7.2 Debates on Imperialism

What was the focus of the United States' foreign policy after the Civil War?

• Reducing its industrial economy

• Expanding westward and protecting U.S. interests abroad

• Establishing a monarchy

• Withdrawing from all international trade

Who was William H. Seward and what role did he play during the Civil War?

• A general who led troops in battle

• A diplomat who negotiated peace treaties

• The secretary of state who helped prevent European intervention

• The president of the United States

What did William H. Seward fail to convince Congress to do?

• Purchase the territory of Alaska

• Annex Hawaii and purchase the Danish West Indies

• Build a canal in Nicaragua

• Prevent the Civil War

How did Americans initially view the purchase of Alaska?

• As a strategic military advantage

• As a valuable investment for gold mining

• As a wasteful expenditure, derisively naming it "Seward's Folly"

• As an important step towards imperialism

What did the Hawaiian monarchy agree to in a treaty with the United States in 1875?

• The construction of Pearl Harbor

• Exclusive rights to Hawaiian sugar

• The annexation of Hawaii by the United States

• The overthrow of the Hawaiian monarch

Who opposed imperialism and blocked Republican efforts to annex Hawaii?

• Ulysses S. Grant

• Queen Liliuokalani

• President Grover Cleveland

• Alfred Thayer Mahan

What was the main argument in Alfred Thayer Mahan's book "The Influence of Sea Power Upon History"?

• The importance of economic expansion through agriculture

• The significance of controlling the sea-lanes for trade

• The need for a strong navy to secure foreign markets and become a world power

• The benefits of annexing islands in the Pacific Ocean

Which of the following was NOT a reason for the renewed interest in imperialism by industrialized nations during the 19th century?

• Economic dominance

• Political and military power

• Religious conversion

• Access to raw materials

What was one of the reasons that some Americans supported expansion into the Caribbean, Central America, and the Pacific Ocean in the late 19th century?

• They believed it would help to reduce the influence of European powers in the region.

• They saw expansion as an extension of the idea of Manifest Destiny and applied Darwin's concept of the survival of the fittest to competition among countries.

• They wanted to establish new trade routes to increase economic prosperity.

• They aimed to find new sources of raw materials for industrial use.

According to Reverend Josiah Strong, why did he believe that the Anglo-Saxon stock was "the fittest to survive"?

• He believed that Protestant Americans had a religious duty to spread Christianity and the benefits of their civilization.

• He thought that Anglo-Saxon stock had the most advanced military technology.

• He felt that Anglo-Saxon stock was economically more successful than other races.

• He argued that Anglo-Saxon stock had the best political system in the world.