Deck 20: Seizing an American Empire, 1865-1913

Question 1

The purchase of Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million proved to be a huge bargain.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

President McKinley called the Hawaiian Islands:

A) insignificant
B) "the cesspool of the Pacific"
C) "the gateway to the East"
D) a place "we need"
E) "the ripe pear of the Orient"

Answer 2

a place "we need"

Question 3

In 1878, the Samoans signed a treaty with the United States giving the United States:

A) total control of the Samoan Islands
B) fifty-percent control of the Samoan Islands
C) a naval base at Pago Pago
D) a thirty-year lease on Pago Pago
E) all of Samoa, including Wake Island

Answer 3

a naval base at Pago Pago

Question 4

The papers of Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst helped invent what came to be known
as "green journalism."

Question 5

Western imperialism in the late nineteenth century was stimulated by all of the following EXCEPT:

A) an ongoing quest for markets
B) notions of racial superiority
C) the desire to Christianize Africa and Asia
D) an ongoing quest for raw materials
E) the fear that Bolshevik ideas might advance around the globe

Question 6

The United States purchased Alaska from Great Britain.

Question 7

Alfred Thayer Mahan wrote The Influence of Sea Power upon History.

Question 8

The United States agreed to pay $10 million plus $250,000 a year for the Panama Canal Zone.

Question 9

In an act of terrorism, Spaniards in Cuba blew up the battleship Maine.

Question 10

A French company dug a canal part of the way through Panama in the 1880s.

Question 11

Spain refused to consider practically all of the American demands concerning Cuba before the United States declared war.

Question 12

Social Darwinist ideas justified policies of imperial expansion.

Question 13

Theodore Roosevelt helped lead the Rough Riders in the Cuban campaign of the Spanish-American War.

Question 14

William Randolph Hearst's efforts to manipulate public opinion during the Spanish-American War came to be called "yellow journalism."

Question 15

McKinley was reelected in 1900 despite losing the popular vote to William Jennings Bryan.

Question 16

Between 1875 and 1890, sugar from Hawaii could enter the United States duty-free.

Question 17

Theodore Roosevelt led troops into battle in the Philippines.

Question 18

John Fiske:

A) proclaimed the superior character of Anglo-Saxon peoples and institutions
B) was one of the earliest government officials to speak out against imperialism
C) used Darwinian concepts to show how American expansionism hurt the people of the areas America annexed
D) was a minister who added the sanction of religion to the expansionists' argument
E) founded an all-black college in Tennessee

Question 19

Theodore Roosevelt called William Howard Taft's diplomacy "dollar diplomacy."

Question 20

Alfred Thayer Mahan:

A) argued that sea power was essential to national greatness
B) was little known until Roosevelt read his work
C) was a German who influenced American imperial thought
D) thought a canal in Central America was a waste of money
E) published his best-known book during the Civil War

Question 21

What is "yellow journalism"?

A) It was a derogatory insult directed by many Americans toward Japanese journalists in the early twentieth century.
B) It refers to the practice by many financially struggling newspapers of using recycled, yellowed newsprint during the 1890s depression.
C) It refers to sensationalist news coverage that was designed to sell papers and manipulate public opinion.
D) It speaks to the use of propaganda in underground newspapers published by the Cuban insurrectionists.
E) It refers to the "scared" journalists who filed their stories from Key West, Florida, during the Spanish-American War.

Question 22

The treaty ending the Spanish-American War:

A) was initially opposed by most Democrats
B) was ratified in the Senate over the protests of William Jennings Bryan
C) provided for Spain to pay to the United States $10,000 for each American soldier killed in the war
D) provided for Hawaiian autonomy
E) said that Spain could keep Guantánamo Bay

Question 23

Emilio Aguinaldo:

A) was the Filipino rebel leader
B) led the Spanish forces at San Juan Hill
C) was installed as Cuba's governor in 1898
D) was the martyred leader of the Cuban rebellion
E) became the face of resistance in Samoa

Question 24

All of the following were put forward as reasons for the United States annexing the Philippines EXCEPT:

A) the desire to Christianize the Filipinos
B) acquiring better access to trade with China
C) the need to keep the Philippines from being taken over by foreign rivals
D) gaining access to large oil and coal deposits in the Philippines
E) a belief that the Filipinos were unfit for self-government

Question 25

Why did the United States fight a war in the Philippines after the Spanish-American War?

