Grant Suk

Allan Wang
Vince Thiengtrong
Jennifer Su
GROUP 4, Period 6

Vocabulary Terms Chapter(s) 27

Chapter 27:

“yellow journalism”-yellow journalism focuses on sensationalizing stories by often

exaggerating events as well as revealing scandals; the yellow press was responsible
for blowing the USS Maine incident out of proportion by painting it as an attack by
Spain, so in a sense, yellow journalism caused the Spanish-American War

Alfred Thayer Mahan-Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan published The Influence of

Sea Power upon History, 1660-1783 in 1890, which argued that the key to world
dominance was the control of the sea; he stimulated the naval race among the great
powers

James B. Blaine-two-time secretary of state who pushed a “Big Sister” policy of

rallying the Latin American countries behind American leadership as well as open
Latin American markets to American traders

USS Maine-the USS Maine was a United States battleship sent to Cuba to protect and
evacuate Americans should a dangerous flare-up occur, as well as to demonstrate
America’s interest in Cuba’s stability; the ship blew up mysteriously with a loss of
260 sailors; the explosion was blamed on a submarine mine, and thus triggered the
Spanish-American War even though the explosion was really caused by spontaneous
combustion in the coal bunkers adjacent to the powder magazine

William Randolph Hearst-an American newspaper magnate who pioneered yellow

journalism in the United States; his newspaper helped create the furor over the USS
Maine incident which led to the Spanish-American War.

Spanish American War- A conflict between the US and Spain over the issue of
Cuban liberation; it grew to include the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam as well.
It was only four months long, beginning in April, and ending on August of 1898. The
resulting Treaty of Paris gave the US jurisdiction over Cuba, Guam, Puerto Rico, and
the Philippines.

George Dewey- A Navy Admiral of the United States. He is best known for his
victory at the Battle of Manila Bay, in which he won without a single casualty
amongst his own soldiers.
“Rough Riders”- a name for the 1st US Volunteer Cavalry. One of the three
regiments were raised in 1898 for the war with Spain, and was the only one to see
actual fighting. They also became known as “Roosevelt’s Rough Riders”.

Philippines- A group of islands that was ruled by the Spanish for more than three
centuries (though it was handed over to Britain for a short while). The Philippine
Revolution against Spain began in April of 1896, and while the First Philippine
Republic was established two years later with a declaration of independence, the
Treaty of Paris dictated that the Philippines were not independent, but under U.S. rule
instead. The Philippine American War began in 1899, and ended- soon after Emilio
Aguinaldo’s capture- in 1902.

The Anti-Imperialist League- established on June 15, 1898 to resist annexing the
Philippines; the league opposed the annexation due to moral, legal, and economic
reasons.
Foraker Act of 1900- Because Puerto Rico was neither a state nor a territory, the
Foraker Act of 1900 gave the Puerto Ricans a limited degree of popular government.
Congress granted the Puerto Ricans US citizenship but not full self-rule. The act also
banned cockfighting.

Platt Amendment- In order for the US to ensure that foreign powers would not
attempt to take over Cuba, the Cubans were forced to add the Platt Amendment to
their constitution. Giving the US much control over Cuba, the amendment made sure
that the Cubans would not agree to treaties that would compromise their
independence, they would not take on debts that they could not pay, and the US had
the power to intervene with troops to restore peace and order when necessary. Lastly,
Cubans promised to sell or lease coaling or naval stations.

Emilio Aguinaldo- Emilio Aguinaldo was part Filipino and part Chinese, a
revolutionary in exile in Asia until brought back by Dewey to weaken Spanish
resistance for the US and Philippines. Later, Aguinaldo led the Filipino force in a
rebellion against the US.

“Open Door Policy”- In 1899, Secretary of State John Hay sent a message to all the
great powers known as the Open Door Policy. This stated that the all spheres of
influences would have to respect some Chinese rights and the ideas of fair
competition.

John Hay-a secretary of state who pursued the Open Door policy; he sent the Open
Door note to all the great powers in 1899 to announce that in their spheres of
influence, they would respect certain Chinese rights and the ideal of fair competition;
however, Hay did not consult the Chinese

Theodore Roosevelt-American president famous for the proverb, “Speak softly and
carry a big stick, [and] you will go far,”; Roosevelt had a huge ego and believed a
president should lead boldly (had no respect for the checks and balances in the
government); Roosevelt passed the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine
which expanded the Monroe Doctrine and followed the principle of prevention
intervention

Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty-A treaty signed between the United States and Great
Britain that gave the United States the right to build the Panama canal as well as the
right to fortify it

Root-Takahira Agreement-this treaty between Japan and the United States

recognized both nation’s territorial possessions in the Pacific and both nations
pledged to uphold the Open Door in China