American imperialism

The Clayton-Bulwer Treaty was a landmark diplomatic agreement between the United States and Great Britain that sought to regulate potential control and construction of an interoceanic canal across Central America. Signed in Washington by U.S. Secretary of State John M. Clayton and British diplomat…

Theodore Roosevelt's Big Stick foreign policy, encapsulated by the proverb "speak softly and carry a big stick," advocated for peaceful negotiations backed by the threat of military force. This approach aimed to expand American influence, particularly in Latin America and the…

"The Big Stick in the Caribbean Sea" is a 1904 political cartoon by William Allen Rogers. It illustrates President Theodore Roosevelt's Big Stick Diplomacy, portraying him as a colossal figure wielding a massive club through the Caribbean. It symbolizes America's military and political power.

The Platt Amendment was a key piece of legislation that governed the relationship between the United States and Cuba. It limited Cuba's sovereignty by granting the U.S. the right to intervene in Cuban affairs. It also required Cuba to lease or sell land for American naval bases, most notably…

The Teller Amendment was a declaration stating that the United States would not annex Cuba after liberating it from Spain. Proposed by Senator Henry M. Teller, it aimed to reassure the American public and the international community that U.S. intervention in Cuba was to establish Cuban independence…

In his "Ripe Fruit" Theory, John Quincy Adams argued that Cuba, then a Spanish colony, would gravitate toward the United States once its unnatural connection with Spain was severed. Comparing Cuba to a ripe fruit, Adams argued that the laws of political gravitation would bring the island…

This political cartoon, created and published by Louis Dalrymple in 1905, illustrates the Roosevelt Corollary foreign policy. It depicts a large, stern-faced Theodore Roosevelt, perched atop a massive naval cannon labeled "U.S." on a battleship.

The Roosevelt Corollary was a significant expansion of the Monroe Doctrine. It declared that the United States had the right to intervene as an international police power in the Western Hemisphere. This meant that if Latin American nations engaged in chronic wrongdoing, such as political…

The Monroe Doctrine was a foreign policy statement declaring that the Americas were closed to European colonization. It asserted a sphere of influence for the United States. It also promised U.S. non-intervention in European affairs in return for Europe's non-interference in the Americas.…

In his address in Mobile, Alabama, President Woodrow Wilson articulated a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy toward Latin America. He declared that the United States will never again seek territorial conquest in the region. He aimed to move away from previous imperialistic tendencies,…

Clifford Berryman's political cartoon "Separated," published in the Washington Post, illustrates the congressional debate over Puerto Rican governance. Following its acquisition from Spain after the Spanish-American War, the question was whether Puerto Rico should be subject to the U.S.

Victor Gillam's 1899 cartoon critiques the imperialist concept of the same name by depicting John Bull (Britain) and Uncle Sam (U.S.) as they struggle to carry baskets filled with caricatured non-white peoples up a steep hill.

"Uncle Sam's New Class in the Art of Self-Government" is a political cartoon by W.A. Rogers. It satirizes American imperial expansion after the Spanish-American War.

"The Cuban Melodrama" is a political cartoon by C.J. Taylor that depicts the escalating tensions between Spain, Cuba, and the United States before the Spanish-American War.

The Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty was an agreement between the United States and the newly independent Republic of Panama. It granted the U.S. the authority to construct and manage the Panama Canal. U.S. Secretary of State John Hay negotiated the treaty with Philippe-Jean Bunau-Varilla, a French…

School Begins is a 1899 political cartoon created by Louis Dalrymple. It was published in Puck magazine. The cartoon satirizes American imperialism following the Spanish–American War.

<p><span class="deck"><span class="typestyle">In the wily, elusive leader of the Philippine Insurrection a bedeviled Uncle Sam almost met his match.</span> </span></p>