A) to oust the remaining Spanish forces that had refused to evacuate from the island
B) to stop Japan from annexing the islands
C) to quell an insurrection of Filipinos who opposed annexation by the United States
D) to defeat the Boxer Rebellion
E) to avenge the Russian surprise attack on Manila

Question 26

William Howard Taft used the State Department to:

A) create new colonies
B) help the British hold on to their colonies
C) make Puerto Rico become a state
D) form the CIA
E) allow American companies and banks to invest in foreign countries

Question 27

Who shouted, "Kill all the gringos"?

A) Porfirio Díaz
B) Pancho Villa
C) Victoriano Huerta
D) Valeriano Weyler
E) Francisco Madero

Question 28

During the Spanish-American War, Theodore Roosevelt:

A) served as secretary of the navy
B) was a war correspondent for the New York Journal
C) fought in Puerto Rico
D) destroyed the Spanish fleet at Manila Bay
E) took part in the land fighting in Cuba

Question 29

The de Lôme letter:

A) revealed the location of Spanish troops in Cuba
B) was the first of the Cuban insurrectionists' overtures for peace
C) blamed the destruction of the battleship Maine on Spanish agents
D) referred to President McKinley as a weak and cowardly leader
E) promised Mexico all of the Gadsden Purchase if they attacked Texas

Question 30

As a result of the Spanish-American War, the United States:

A) was deeply divided between war supporters and opponents
B) acquired Cuba as a colony
C) emerged as an imperial power
D) suffered a huge financial strain and went into a depression
E) acquired Alaska

Question 31

The battleship Maine:

A) sank the entire Spanish fleet in Manila without a single American loss of life
B) exploded in Havana Harbor and fueled calls for war with Spain
C) carried arms to the Cuban insurrectionists
D) disappeared at sea with no trace, but newspaper reporters claimed that Spain had ordered it sunk
E) delivered Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders from Tampa to Cuba

Question 32

A major reason that the United States annexed the Philippines despite anti-imperialist opposition in the United States was because:

A) Filipino leader Emilio Aguinaldo requested annexation
B) the islands were located very close to China and China's potential markets
C) anti-imperialist William Jennings Bryan agreed to become the civil governor of the territory
D) Americans wanted to avenge their defeat in the Philippine-American War
E) the Philippines offered the largest and most developed untapped market in the entire Eastern Hemisphere

Question 33

One reason the United States went to war against Spain was that:

A) the leaders of the Democratic party pushed for war
B) Cuban cigar manufacturers in Florida insisted that war was necessary to protect their markets
C) there was strong support among the American people for going to war
D) the shipping profiteers in New England believed their prosperity depended on war
E) Theodore Roosevelt insisted his Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine demanded war

Question 34

All of the following were locations of campaigns during the Spanish-American War EXCEPT:

A) San Juan Hill
B) Santiago
C) Manila Bay
D) Peking
E) Kettle Hill

Question 35

The Philippine-American War became known for:

A) the lack of violence in the conflict
B) being the first American defeat in a foreign war
C) the absence of civilian casualties
D) the contributions of Theodore Roosevelt's "Rough Riders"
E) its brutality and the atrocities committed by both sides

Question 36

The Teller Amendment:

A) was added to an army appropriation bill in 1901
B) called for universal suffrage in America's new possessions
C) was defeated in the Senate
D) disavowed any American designs on Cuban territory
E) was promptly vetoed by McKinley

Question 37

Woodrow Wilson promised to treat Latin American nations:

A) with equality and honor
B) as conquered provinces
C) as he did the Philippines
D) as he would rogue nations
E) with a total lack of respect

Question 38

When the American-led overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in the early 1890s was improperly done:

