strategist who wrote the book, The Influence of Sea Power upon History, which argued that national greatness depended on naval power. His beliefs led to the buildup of the U.S. Navy and the acquisition of strategic island “coaling stations”.
Alfred Thayer Mahan
A diverse group, such as Mark Twain and Andrew Carnegie, who opposed the annexation of the Philippines. They believed that imperialism was non-American and violated the consent of being governed. It would also bring the “non-white” population into the U.S.
Anti-Imperialist League
A 1900 nationalist uprising in China that aimed to oust foreign “devils” and Christian missionaries. The U.S. joined a multinational force to end the rebellion, using the event to justify its “open door” influence in China.
Boxer Rebellion
An 1895 uprising against Spanish colonial rule. The Spanish reconcentration camps and the destruction of American-owned sugar plantations drew the U.S. into conflict for economic and humanitarian reasons.
Cuban Revolt
The Filipino revolutionary leader who initially helped the U.S. defeat Spain. Since the U.S. refused to grant the Philippines independence, he led a three-year guerrilla war against American occupation.
Emilio Aguinaldo
A 1900 law that ended military rule in Puerto Rico and established a formal colonial government. It gave the U.S. President the power to appoint the island’s governor and the upper house of the legislature.
Foraker Act
A Pacific archipelago. After the American sugar planter staged a coup against Queen Liliuokalani in 1893, the U.S. formally annexed the islands in 1898 to secure a mid-Pacific naval base during the Spanish-American War.
Hawaii
The policy of extending a nation’s power over other lands through diplomacy or military force. U.S. imperialism was driven by the search of new markets and Manifest Destiny beyond the coast, as well as social Darwinism.
Imperialism
A U.S. battleship that exploded in Havana Harbor in 1898. Though it was likely an accident, Yellow Journalism blamed Spain, creating the outcry of “Remember the Maine,” forcing President McKinley into war.
The Maine
A series of diplomatic notes by Secretary of State John Hay. It requested that European powers in China respect equal trading opportunities for all nations, ensuring that the U.S. would not be excluded from Chinese markets.
“Open Door” Policy
A set of conditions the U.S. forced into the Cuban Constitution. It restricted Cuba from making treaties with other nations and gave the U.S. the right to intervene in Cuban affairs and maintain a naval base at Guantanamo Bay.
Platt Amendment
A Caribbean island ceded by Spain to the U.S. in 1898. Its status was ambiguous until the Insular Cases and the Jones Act, which was later defined in its relationship with the U.S.
Puerto Rico
A brief 1898 conflict that resulted in the U.S. defeating Spain. It ended Spanish colonial rule in the Americas and resulted in the U.S. acquiring overseas empires (Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines).
Spanish-American War
A large archipelago in the Pacific, which was bought from Spain for 20 million USD. The decision to keep the islands resulted in a widespread debate and bloody insurrection by Filipino nationalists.
Philippines
The 25th President, who led the U.S. into the Spanish-American War despite initial reluctance. His administration would shift the U.S. from continental expansion to overseas imperialism.
William McKinley
Exaggerated reporting by newspapers (such as Hearst and Pulitzer), created to stir reactions and emotions from the public. It was the primary factor in turning American citizens’ opinions against Spain and pushing the U.S. into war.
Yellow Journalism.
