Quiz 22: The Quest for Empire, 1865-1914

The leaders who guided American foreign relations between 1865 and 1914 A) failed to recognize the relationship between expansion and economic growth. B) allowed foreign policy to be shaped almost exclusively by public opinion. C) believed that exertion of American influence abroad would help maintain prosperity at home. D) rejected the concept of power politics, advancing instead the idea that all nations are equals in the world community.

During the 1890s, leaders who favored economic expansion but not the annexation of overseas territory A) became more vocal and began to dominate government decision making. B) gradually lost ground to those who advocated both formal and informal imperialism. C) completely abandoned their position in the aftermath of the Spanish-American-Cuban-Filipino War. D) came to be concentrated almost exclusively in the Republican party.

Which of the following was a consequence of race-based explanations for expansion by United States leaders? A) Such explanations led American leaders to study other societies and cultures so that they could create a world community of nations based on mutual respect and cooperation. B) Such explanations led United States policymakers to make unwise concessions to some nations because they were considered to be weak and inferior and in need of aid. C) Such explanations hampered the development of a modern navy because they led United States leaders to believe that God would always protect Americans. D) Such explanations justified domination and war because they fostered the belief that superior people do not negotiate with inferiors.

The massacre at Rock Springs, Wyoming, in 1885 is evidence of which of the following? A) Miners and railway workers in the American West often reacted with violence against newly hired Hispanic workers. B) Labor strikes often led to disorder and violence in mining communities in the American West in the late nineteenth century. C) Discrimination against African Americans was just as prevalent in the American West as in the South during the late nineteenth century. D) Racist attitudes against Chinese immigrants were prevalent in the American West in the late nineteenth century.

Which of the following precipitated a crisis with Japan in 1906 and led to a gentleman's agreement with Tokyo restricting Japanese immigration to the United States? A) The refusal of the United States to grant citizenship to Asians B) The decision by the San Francisco School Board to segregate Japanese, Koreans, and Chinese in special schools C) Taft's decision to implement dollar diplomacy in China D) A California law denying Japanese residents the right to own land

Those who advocated the acquisition of an American empire in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century espoused which of the following ideas? A) When the United States intervenes and remakes the societies of weaker nations, it is extending the benefits of liberty and prosperity to less fortunate people. B) Because the American empire will be built by peaceful means, there is no need for expansion of the navy. C) American involvement in other lands will be confined to the sharing of American technology and will be initiated only at the request of foreign peoples. D) In acquiring colonies abroad, the United States must allow the peoples of those lands to shape their own economic and political destiny.

Which of the following best expresses the beliefs of William H. Seward? A) War is the only means by which the United States can acquire an empire. B) America will acquire an empire without war because of the natural process of gravitation toward the United States. C) The United States must resist the temptation of annexing territories populated by nonwhites. D) As missionaries spread the Christian message, the other peoples of the Western Hemisphere will be drawn into the American orbit.

Secretary of State William H. Seward successfully acquired which of the following for the United States? A) Alaska B) Guam C) Puerto Rico D) the Virgin Islands

Which important event occurred in 1866 largely because of the efforts of Cyrus Field? A) The first permanent, underwater transatlantic telegraph cable was successfully laid, linking Europe and America. B) Russia sold Alaska to the United States. C) A United States naval squadron seized and laid claim to the Midway Islands. D) The first transcontinental railroad was completed, linking the east and west coasts of the United States.

Captain Alfred T. Mahan argued that the nation's well-being depended on A) a commitment to educational excellence. B) the building of a strong, efficient navy. C) doubling the size of the United States Army. D) the spread of democratic principles throughout the world.

One way to arouse patriotism and gain local support for naval expansion was to A) name ships after prominent Americans. B) name ships after states and cities. C) ask local politicians to christen ships. D) have sailors from only one state serve on board a ship.

Which of the following statements is most consistent with Frederick Jackson Turner's frontier thesis? A) The prevalence of violence in American society may be explained by the fact that Americans have continually had to tame and civilize a vast wilderness. B) The American character has been shaped by the ever-expanding continental frontier. C) Now that North America has been civilized, the American people will look inward with the goal of creating a truly egalitarian democracy. D) With the passing of the frontier, Americans must fulfill their destiny by acquiring an overseas empire.

