US History I



US History I

Chapter 10: America Claims an Empire (1890-1920)

Study Questions

Section 1: Imperialism and America

1. Define the word IMPERIALISM.  How did European imperialist affect Africa?  Japanese imperialism affect Asia?

2. List the factors which fueled American imperialism at the end of the 19century.

3. Why did imperialists view colonization as a solution to their domestic economic problems?

4. How did U. S. economic prosperity lead it to pursue a policy of imperialism?

5. What was Admiral Alfred T. Mahan's main thesis as reflected in his book, The Influence of Sea Power Upon History:  1660-1783?

6. Identify the main arguments against imperialism?

7. What problems did the McKinley Tariff of 1890 cause for American sugar growers in Hawaii?

8. Why did Americans have an interest in the annexation of Hawaii?  What was President Cleveland's view on the subject?

9. How did the U. S. finally annex Hawaii? 

Section 2: The Spanish American War

10. Who was José Martí?  Why did he destroy American-owned sugar mills and plantations in Cuba in the 1890s?

11. How did yellow journalism affect American attitudes toward the Cuban revolt?

12. What were the factors which promoted American support for Cuban independence during the 1890s?

13. Create a TIMELINE which shows the events that served as a catalyst in pushing the U. S. toward war with Spain.

14. Why was so much importance attached to the American victory in the Philippines during the Spanish-American-Cuban War?

15. How prepared were U. S. troops for war in 1898?

16. What was the myth and what was the reality regarding the events surrounding the Rough Riders and the American victory in the Battle of San Juan Hill?

17. List the major provisions of the Treaty of Paris of 1898?

18. Why did the U. S. annex the Philippines?

19. Why did Rudyard Kipling write the poem, "The White Man's Burden?"  What were the main themes reflected in the poem?

Section 3: Acquiring New Lands

20. What strategic importance did Puerto Rico hold for the U. S.?

21. How did the Foraker Act benefit the U. S.?

22. What was the importance of the Supreme Court ruling in the Insular Cases to U. S. colonialism?  How did their decision impact American territorial expansion in the future?

23. What are the pros and cons of Puerto Rican statehood versus a continuance of commonwealth status?

24. What were the provisions of the Platt Amendment?  How did they define the role of the U. S. in Cuba following the Spanish-American-Cuban War?

25. Why did the U. S. want to control Cuba in the early 20c?

26. How did the Americans treat the Filipinos after the Spanish-American-Cuban War?

27. What were the motives of the Filipinos like Emilio Aguinaldo and the Americans in the Filipino-American War of 1899-1902?

28. What was the outcome of this war?

29. Define the term SPHERE OF INFLUENCE.  Explain its relevance to the political status of China at the turn of the last century?

30. List the principles of the Open Door Notes as proposed by Secretary of State John Hay.  What were the reactions of the European nations who were already involved in China to them?

31. What were the circumstances surrounding the Boxer Rebellion?  What was the U. S. position regarding this incident?

32. What were the main points of the Boxer Protocol?  What was the American response?

33. How did the Open Door Policy reflect deeply held American beliefs about the U. S. industrial capitalist economy?

34. What was the role of world fairs in the justification of American imperialism?

35. What were some of the anti-imperialist arguments that were made in the beginning of the 20c?

Section 4: America as a World Power

36. What were the causes of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905?  Why did the Japanese decide on mediation?  Why did they ask Teddy Roosevelt to be their mediator?

37. List the provisions of the Treaty of Portsmouth.

38. What was the status of U. S.-Japanese relations in the early 20c?

39. Why did the U. S. want a canal through the Isthmus of Panama?

40. How did the U. S. go about gaining control of the land necessary to build the Panama Canal?

41. What was the intent of the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine?  What was its impact on the role of the U. S. in the Western Hemisphere?

42. How were the "Big Stick" and "Dollar" Diplomacies alike?

43. Why did the U. S. intervene in Nicaragua in the early 20c?

44. Why did President Wilson refuse to recognize General Victoriano Huerta's government?

45. Create a SEQUENCE-OF-EVENTS CHART showing the changes in leadership in Mexico in the early 20c and the U. S. response to those changes.

46. Why did the U. S. get so involved in Mexican affairs in the early 20c?

47. How were the approaches of Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson to foreign affairs different?

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