US History - IMPERIALISM

He convinced the US in 1867 to purchase Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million, or about 2 cents/acre

Hawaiian ruler who was removed from power because she insisted that native Hawaiians should control Hawaii. Reinstated by President Grover Cleveland she was only to be removed again after William McKinley’s election

(US president immediately preceding William McKinley, he did not favor taking over Hawaii because native Hawaiians did not approve

Gold was discovered in a remote border area between Venezuela and British Guiana. On behalf of the United States, Grover Cleveland’s secretary of state, Richard Olney, supported the Venezuelan claim, invoked the Monroe Doctrine, and tacitly threatened potential military action over the issue. It was settled by the British agreeing to arbitration of the Venezuelan claims

He served during the Cleveland administration and used the Monroe Doctrine to justify American intervention in the Venezuela – British Guiana boundary dispute with Britain

The US president following Grover Cleveland, his decisions led to the expansion of US foreign policy. These included his support for the annexation of Hawaii, his declaration of War against Spain, and his decision to keep the Philippines after the Spanish-American War. (The last decision caused a bitter domestic debate about imperialism both in the US Senate and throughout the US and ironically led to a Philippino revolution that the US fought using the same tactics used by Spain in Cuba before the Spanish-American War

The US Congress declared it a US territory on August 12, 1898 even though its people were not given the opportunity to approve or reject this decision. It became the 50^th US state in 1959

This was led by Jose Marti and caused strong sympathy for the Cubans among many Americans; yet the rebels used destructive tactics that were opposed by US business interests. Marti was wary of US intervention in support of his rebels

(Reporting meant to exaggerate events, excite and enrage readers, and, ultimately, to sell more newspapers in the process. Played on the emotions of readers; practiced by William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer

He was a Spanish general whose brutal tactics against Cuban rebels, including establishment of concentration camps, outraged American public opinion

A Spanish minister who wrote a letter characterizing president McKinley as ‘weak’ and only eager to seek the admiration of his people; the letter was stolen and then published by a yellow journalist. This incident sparked public support for war against Spain.

1840-1914) He was a US naval captain who argued that control of the sea was the key to the United States' ability to compete with other powerful nations; he advocated construction of nine steel hulled cruisers between 1883 and 1890 as well as the USS Maine. The US became the world’s third largest naval power as a result. He also advocated the construction of a canal across Panama, the establishment of naval bases in the Caribbean, and the acquisition of Hawaii. Wrote, The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783. He was greatly admired by Roosevelt, who expanded the might of the US navy during his presidency

This was an immediate cause of the war with Spain and caused emotional and irresistible public demand for war (with the help of yellow journalism). Although many believe the Maine was actually destroyed as a result internal combustion of a coal bunker adjacent to an ammunition storage area, the actual cause of the sinking has never been definitively determined.

Declared on April 20, 1898 by the US after the sinking of the USS Maine, this war represented US support for the Cuban rebellion against Spanish occupation. It lasted for about 15 weeks, from April to August of 1898. Its first battle was in the Philippines: US forces commanded by George Dewey destroyed Spanish navy stationed there. This conflict caused the US to move away from isolationism and towards more imperialist policies. Many US casualties were caused not by armed conflict but by disease and lack of preparedness. Spain’s military weakness and confusion enabled American forces to gain quick and easy victories even though they were not very well prepared or supplied

Passed by the US after it had declared war against Spain, this legislation stated that the US had no intention of taking over Cuba, thus ‘guaranteeing’ the independence of Cuba