Unit 7.1 - Ch. 27-30 Flashcards
Spanish-American War
Causes: treatment of Cubans by Spanish gov’t; threats to US sugar plantations; publication of the de Lome letter; explosion of the USS Maine.
Outcomes (including territorial gains): US gets Puerto Rico, Cuba (which was supposed to get independence), the Philippines, Guam; Spain is essentially knocked out of being a world power (they were in decline for quite some time earlier anyway).
USS Maine
US battle ship in Havana, Cuba harbor; there to protect fleeing US citizens and their property. Its explosion was one of the causes of the Spanish-American War. US investigation said that the Spanish blew it up; Spanish investigation said that an internal explosion sank the ship.
Rough Riders
group created by former Sec. of Navy, Teddy Roosevelt; made up of mostly western cowboys and ex-convicts; they went to Cuba to fight in the Spanish-American War; more died of disease than battlefield injuries
Teller Amendment
statement by President McKinley that the US would give Cuba its independence after the Spanish-American War was over
Platt Amendment
US granted independence to Cuba after the Spanish-American war, but pressured Cuba to include a clause in its constitution that gave the US the right to intervene militarily to restore order, if necessary
Open Door Policy
US urged European colonizers to recognize and respect China’s rights; US wanted trading access to China since we were too late to the imperialism game to claim any territory ourselves; basically, China should be open to trade for everyone
Panama Canal
canal created out of the new country, Panama; US urged rebels in Nicaragua to revolt and form their own country; US then signed a land deal with Panama to build the Panama Canal, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans; this canal made it easier to transport goods, as well as naval vessels from one ocean to another
Roosevelt Corollary
preventative intervention in Latin America; added to the Monroe Doctrine; gave the US the right to intervene in domestic affairs of Latin America to restore military and financial order (as it benefited the US, ie. Panama)
muckraking/muckrakers
reporters who wrote exposes pieces on corruption in American society; many times they helped to speed up the passage of reform legislation
Lochner v. New York
Supreme Court case that provided a setback for labor reform; struck down a New York law limiting the work day for bakers to 10 hours; court said an hour limit was unconstitutional
Muller v. Oregon
Supreme Court case that established the constitutionality of limiting working hours for women; a step forward for workers’ rights, but many saw it as a step back for women’s rights
Square Deal
TR’s first election platform;
New Freedom
Wilson’s campaign platform; included stronger anti-trust legislation, banking reform and tariff reduction
New Nationalism
TR’s campaign platform; included stronger regulatory agencies to oversee good trusts, instead of getting rid of all of them
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
book written originally to highlight the terrible working conditions of Chicago meat-packers; instead it highlighted the unsanitary conditions of packaged meat; helped to pass the Federal Meat Inspection Act
