Portsmouth Conference
The meeting between Japan, Russia, and the U.S. that ended the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize for stopping the fighting between those two countries.
Gentleman's Agreement
An agreement that was negotiated by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908 with the Japanese government. The Japanese agreed to limit immigration, and Roosevelt agreed to discuss with the San Francisco School Board that segregation of Japanese children in school would be stopped.
Root-Takahira Agreement
In 1908 the United States and Japan signed this agreement saying they would both honor the territorial possessions of the respective countries that were in the Pacific Ocean, and they would also uphold China's Open Door Policy.
Hay-Pauncefote Treaty
In 1901 the United States and Great Britain created an agreement in which the United States would receive exclusive rights to construct the Panama Canal, and presumably control and fortify it. In previous years the agreement had been that the United States and Britain would build and fortify the canal jointly.
Hay-Buanu-Vanilla Treaty
The treaty signed in1903 between the United States and Panama that allowed the United States to build the Panama Canal. The United States leased the 10-mile wide canal zone with a down payment of $10 million and an annual payment of $250,000 for ninety-nine years.
Panama Canal
The United States built the Panama Canal to have a quicker passage to the Pacific from the Atlantic and vice versa. It cost $400,000,000 to build. Columbians would not let Americans build the canal, but then with the assistance of the United States a Panamanian Revolution occurred. The new ruling people allowed the United States to build the canal.
Roosevelt Corollary
Roosevelt stated that the U.S. would use the military to intervene in Latin American affairs if necessary.
Big Stick Policy
The policy held by Teddy Roosevelt in foreign affairs. The "big stick" symbolizes his power and readiness to use military force if necessary. It is a way of intimidating countries without actually harming them.
Clayton -Bulwar Treaty
The Clayton Bulwar Treaty of 1850 between the British and the US stated that any canal project on the isthmus of Panama would be a joint effort by the two countries.
benevolent assimilation
McKinley and the U.S. were trying to assimilate the Philippines to help them become better. American dollars went to the Philippines to improve roads, sanitation, and public health. Although the U.S. might have looked intrusive, they were actually trying to improve the condition of the Philippines.
Open Door notes
In 1899 the United States feared that countries with "spheres of influence" in China might choose to limit or restrict trade to and from their respective areas. John Hay avoided any problems with trade by sending notes to each country who held power in China asking them to keep trade open and tariffs low.
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxers were a group of Chinese revolutionaries that despised western intervention in China. The rebellion resulted in the deaths of thousands of converted Chinese Christians, missionaries, and foreign legions. It took 5 countries' armies and four months to stop the rebellion.
John Hay
Was the Secretary of State in 1899; dispatched the Open Door Notes to keep the countries that had spheres of influence in China from taking over China and closing the doors on trade between China and the U.S.
Spheres of Influence
European powers, such as Britain and Russia, moved in to divide up China in 1895. These countries gained control of certain parts of China's economy. These were called spheres of influence. The U.S. feared that these European powers would divide up China so they proposed the Open Door policy. The Chinese did not like the idea of unwelcome foreigners trading freely within their country, so they started the Boxer Rebellion.
Philippine Insurrection
Even before the Philippines were annexed by the U.S. there was tension between U.S. troops and Filipinos. One U.S. sentry shot a Filipino who was crossing a bridge. The situation deteriorated and eventually we entered into a war with the Philippines. It would take two years to settle this dispute, as compared to the four months needed to defeat the once powerful Spain. Though the U.S. had better arms, the guerilla warfare employed by the Filipinos left the Americans outmatched. Between 200,000 and 600,000 Filipinos died in the war, most from sickness and disease caused by the war.