Annexationists in Hawai'i plotted the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian government for which of the following reasons? A) To avoid paying the new American tariff on Hawaiian sugar imported into the United States B) To provoke a war between the United States and Japan C) To place Queen Liliuokalani in power D) To keep more Chinese and Japanese from migrating to Hawai'i

The annexation of the Hawaiian Islands was preceded by A) a request for such action by Queen Liliuokalani. B) the discovery by the State Department that the Japanese living on the islands were preparing for the annexation of the islands by Japan. C) a revolution in which all foreign business interests were forced out of the islands. D) the seizure of Hawaii's government, which was plotted by American sugar growers and carried out with the assistance of American troops.

Hawai'i was annexed by the United States under President A) Grover Cleveland. B) Benjamin Harrison. C) William McKinley. D) Theodore Roosevelt.

The Venezuelan crisis A) indicated that England was spoiling for war with the United States. B) showed the subtleties and caution of United States foreign policy. C) indicated that the United States wanted war with England. D) indicated that the rights of smaller nations are often not considered when two major powers confront each other.

Which of the following played a role in precipitating the Cuban revolution of 1895? A) The abolition of slavery in Cuba B) The beginning of Cuban industrialization C) An American military invasion D) The imposition of a United States tariff on Cuban sugar

As a consequence of the sinking of the Maine, A) Congress authorized President McKinley's request for $50 million in defense funds. B) Spain agreed to allow the United States to arbitrate the dispute between Cuban insurgents and the Spanish government. C) Cuban terrorists bombed the Spanish embassy in Washington, D.C. D) Enrique Dupuy de Lôme publicly belittled President McKinley.

The United States declaration of war on Spain in 1898 A) was the result of Spain's refusal to respond to United States diplomatic proposals. B) came after Spain made diplomatic concessions to the United States. C) came after Spain stepped up its reconcentration policy. D) was the result of Spain's rejection of a United States offer to buy Cuba.

The Teller Amendment A) detailed humanitarian reasons for the declaration of war against Spain. B) approved the annexation of Hawai'i. C) approved Commodore Dewey's attack on the Spanish fleet in the Pacific. D) disclaimed any American intention to annex Cuba.

Which of the following is true of both the Venezuelan crisis and the Cuban crisis? A) In both instances, the United States insisted that it would set the rules of conduct in the Western Hemisphere. B) Both situations indicated a willingness on the part of European powers to back down in the face of American might. C) Both situations contributed to a general deterioration of American relations with the European powers. D) In both instances, the United States waged war without a congressional decision to do so.

Most American deaths in the Spanish-American-Cuban-Filipino War were caused by A) combat wounds. B) tainted food. C) disease. D) heat stroke.

African American soldiers, at the time of the Spanish-American-Cuban-Filipino War, A) faced racism within the military just as they did within society. B) served only in the Corps of Engineers. C) were not allowed to engage in combat. D) were not allowed to become commissioned officers.

The first news that Americans heard about action in the Spanish-American-Cuban-Filipino War concerned the A) defeat of American forces in Puerto Rico. B) destruction of the Spanish fleet in Santiago Harbor. C) New Navy's defeat of the Spanish fleet at Manila Bay, the Philippines. D) taking of San Juan Hill by Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders.

Which of the following was a provision of the Treaty of Paris ending the Spanish-American-Cuban-Filipino War? A) The United States would pay Spain $20 million for territories acquired. B) Cuba would belong to the United States. C) The Philippine Islands would be independent. D) Wake Island would become a United States protectorate.

Which of the following arguments was used by opponents of the Treaty of Paris? A) The war is unjust, so the treaty is also unjust. B) The United States should not be engaged in economic expansion. C) The annexation of areas populated by dark-skinned people will undermine Anglo-Saxon purity. D) The radical and revolutionary ideas of the Puerto Rican people will undermine American capitalism.

The anti-imperialist campaign against the Treaty of Paris A) was based on purely constitutional arguments. B) was unsuccessful because most Americans rejected the racist arguments used by the anti-imperialists. C) was successful because of the support of people like Andrew Carnegie. D) was hindered by the inconsistency of the anti-imperialist arguments.

From 1899 to 1902, the United States used the army to suppress a struggle for independence in A) the Hawaiian Islands. B) Panama. C) the Philippine Islands. D) Samoa.

As a result of the Battle of Bud Dajo, the United States A) crushed a threatened revolt against American rule in Puerto Rico. B) was forced to grant independence to Cuba and the Philippine Islands. C) defeated resistance to American rule in the Philippines by the Muslim Filipinos of Moro Province. D) captured Emilio Aguinaldo and crushed the Philippine Insurrection.

