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WebQuest
American Imperialism
Was America justified in its policy of overseas
expansion?
Introduction:
Imperialism
– the policy in which stronger nations extend their economic, political, or
military control over weaker territories.
By 1850 the United states
stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific. For most Americans, Manifest
Destiny “to overspread the continent” had been fulfilled. However, some
expansionists wanted more. They believed that the country should look beyond
its coasts - particularly westward across the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
By the 1880’s, policy makers had become convinced that the United States should
join the imperialists powers of Europe and establish colonies overseas.
Imperialism was quickly becoming a global trend.
Major events:
Revolt in Hawaii
USS Maine explosion
Spanish-American War
Fighting in the Philippines
Boxer Rebellion in China
Construction of the Panama Canal
Questions to consider:
Should America have gotten
involved?
Are our policies in the best
interest of the U.S.?
Are our policies in the best
interest of the people we control?
Did the government go to far?
The Task:
You are asked by Congress to sit on a task force to
evaluate the actions, policies and directions of the United States in its
overseas expansion. The task force will collect evidence from all points of
view and present their conclusion to Congress. Congress will then be able to
see the entire “picture” of Imperialism in order to go forward with American
policy.
The Process:
You will have approximately
5 members on each committee.
1. Getting an Overview:
Your committee will have to read Chapter 18 (p524 – 550) in your book. Together
you will answer the following questions:
American Imperialism
1. What did Adm. Mahan recommend for becoming a world power?
2. Why did the U.S. feel compelled to join the imperialism race?
Hawaii
1. What prompted American involvement in Hawaii?
2. How did we manage to annex Hawaii?
Cuba
1. How did America get involved in Cuban affairs?
2. What events fueled the U.S. conflict with Spain?
3. What role did Yellow Journalism play in the conflict?
4. What did America gain?
5. What other areas were affected?
Philippines
1. How did America get involved in Philippine affairs?
2. Why were the Filipinos disillusioned with American?
3. What did America do to appease the Philippines?
China
1. How did US foreign policy affect action taken by the US toward China?
2. What was the purpose of the Open Door notes?
Panama Canal
1. What motivated T. Roosevelt to build the Panama Canal?
2. What problems were encountered?
3. What was the Roosevelt Corollary?
2. Internet Research:
Each committee will have to
research the issue from 5 different viewpoints. You will use the web sites
listed below.
Together you will decide if
America was justified in its policy of overseas expansion .
Each Committee will make a
presentation to Congress explaining your decision. Congress will then vote
according to the evidence presented.
Viewpoints:
After you have learned the chronology of imperialism
events, you will make it your task to evaluate what the people of the United
States and the people of the other countries are saying and how they feel about
our country’s actions. Each person needs to realize that their topic was a
highly debated point of view. You need to put yourself in the place of the
people during this time period. You are not doing the history of imperialism.
You are researching how it affected everyone involved.
Those in favor of imperialism
Those against imperialism
Newspapers reporting the
imperialism stories
People directly involved
Areas America controlled
Imperialists
Photos and Music from the
War
http://www.pbs.org/crucible/frames/_resources.html
Photos of the
Spanish-American War
http://www.boondocksnet.com/stereo/bancroft_span_am.html
Speech in the Senate
http://www.pbs.org/greatspeeches/timeline/a_beveridge_s.html
Documents relating to
American Foreign Policy
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/to1914.htm
Imperialism in the Making
http://www.boondocksnet.com/moa/index.html
Photo of the War in the
Philippines
http://www.boondocksnet.com/neely/
Imperialism
http://www.acusd.edu/~vignoles/
Commodore Perry
http://www.smplanet.com/imperialism/letter.html
Political Cartoons of
Roosevelt
http://www.boondocksnet.com/gallery/tr_intro.html
Rudyard Kipling
http://www.boondocksnet.com/kipling/index.html
Expansion
http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/H/1990/ch6_p8.htm
John Hay
http://www.smplanet.com/imperialism/fists.html
Pictures of the colonies
http://www.boondocksnet.com/stereo/colonies.html
Great American speeches
http://www.boondocksnet.com/neely/
President William McKinley
http://hkuhist2.hku.hk/firstyear/Owen/owenE01.htm
Rough Riders
http://tnt.turner.com/movies/tntoriginals/roughriders/home.html
Anti – Imperialists:
Anti – Imperialists
http://www.boondocksnet.com/ail98-35.html
Imperialism in the making
http://www.boondocksnet.com/moa/index.html
Great American speeches
http://www.boondocksnet.com/neely/
Documents relating to
American Foreign Policy
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/to1914.htm
Essays , Speeches, and
Pamphlets
http://www.boondocksnet.com/ai_essay.html
William Jennings Bryan
http://www.pbs.org/greatspeeches/timeline/william_bryan_s2.html
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/bryan.htm
Mark Twain
http://www.boondocksnet.com/twain/index.html
The Philippine War: Two
ethical questions
http://www.boondocksnet.com/ailtexts/adler02.html
Newspaper Editors and
Reports:
Journalism
http://spanam.simplenet.com/press.htm
Hearst
http://www.zpub.com/cpp/saw.html
Yellow Journalism
http://www.onlineconcepts.com/pulitzer/yellow.htm
http://www.onlineconcepts.com/pulitzer/yellow.htm
Yellow Press
http://wccusdgate.wccusd.k12.ca.us/elcerrito/history/span-amerwar.htm
Filipinos Look Back - 100
years later
http://www.bibingka.com/phg/misc/spirit96.htm
Cartoons associated with
the Spanish-American War
http://www.history.ohio-state.edu/projects/mckinley/SpanAmWar.htm
Pulitzer
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/pulitzer.htm
Newspaper Articles
http://www.pbs.org/crucible/frames/_journalism.html
Hearst vs Pulitzer
http://tnt.turner.com/movies/tntoriginals/roughriders/jour.publishwar.html
People In Battle:
Action Reports and first
hand accounts
http://spanam.simplenet.com/action.htm
Boxer Rebellion
http://www.smplanet.com/imperialism/fists.html
Emilio Aguinaldo
http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/aguinaldo.html
General Weyler
http://www.garfield.k12.ut.us/PHS/History/US/1890/war/butcher.html
http://www.uidaho.edu/~melle922/reconcentrado.htm
A Letter for the Emperor
http://www.smplanet.com/imperialism/toc.html
Rough Riders
http://www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/roosevelt/roosevelt.html
http://tnt.turner.com/movies/tntoriginals/roughriders/home.html
Photos form the Philippines
http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/philinsurge.html
A Black Sargent Remembers
the Battle of San Juan Hill
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/text/1949d-pullen.html
Commander of the Battleship
Iowa
http://www.history.ohio-state.edu/projects/mckinley/Battle_Santiago_Bay.htm
American Soldiers Write
Home
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/text/1951a-letters.html
Queen Liliuokalani
http://www.indwes.edu/Faculty/bcupp/hawaii/Lilikuolaini.htm
3. Visual Evidence:
Your Committee will create one of the following to illustrate your conclusion.
a timeline of major events during
America’s age of imperialism
an original political cartoon
Evaluation:
Each committee will be responsible
for presenting their findings to Congress. This will be done orally. It must be
persuasive, based on your research, and thorough. All committee members must
participate in the presentation. You will use your visual as part of your
presentation.
Each individual is responsible for
working effectively with the group
Conclusion: Persuasive
Essay
Each of you will write a persuasive essay ( 5 paragraphs)
expressing your own opinion about American overseas expansion.
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