A) Japan came in and took over the islands
B) President Cleveland preferred that the monarchy be restored to power
C) native Hawaiians once again became the dominant political force
D) Hawaii immediately became a U.S. colony
E) Cleveland stabilized the new government by sending in the marines

Question 39

By the end of the Spanish-American War:

A) America's victory could be attributed in large part to expert preparation
B) horses proved essential for the Rough Rider victory
C) the American victory in the decisive battle at Santiago depended on assistance from German forces
D) America finally settled the question of freedom of the seas
E) more American soldiers died from disease than battle

Question 40

Queen Liliuokalani:

A) was forced by Americans living in Hawaii to claim the Hawaiian throne and establish a monarchy in 1899
B) welcomed American sugar planters to Hawaii
C) was an American pretender to the Hawaiian throne
D) opposed the Americanization of Hawaii
E) forged a partnership with Dole Pineapple Corp. that went awry

Question 41

The Open Door policy:

A) allowed a certain number of Japanese immigrants to the United States each year in return for special trading rights with Japan
B) allowed Cubans to enter the United States and Americans to enter Cuba freely
C) proposed that foreign powers keep China trade open to all nations on an equal basis
D) pledged economic aid to struggling Latin American republics
E) closed Chinese immigration except for spouses and children of men already in America

Question 42

In the election of 1900, the McKinley-Roosevelt ticket campaigned on a platform that:

A) opposed the annexation of the Philippines
B) advocated for federal control of the railroads
C) supported American territorial acquisitions following the Spanish-American War
D) advocated "free silver"
E) pushed for statehood for Cuba and Puerto Rico

Question 43

Roosevelt's "Gentlemen's Agreement":

A) stopped the flow of Japanese immigrants to America
B) acknowledged Japan's dominance of Korea
C) agreed not to bring American armed forces into the Russo-Japanese War
D) agreed to help finance the Russian effort to seize Korea from the Chinese
E) stopped the intrusion of Christian missionaries into Korea

Question 44

The Platt Amendment did all of the following EXCEPT:

A) sharply restrict Cuba's independence
B) provide for the American annexation of Cuba
C) acknowledge the right of the United States to intervene whenever it saw fit
D) prohibit Cuba from impairing its independence by signing a treaty with a third power
E) lead to the establishment of the U.S. naval base at Guantánamo Bay

Question 45

To reward Theodore Roosevelt for his vigorous campaigning on behalf of William McKinley in 1896, the new president appointed Roosevelt:

A) assistant secretary of the navy
B) secretary of the navy
C) secretary of the interior
D) secretary of state
E) as his running mate that same year

Question 46

As a result of Japan's show of strength in the Russo-Japanese War:

A) America was quick to send money and support troops to aid Russia
B) Congress voted to send financial and military aid to Korea to help prevent a Japanese invasion of the Korean peninsula
C) Congress lifted the limitations it had previously set on Japanese immigration
D) Americans began to doubt the security of the Philippines
E) Americans cut a deal with Korea to protect the Open Door

Question 47

The Platt Amendment:

A) granted U.S. citizenship to inhabitants of Puerto Rico
B) arranged for a Cuban election to decide the issue of annexation
C) sharply restricted the independence of Cuba's new government
D) set up the Army Yellow Fever Commission under Dr. Walter Reed
E) called for Spain to pay for all war reparations

Question 48

In order to acquire the Canal Zone, the United States supported Panama's revolt against:

A) Mexico
B) Venezuela
C) Colombia
D) Costa Rica
E) Nicaragua

Question 49

Who was president when the United States acquired the right to build a canal across Panama?

A) Grover Cleveland
B) William Jennings Bryan
C) William McKinley
D) Woodrow Wilson
E) Theodore Roosevelt

Question 50

Mark Hanna opposed naming Theodore Roosevelt as McKinley's running mate in the election of 1900 because he:

A) believed that Roosevelt was a Democrat
B) objected to Roosevelt's southern roots
C) wanted the position himself
D) feared that Roosevelt was a socialist
E) thought Roosevelt was too hotheaded

Question 51

Residents of Puerto Rico became citizens of the United States:

A) as part of the original annexation
B) never
C) before the Spanish-American War
D) by moving to Cuba
E) nearly two decades after the island was acquired by the United States

Question 52

The Roosevelt Corollary:

A) encouraged American bankers to help finance the shaky Latin American governments
B) justified the use of marines in Morocco
C) rescinded most of the provisions of the Monroe Doctrine
D) justified American intervention in the Far East
E) stated that the United States could intervene in the affairs of Latin American countries to forestall the intervention of other powers

Question 53

Which of the following statements about the American acquisition of Puerto Rico is true?

