Review Questions
- Why did the United States express limited interest in overseas expansion in the 1860s and 1870s?
- fear of attacks on their borders
- post–Civil War reconstruction
- the Anti-Imperialist League
- Manifest Destiny
- Which of the following did Mahan not believe was needed to build an American empire?
- a navy
- military bases around the world
- the reopening of the American frontier
- a canal through Central America
- Why were the Midway Islands important to American expansion?
- Which is not one of the reasons the Anti-Imperial League gave for opposing the creation of an American empire?
- fear of competition from foreign workers
- fear that the United States would suffer a foreign invasion
- concerns about the integration of other races
- concerns that empire building ran counter to American democratic principles
- What was the role of the Taft Commission?
- What challenges did the U.S. military have to overcome in the Spanish-American War? What accounted for the nation’s eventual victory?
- How did Hay’s suggestion of an open door policy in China benefit the United States over other nations?
- The United States produced goods of better quality and lower cost than other countries.
- The United States enjoyed a historically stronger relationship with the Chinese government.
- The United States was the only nation granted permission to collect taxes on the goods it traded within China’s borders.
- The United States controlled more foreign ports than other countries.
- How did the Boxer Rebellion strengthen American ties with China?
- The United States supported the rebels and gained their support.
- The United States provided troops to fight the rebels.
- The United States sent arms and financial support to the Chinese government.
- The United States thwarted attempts by Great Britain and Germany to fortify the rebels.
- How does the “Open Door notes” episode represent a new, nonmilitary tactic in the expansion of the American empire?
- How did Colombia react to the United States’ proposal to construct a canal through Central America?
- They preferred to build such a canal themselves.
- They preferred that no canal be built at all.
- They agreed to sell land to the United States to build the canal, but in a less advantageous location than the Panamanians.
- They felt that Roosevelt’s deal offered too little money.
- With the Roosevelt Corollary, Roosevelt sought to establish ________.
- the consequences for any European nation that involved itself in Latin American affairs
- the right of the United States to involve itself in Latin American affairs whenever necessary
- the idea that Latin America was free and independent from foreign intervention
- the need for further colonization efforts in the Western Hemisphere
- Compare Roosevelt’s foreign policy in Latin America and Asia. Why did he employ these different methods?
- Why did some Central American nations object to Taft’s paying off their debt to Europe with U.S. dollars?
- because American currency wasn’t worth as much as local currencies
- because they felt it gave the United States too much leverage
- because they were forced to give land grants to the United States in return
- because they wanted Asian countries to pay off their debts instead
- What two countries were engaged in a negotiation that the Lodge Corollary disallowed?
- Mexico and Japan
- Nicaragua and France
- Colombia and Japan
- Mexico and Spain
- What problems did Taft’s foreign policy create for the United States?