Imperialism and Foreign Policy Quiz

Grade 11 · Social Studies · Quiz

Test your knowledge of US expansion, the Spanish-American War, and early 20th century foreign policy doctrines.

Questions

Alfred Thayer Mahan's The Influence of Sea Power upon History (1890) argued that national greatness required:
1. A strong army capable of projecting power on multiple continents
2. A powerful navy, overseas bases, and control of sea lanes
3. Isolation from European politics and avoidance of foreign entanglements
4. Economic self-sufficiency through high protective tariffs
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Answer: A powerful navy, overseas bases, and control of sea lanes
Mahan's book was hugely influential on TR, Henry Cabot Lodge, and other expansionists; it provided intellectual justification for the naval buildup and overseas base acquisition that defined 1890s imperialism.
The phrase 'Remember the Maine!' refers to:
1. A Revolutionary War battle in Maine that symbolized American independence
2. A US battleship that exploded in Havana Harbor, used to justify war with Spain
3. The first US naval victory in the Spanish-American War
4. A Maine senator who championed anti-imperialist policy
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Answer: A US battleship that exploded in Havana Harbor, used to justify war with Spain
The Maine exploded February 15, 1898, killing 266 sailors; Hearst's Journal famously declared 'Remember the Maine, To Hell with Spain!' Modern evidence suggests the explosion was accidental.
As a result of the Treaty of Paris (1898) ending the Spanish-American War, the US acquired:
1. Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Guam
2. Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines
3. Cuba, the Philippines, and Guam
4. Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines
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Answer: Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines
The Treaty of Paris (December 1898) transferred Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the US for $20 million; Cuba became nominally independent under tight US oversight.
The Filipino-American War (1899–1902) was a quick, easy US military victory with minimal casualties.
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Answer: false
The Filipino-American War (1899–1902) was a brutal guerrilla conflict that killed an estimated 200,000–600,000 Filipinos and 4,200 Americans; it lasted three years and involved significant atrocities on both sides.
The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine (1904) asserted the US right to:
1. Prevent European powers from establishing new colonies in the Americas
2. Intervene in Latin American nations that failed to maintain order or repay debts
3. Negotiate trade agreements with all Western Hemisphere nations
4. Claim uninhabited Pacific islands for US territories
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Answer: Intervene in Latin American nations that failed to maintain order or repay debts
TR announced the Corollary in his 1904 State of the Union; it was used to justify interventions in the Dominican Republic (1905), Nicaragua, Haiti, and other nations for decades.
The Platt Amendment (1901) affected Cuba by:
1. Granting Cuba full independence without conditions
2. Giving the US the right to intervene in Cuban affairs and maintain a naval base
3. Making Cuba a US territory similar to Puerto Rico
4. Requiring Cuba to pay reparations to former Spanish colonizers
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Answer: Giving the US the right to intervene in Cuban affairs and maintain a naval base
The Platt Amendment was incorporated into the Cuban constitution at US insistence; it gave the US Guantanamo Bay and the right to intervene to preserve order — used to justify multiple military interventions through the 1930s.
President Taft's foreign policy approach known as 'Dollar Diplomacy' primarily used:
1. Military force to stabilize Latin American governments
2. US financial investments and economic leverage to extend American influence
3. Diplomatic pressure through the newly formed League of Nations
4. Trade agreements to promote democratic governance
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Answer: US financial investments and economic leverage to extend American influence
Taft promoted US bank loans and business investments in Latin America and China as alternatives to military force — though he also used military intervention when economic tools failed.
The US built the Panama Canal after buying the rights from the Colombian government in a straightforward diplomatic transaction.
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Answer: false
Colombia refused TR's terms for the Canal Zone. In November 1903, Panamanians (with US naval ships blocking Colombian troop transport) revolted and declared independence; the US recognized Panama within hours and signed the canal treaty 15 days later.
The Anti-Imperialist League argued that US colonialism in the Philippines violated:
1. The Monroe Doctrine's prohibition on overseas expansion
2. The principle that just government requires the consent of the governed
3. The neutrality treaties the US had signed with European powers
4. The US Constitution's prohibition on territorial expansion
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Answer: The principle that just government requires the consent of the governed
Anti-imperialists like Mark Twain and Carnegie argued that the Declaration of Independence's own logic condemned colonial rule — you cannot govern people without their consent while claiming to be a democracy.
Yellow journalism, exemplified by Hearst and Pulitzer, contributed to the Spanish-American War by:
1. Providing detailed, accurate intelligence about Spanish military strength
2. Sensationalizing events in Cuba to build popular support for war
3. Lobbying Congress directly for a war declaration
4. Exposing Spanish atrocities through undercover reporting in Cuba
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Answer: Sensationalizing events in Cuba to build popular support for war
Both Hearst's Journal and Pulitzer's World ran exaggerated stories about Spanish atrocities; Hearst allegedly told a photographer 'You furnish the pictures and I'll furnish the war' — though the exact quote is disputed.

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