Period 7A Part I (Chapters 1-4)

Question 1

Purchase of Alaska

Answer 1

Russia assumed control of Alaska but found it to be an economic burden because of the threat of a British takeover. Seeking buyers, Russia found Secretary of State William H. Seward to be an enthusiastic champion of the idea of the United States purchasing Alaska. As a result of Seward’s lobbying, and also in appreciation of Russian support during the Civil War, Congress in 1867 agreed to buy Alaska for $7.2 million.

Question 2

Hawaii

Answer 2

Pacific islands under a constitutional monarchy on which American missionaries and entrepreneurs had settled since the mid-1800s.

Question 3

Expansionists

Answer 3

Wanted to acquire territories overseas to demonstrate strength in the international arena, as well as for other reasons.

Question 4

Jingoism

Answer 4

An intense form of nationalism calling for aggressive foreign policy.

Question 5

Yellow Journalism

Answer 5

Sensationalistic reporting that featured bold and lurid headlines of crime, disaster, and scandal.

Question 6

Anti-Imperialist League

Answer 6

Led by William Jennings Bryan, this U.S. organization rallied opposition to further acts of expansion in the Pacific.

Question 7

Insular Cases

Answer 7

A series of Supreme Court cases that ruled that constitutional rights were not automatically extended to territorial possessions and that the power to decide whether or not to grant such rights belonged to Congress.

Question 8

Platt Amendment

Answer 8

Required Cuba to agree to:
1. Never sign a treaty with a foreign power that impaired its independence
2. Permit the United States to intervene in Cuba’s affairs to preserve its independence and maintain law and order
3. Allow the U.S. to maintain naval bases in Cuba, including one permanent base at Guantanamo Bay

Question 9

Spheres of Influence/Open Door Policy

Answer 9

A country can dominate trade and investment within its sphere of influence and shut out competitors. The Open Door Policy, proposed by Secretary of State John Hay, said that all nations would have equal trading privileges in China. The replies to Hay’s note were evasive. However, because no nation rejected the concept, Hay declared that all had accepted the Open Door Policy.

Question 10

Big Stick Policy

Answer 10

Describing his foreign policy, new president Theodore Roosevelt had once said that it was his motto to “speak softly and carry a big stick.” The press therefore applied the label “big stick” to Roosevelt’s aggressive foreign policy. By acting boldly and decisively in a number of situations, Roosevelt attempted to build the reputation of the United States as a world power.

Question 11

Great White Fleet

Answer 11

To demonstrate U.S. naval power to Japan and other nations, Roosevelt sent a fleet of battleships on an around-the-world cruise (1907-1909).

Question 12

Panama Canal

Answer 12

A canal through the narrow but rugged terrain of the isthmus of Panama, the completion of which cost the lives of hundreds of laborers.

Question 13

Roosevelt Corollary

Answer 13

Rather than let Europeans intervene in Latin America to force countries to pay their debts (a blatant violation of the Monroe Doctrine), Roosevelt declared in December 1904 that the United States would intervene instead, whenever necessary.

Question 14

Gentlemen’s Agreement

Answer 14

The Japanese government secretly agreed to restrict the emigration of Japanese workers to the United States in return for Roosevelt persuading California to repeal its discrimination laws.

Question 15

Dollar Diplomacy

Answer 15

William Howard Taft’s policy of promoting U.S. trade by supporting American enterprises abroad.

Question 16

Moral Diplomacy

Answer 16

Woodrow Wilson opposed imperialism and the big stick and dollar diplomacy policies of his Republican predecessors, pledging a more moral approach to foreign affairs.

Question 17

Expeditionary Force

Answer 17

A force commanded by General John J. Pershing ordered by President Wilson to pursue Pancho Villa into northern Mexico. They failed to capture him.

Question 18

Muckrakers

Answer 18

Investigative journalists who created in-depth articles about child labor, corrupt political bosses and monopolistic business practices.

Question 19

Secret Ballot

Answer 19

In 1888, Massachusetts was the first state to adopt a system successfully tried in Australia of issuing ballots printed by the state and requiring voters to mark their choices secretly within a private booth. By 1910, all states had adopted this ballot.

Question 20

Direct Primary

Answer 20

A new system introduced by Robert La Follette for bypassing politicians and placing the nominating process directly in the hands of the voters.

Question 21

Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

Answer 21

A fire in a New York City high-rise garment factory that took 146 lives, mostly women. The tragedy sparked greater women’s activism and pushed states to pass laws to improve safety and working conditions in factories.

Question 22

Square Deal

Answer 22

Teddy Roosevelt favored neither business nor labor but insisted on a “Square Deal” for both, mediating labor disputes such as the coal miner strike in 1902.

Question 23

Trust Busting

Answer 23

Teddy Roosevelt broke up “bad trusts”, which harmed the public and stifled competition, and regulated “good trusts”, which through efficiency and low prices dominated a market.

Question 24

The Jungle

Answer 24

A muckraking book by Upton Sinclair that described, in horrifying detail, the conditions in the Chicago stockyards and meatpacking industry.

Question 25

16th Amendment

Answer 25

Ratified by the states in 1913, this authorized the U.S. government to collect an income tax.

Question 26

17th Amendment

Answer 26

Required that all U.S. senators be elected by popular vote.

Question 27

Moose Party

Answer 27

The party of Progressive Republicans who no longer supported Taft and nominated Theodore Roosevelt again instead. They became known as the Bull Moose Party after one of Roosevelt’s nicknames.

Question 28

Clayton Antitrust Act

Answer 28

Strengthened the Sherman Antitrust Act’s power to break up monopolies. Most important for organized labor, the new law contained a clause exempting unions from being prosecuted as trusts.

Question 29

Child Labor Act

Answer 29

Enacted in 1916 and long favored by settlement house workers and labor unions alike, this prohibited the shipment in interstate commerce of products manufactured by children under 14 years old. However, a conservative Supreme Court found this act to be unconstitutional.

Question 30

NAACP

Answer 30

On Lincoln’s birthday in 1908, this organization was founded by Du Bois, other members of the Niagara Movement, and a group of White Progressives. Its mission was no less than to abolish all forms of segregation and to increase educational opportunities for African American children. By 1920, this organization was the nation’s largest civil rights organization, with over 100,000 members.

Question 31

19th Amendment

Answer 31

Guaranteed women’s right to vote in all elections at the local, state, and national levels.