A) The Foraker Act of 1900 eliminated the island's government.
B) Puerto Rico was denied the right to have an elected legislature.
C) Puerto Rico had little strategic value to the United States.
D) The Jones Act of 1917 made residents of Puerto Rico U.S. citizens.
E) Puerto Rico became a U.S. state.

Question 54

The United States acquired all of the following as a result of the Spanish-American War EXCEPT:

A) Puerto Rico
B) Panama
C) Guam
D) the Philippines
E) Guantánamo Bay

Question 55

The Boxer Rebellion took place in:

A) Japan
B) Morocco
C) Colombia
D) Panama
E) China

Question 56

When the United States and Colombia could not agree on a price for the Canal Zone:

A) the matter was submitted to an international board for arbitration
B) Roosevelt sent the army to Colombia to force Colombian leaders to accept the American offer
C) the United Fruit Co. brought in Venezuelan and American mercenaries
D) Colombian leaders offered the deal to the British
E) the United States lent support to a separatist rebellion in the Colombian province of Panama

Question 57

The "yellow peril" was:

A) mosquito-borne disease
B) a late nineteenth-century style of politically influential journalism
C) a racially charged description of a perceived threat from Japan
D) a racially charged description of Panama
E) tuberculosis

Question 58

Why was Theodore Roosevelt picked as William McKinley's running mate for the 1900 election?

A) to prevent William Jennings Bryan from picking Roosevelt.
B) Roosevelt's calm and conservative approach to politics nicely balanced McKinley's more radical inclinations.
C) McKinley was secretly suffering from a fatal disease, and Republican leaders wanted Roosevelt to succeed him.
D) Roosevelt was a popular figure from his exploits in the Spanish-American War and had been a strong public supporter of McKinley.
E) Roosevelt needed a job.

Question 59

The Hay-Herrán Treaty:

A) ended the Spanish-American War
B) ended the insurrection in the Philippines
C) concerned America's right to build a canal in Panama
D) failed to pass the U.S. Senate
E) made the purchase of Alaska possible

Question 60

With the Boxer Rebellion, all of the following occurred EXCEPT:

A) Chinese nationalists laid siege to foreign embassies
B) Peking came under control with the arrival of foreign troops
C) Secretary of State Hay abandoned the Open Door
D) a multinational force was used to rescue international diplomats and their staff
E) a group known as "Fists of Righteous Harmony" emerged

Question 61

In hindsight, Roosevelt's approach to foreign policy was problematic because:

A) he was reluctant to use force in support of American goals
B) his efforts to deploy American power abroad were accompanied by a racist ideology
C) he was an isolationist
D) his egalitarian views clouded his understanding of American interests
E) he was never formally educated

Question 62

Why did President Theodore Roosevelt feel compelled to mediate a reduction of tension in Europe, and how did the president show the world, literally, that America had become a world power?

Question 63

Roosevelt's intervention in the Russo-Japanese War:

A) strained America's relations with Russia
B) resulted in the Treaty of Portsmouth
C) involved the use of armed forces without the consent of Congress
D) weakened his image around the world
E) showed his new power after deploying the Great White Fleet

Question 64

Describe the status of U.S.-Japanese relations during President Theodore Roosevelt's administration. How did President Roosevelt's policies toward Japan impact U.S. domestic policy?

