Title: The United States, Imperialism, and the “Spanish-American War”
Abstract:
In this lesson students will determine if the United States was justified in their actions to enter into the “Spanish-American War.” Students will study the US’s impulse for imperialism and discuss the views of those in favor and those against the war. Using the material discussed in class to support their opinion, students will be asked to think of the following question, “Should the United States have gotten involved in the “Spanish-American War”?
Subject Area: Social Studies
Grade Level and Course Title: Ninth Grade/Twentieth Century American History
Unit of Study: The United States as a World Power
Benchmark:
Evaluate foreign policy positions in light of national interests and American values (III.5.HS.2).
Select pivotal decisions in United States history and evaluate them in light of core democratic values and resulting costs and benefits as viewed from a variety of perspectives (I.4.HS.4).
Key Concepts: Imperialism/ Sovereignty
Instructional Resources:
Armitage, S., Buhle, M., Czitron, D., & Faragher, J. (1994). Out of Many: A History of
the American People (Volume 2). New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Ch. 20: “Commonwealth and Empire 1870-1900.”
Boyer, P., & Stuckey, S. (1996). The American Nation: In the Twentieth Century.
Austin: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Ch. 9: “America and the World: 1898-1917.”
Franklin, J., & Moss, A. (1994). From Slavery to Freedom (Seventh Edition). New
York: McGraw-Hill, Inc. Pg. 297-303.
PBS. “Crucible of Empire: The Spanish-American War.” 3 Nov. 2001
http://www.pbs.org/crucible
The Library of Congress. “The Spanish-American War.” 3 Nov. 2001
http://lcweb.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/
Zinn, H. (1995). A People’s History of the United States: 1492-Present. New York:
Harper Perennial. Pg. 295-303.
Sequence of Activities:
This lesson occurs after students have studied the social, economic, and political reforms in the United States during the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. The activities herein will help students understand short term and long term consequences of US Imperialism and involvement in world affairs. The lesson proceeds according to the following steps:
1. Prior Knowledge:
At the beginning of class, students will be asked to use their knowledge of history and the information from their textbook to answer the following journal questions: Define the term imperialism. Define the term sovereignty. Which countries come to mind when you think of the term colony? In order to confirm and strengthen prior knowledge, the teacher will facilitate a classroom discussion on the above questions and write the students’ responses on the board or transparency. If students mention the United States was once a colony, the teacher should have them identify England as the imperialist nation. For each of the examples that students provide, the teacher should have students identify the colony and the imperial power. The teacher will then ask students to write down and discuss the pros and cons of being either a colony or an imperialist nation.
The teacher should emphasize to students that understanding some of these basic principles – imperialism and sovereignty - will help them begin to think of the US’s decision to enter into the “Spanish-American War.”
2. Discussion: Why did the United States enter into war with Spain?
Students should have read sections 1 and 2 of the “America and the World” chapter of their textbook. In this activity students will be divided into groups of 3-4 to identify and discuss the reasons why the US decided to enter into the war based on the information provided from the text. Students will also be asked to identify individuals in favor and against the US’s plans to enter into war with Spain. Before beginning, the teacher should provide a brief introduction to the activity and emphasize that any questions they have will be answered after the activity during class discussion.
After sufficient time has been provided the teacher will facilitate a class discussion on the students’ findings. The teacher will pose the following questions and then answer any additional questions students may have: What were some of the major factors why the United States decided to enter into war with Spain? (economic, political, social, etc.). Who were some of the major individuals in favor, against, or undecided as to whether or not the US should enter the war? (Mckinley, Twain, Marti, Aguinaldo, Hearst/Pulitzer, etc.) Due to the complex issues being discussed and the historical “stuff,” the teacher should take careful consideration to write down the students’ responses in an organized and clear manner. After having students fully develop their thought the teacher will provide a brief time for students to reflect on the discussion and their thoughts before proceeding, asking students to write in their journals if they wish.
3. Lecture
At this juncture the teacher will conduct a brief lecture to provide additional historical information not mentioned in the textbook. Timelines will be provided for students with a general overview of events from 1823-1903, one from the perspective of the US, Cuba, and the Philippines. Emphasis will be placed on the US’s interests and reservations toward imperialism and the ongoing revolutionary movements in Cuba and the Philippines. (If time permits and if the teacher as access to the PBS video “The Crucible of Empire: The Spanish-American War,” a section of the video can replace the teacher’s lecture of this material). Questions to discuss:
In groups of two, students should discuss the following questions:
-Why did the United States pass the Monroe Doctrine? Who do you think benefited from its passage?
-If you were a revolutionary from Cuba or the Philippines would you have wanted the United States to intervene? (Provide sufficient evidence from the material discussed in class).
-What were the immediate consequences of the US’s defeat of Spain in the “Spanish-American War”?
-Who was present at the signing of the Treaty of Paris? Who should have been there?
-What happened after the passage of the treaty from the perspective of the United States, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Guam?
-Was Hawaii part of the treaty? NO, but have students explain why.
Assessment:
Students will be assigned to complete ONE of the following assignments. Different assignments are provided to allow for students to express their understanding of the historical material through different mediums. All responses should do the following in addition to answering the specific questions of the assignment: 1) provide an understanding of the term imperialism and sovereignty; 2) show that the student has an understanding of the factors leading up to and following the “Spanish-American War” from the perspective of either the US, Spain, Cuba, or the Philippines.
#1 Read the passage by Mark Twain titled, “To the Person Sitting in the Darkness” (pg. 271 in textbook). In a two-page essay response answer the following questions: What is the author’s main point/argument in the passage? Is he expressing the view of an imperialist or and anti-imperialist? Do you agree or disagree with the statements made by the author. Support your answer with information discussed in your textbook and from the class discussions.
#2 Two political cartons from 1898 will be passed out in order to complete this assignment. After studying the two political cartoons (examples of “yellow” journalism) in a two-page response describe what you see and the meaning of the different symbols in the cartoon. In your response, make sure you describe the political cartoons AND support your answer with information discussed in your textbook and from the class discussions.
#3 Only if you dare! Do you agree or disagree with the United States’ decision to enter into war with Spain? Draw a political cartoon clearly stating your position on this issue. In addition, write a one-page response describing the historical significance of the symbols you chose to use. Write your perspective from either the US, Cuba, Spain, the Philippines, or a combination. Use your imagination.
Students’ responses must exemplify a clear understanding of the concepts of imperialism and sovereignty, and in addition answer the two aforementioned questions and the questions from one of the three assignments. Their answers must employ effective written communication skills including proper spelling and grammar.