United States acquisition of the Philippine Islands led to A) an attempt to Americanize the islands. B) an alliance with Japan to fortify the islands. C) the granting of independence to the Philippine Republic by Congress in 1899. D) Japanese armed intervention in the islands.

The United States opposed the existence of spheres of influence in China for which of the following reasons? A) Such spheres threatened American trading interests in China. B) Such spheres posed a direct threat to American troops stationed in the Far East. C) Treaty obligations required the United States to defend China against outside interference. D) The United States believed in self-determination for the Chinese people.

The Boxer Rebellion against foreign presence in China A) drove the imperialist powers out of China. B) led the major powers officially to approve the Open Door policy. C) was brought to an end when the imperialist nations, including the United States, sent troops to China. D) brought the United States and Japan to the verge of war because of American support for the nationalist Chinese rebels.

The primary intent of the Open Door notes of 1899 and 1900 was to A) institute an educational exchange program with China. B) further the work of Christian missionaries in China. C) protect American commercial interests in China. D) increase naval strength in the Far East.

Which of the following best expresses the ideology behind the Open Door policy? A) Freedom of the seas will lead to the enrichment of the world community of nations. B) All nations must be allowed to develop their own political and economic systems. C) All nations of the world should be considered equals. D) The closing of any area to American products, citizens, or ideas threatens the survival of the United States.

In the early 1900s, the United Fruit Company A) owned more than one-half of the property in Mexico and dominated Mexican political life. B) became a dominant economic and political force in Central America. C) opposed expansionism in the hope of preserving a market for domestically produced agricultural products. D) operated primarily out of Europe, where it had invested over $100 million.

Which of the following is true of the Platt Amendment? A) It committed Cuba to representative democratic government. B) It granted the United States the right to intervene in Cuban affairs. C) It linked Cuba and the United States in a mutual defense pact. D) It gave the United States special trading advantages with Cuba.

The Clayton-Bulwer Treaty between the United States and Great Britain. A) stipulated that investments in Latin America by the United States and England had to be made jointly. B) stipulated that Great Britain would provide two-thirds of the financing for the construction of a Central American canal. C) stipulated that when a Central American canal was built, the territorial sovereignty of the nation chosen to build it had to be respected. D) provided for joint control of any canal built in Central America.

How did President Theodore Roosevelt respond to Colombia's hard bargaining over the proposal to cut a canal through its province of Panama? A) He ordered the navy to sink two Colombian ships to show that he would not tolerate delay. B) He agreed to increase the amount paid to Colombia by a substantial amount. C) He convened a conference of Latin American nations to put diplomatic pressure on Colombia. D) He sent American warships to the isthmus of Panama to ensure the success of a revolution for Panamanian independence.

Which of the following best explains the rationale behind the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine? A) The United States believed it should extend financial aid to Latin America to help raise the standard of living in the region. B) The United States believed that it had the right to colonize Latin America to exploit the resources of the region. C) The United States believed it had the right to intervene in the political and financial affairs of Latin American nations so that the region could be stabilized and intervention by European nations prevented. D) The United States believed it had an obligation to help the Latin American countries find the political system best suited to their culture.

The 1904 Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine A) was denounced by the leading European nations. B) was used to justify frequent interventions in Latin America by the United States. C) remained a bombastic pronouncement that was not applied in practice. D) strictly limited the role of the United States in the Western Hemisphere.

Which of the following was the overriding characteristic of United States foreign policy in Latin America in the early twentieth century? A) A desire to save the universe B) An increase in U.S. control over the region C) Reluctance to employ the "big stick" policy D) The massive investment of American dollars

Which of the following is true of the economic relationship between the United States and Mexico by 1910? A) American capitalists owned Mexico's railroads and mines. B) Porfirio Diaz had begun to nationalize American investments in Mexico. C) American investors had begun to divest themselves of their business interests because of violent, anti-American demonstrations. D) Mexico had ceased to be an economic satellite of the United States.

Which of the following is true of relations between the United States and Great Britain during the late nineteenth century? A) The United States repeatedly rebuffed British attempts to create a more cordial relationship. B) The two nations always seemed to be on the verge of war. C) Great Britain's bluff and bluster caused irreversible damage to the relationship between the two nations. D) The two nations slowly concluded that the interests of both could best be served by warmer relations.

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, relations between the United States and Great Britain A) remained cool, aloof, and neutral. B) were so poor that war at times seemed imminent. C) deteriorated into a deep hostility. D) became increasingly friendly.