Question 65

MATCHING
Match each description with the item below.
William Jennings Bryan

A)was secretary of state; called Spanish-American War "a splendid little war"
B)was the Democratic presidential candidate in 1900
C)wrote Our Country: Its Possible Future and Its Present Crisis
D)negotiated an agreement with Japan concerning the future of Korea
E)was elected vice president in 1900
F)owned the New York Journal
G)proposed returning Queen Liliuokalani to Hawaiian throne
H)wrote The Influence of Sea Power upon History
I)acquired Alaska for the United States
J)captured Manila Bay

Question 66

MATCHING
Match each description with the item below.
George Dewey

A)was secretary of state; called Spanish-American War "a splendid little war"
B)was the Democratic presidential candidate in 1900
C)wrote Our Country: Its Possible Future and Its Present Crisis
D)negotiated an agreement with Japan concerning the future of Korea
E)was elected vice president in 1900
F)owned the New York Journal
G)proposed returning Queen Liliuokalani to Hawaiian throne
H)wrote The Influence of Sea Power upon History
I)acquired Alaska for the United States
J)captured Manila Bay

Question 67

Discuss the Roosevelt Corollary and what impact it had on President Roosevelt's foreign policy, especially as it pertained to Latin America.

Question 68

Describe the controversy surrounding the building of the Panama Canal. How were the obstacles in the canal controversy overcome?

Question 69

Why did Theodore Roosevelt send the Great White Fleet on a world tour between 1907 and 1909?

A) to conquer new colonial territories for the U.S.
B) to fight the Japanese effort to conquer the Philippines
C) to demonstrate that the United States had arrived as a world power
D) to defeat the Boxer Rebellion in Peking
E) to avenge the surprise Russian attack on U.S. forces in Manila Bay

Question 70

MATCHING
Match each description with the item below.
William Randolph Hearst

A)was secretary of state; called Spanish-American War "a splendid little war"
B)was the Democratic presidential candidate in 1900
C)wrote Our Country: Its Possible Future and Its Present Crisis
D)negotiated an agreement with Japan concerning the future of Korea
E)was elected vice president in 1900
F)owned the New York Journal
G)proposed returning Queen Liliuokalani to Hawaiian throne
H)wrote The Influence of Sea Power upon History
I)acquired Alaska for the United States
J)captured Manila Bay

Question 71

Trace Theodore Roosevelt's climb to the presidency of the United States and explain why he was such an appealing vice presidential candidate in 1900.

Question 72

Mexico's revolutionary leader who successfully took control of Mexico City in 1911 was quickly ousted by:

A) Porfirio Díaz
B) Pancho Villa
C) Victoriano Huerta
D) Francisco Madero
E) Valeriano Weyler

Question 73

MATCHING
Match each description with the item below.
Grover Cleveland

A)was secretary of state; called Spanish-American War "a splendid little war"
B)was the Democratic presidential candidate in 1900
C)wrote Our Country: Its Possible Future and Its Present Crisis
D)negotiated an agreement with Japan concerning the future of Korea
E)was elected vice president in 1900
F)owned the New York Journal
G)proposed returning Queen Liliuokalani to Hawaiian throne
H)wrote The Influence of Sea Power upon History
I)acquired Alaska for the United States
J)captured Manila Bay

Question 74

What effect did American ownership of the Philippines have on U.S. foreign policy?

Question 75

MATCHING
Match each description with the item below.
John Hay

A)was secretary of state; called Spanish-American War "a splendid little war"
B)was the Democratic presidential candidate in 1900
C)wrote Our Country: Its Possible Future and Its Present Crisis
D)negotiated an agreement with Japan concerning the future of Korea
E)was elected vice president in 1900
F)owned the New York Journal
G)proposed returning Queen Liliuokalani to Hawaiian throne
H)wrote The Influence of Sea Power upon History
I)acquired Alaska for the United States
J)captured Manila Bay

Question 76

What were the reasons for American expansionism at the turn of the twentieth century? What justifications did Americans offer for expansionism?

Question 77

How did Hawaii become part of the United States?

Question 78

Describe the steps leading to America's war with Spain in 1898. Was war justified?

Question 79

What was the Open Door policy, and how did it come about?

Question 80

Who once said that warfare was the best way to promote "the clear instinct for race selfishness"?

A) Bryan
B) Roosevelt
C) McKinley
D) Hearst
E) Pulitzer