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Annexation
The formal addition of a territory into an empire.
Big Stick Diplomacy
President Theodore Roosevelt’s foreign policy approach advocating peaceful negotiation backed by the threat of military strength—summed up by the phrase “speak softly and carry a big stick.”
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are individual freedoms protected by law.
Dollar Diplomacy
A U.S. foreign policy strategy promoting economic investment abroad to achieve political influence and stability.
Dollar Diplomacy
A U.S. foreign policy under President William Howard Taft that encouraged economic investment in Latin America and Asia to expand influence and prevent European involvement.
Economic Nationalism
A policy emphasizing domestic production and reduced dependence on foreign trade, especially during global disruptions.
Export-Dependent Economies
Economies that rely heavily on selling raw materials or agricultural goods to foreign markets, making them vulnerable to fluctuations in global demand and prices.
Fourteen Points
President Wilson’s blueprint for a just and lasting peace emphasizing national self-determination, disarmament, and open diplomacy.
Great Migration
The mass movement of African Americans from the rural South to Northern and Western industrial cities seeking jobs, safety, and greater freedom, amidst the desire to escape racial violence and seek employment.
Hegemony
Leadership or dominance of one country over others, often seen in U.S.–Latin American relations.
Hemispheric Hegemony
The dominance of one nation over the political and economic affairs of the Americas. (In this case, the US)
Imperialism
the policy of expanding a nation’s power through colonization or military force.
League of Nations
The postwar international organization created to maintain peace and collective security; Brazil was an active early member before withdrawing in 1926.
Manifest Destiny
19th-century U.S. belief that it was destined to expand its influence across North America, often used to justify interventions in Latin America.
Modernization
The process of industrial, technological, and social transformation that enables nations to expand economic and political power.
Monroe Doctrine
A U.S. policy (1823) declaring the Western Hemisphere off-limits to further European colonization or interference.
Neutrality Policy
The diplomatic stance of non-involvement in war, adopted by many Latin American nations to protect trade interests and sovereignty.
Protectorate
A state controlled and protected by another nation, often retaining nominal independence while losing autonomy in key areas.
Roosevelt Corollary
Theodore Roosevelt’s 1904 addition to the Monroe Doctrine, asserting the U.S. right to intervene in Latin American nations to preserve order and stability.
Rough Riders
A volunteer cavalry regiment led by Theodore Roosevelt during the Spanish–American War, celebrated for its role in the Battle of San Juan Hill.
Self-determination
The right of a people to control their own political, cultural, and economic destiny.
Social Darwinism
A theory that applied Charles Darwin’s ideas of natural selection to human societies, used to justify racial hierarchy, imperialism, and economic inequality.
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the supreme authority within a state, granting it the power to govern itself without interference from external forces.
Treaty of Paris (1898)
Agreement transferring the Philippines from Spain to the U.S.