Foraker Act - 1900 Act providing a civil government for Puerto Rico; a main goal of the act was to prepare Puerto Rico for free trade with the US. It gave most power in Puerto Rico to US-appointed officials.
Platt Amendment - 1901 amendment to the Cuban constitution by which the US was allowed certain concessions, including the right to indefinitely maintain Guantanamo naval base in Cuba.
USS Maine - American warship sent to patrol Cuban waters at the beginning of 1898. When the ship mysteriously exploded on February 15, 1898, it gave the US a final reason to go to war, even though the cause of the explosion is still debated today.
Yellow journalism - The type of sensationalist (sometimes fictitious) journalism practiced by newspapermen such as Hearst and Pulitzer in order to boost circulation.
Protectorate - A country or territory with its own internal government but under the control of an outside power