Instructional Activities: America Joins the Imperialist
Movement.
Standard 2.1
Curriculum Area
United States History
Grade Level
11th
Content Standard 2: The student will analyze the expanding role of the United States in international affairs as
Key
Standards/Benchmark America was transformed into a world power in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, 1890 to 1920.
1. Cite specific textual and visual evidence to evaluate the impact of American imperialism on international
relations and explain its impact on developing nations.
A. Compare and contrast the economic, religious, social, and political rationales for American imperialism including
the concept of “white man’s burden,” the annexation of Hawaii, the impact of Admiral Alfred T. Mahan, and the
actions of the Anti-Imperialist League.
1. Why did America join the imperialism movement?
Essential
2. What was the purpose of imperialism?
Question/Rationale
3. How did imperialism benefit America?
America joins the imperialist movement.
Title of Lesson
Knowledge, comprehension, analyze
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Multiple Intelligences Linguistic intelligence, spatial intelligence, Interpersonal intelligence
Materials/Resources:
Essential Vocabulary:
Imperialism, Open Door Policy, annexation, Hawaii, Admiral Alfred T Mahan, white man's burden, developed nation,
developing nations, banana republic
Procedures
from Small Planet Communications, Inc.
http://www.smplanet.com/imperialism
"The Age of Imperialism" unit combines an engaging narrative with the broad resources
available to students on the Internet. You can use this chapter in place of a standard
textbook treatment of nineteenth-century American expansionism, or you can use it to
supplement your existing Social Studies materials. The following lesson plan helps you
establish and extend historical and instructional contexts and integrate the material into
your United States history curriculum.
"The Age of Imperialism" remains a work in progress. If you would like to contribute ideas
and suggestions, please contact us by e-mail at planet@smplanet.com.
Objectives
As a result of completing this unit, students will be able to...
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describe the foreign policy known as expansionism or imperialism, and explain what motivated the United
States to adopt this policy in the nineteenth century.
identify Alfred T. Mahan, Matthew C. Perry, Millard Fillmore, Queen Liliuokalani, Sanford B. Dole, Benjamin
Harrison, Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, William Randolph Hearst, Joseph Pulitzer, Theodore Roosevelt,
George Dewey, Emilio Aguinaldo, Tsu Hsi, John Hay, Ferdinand de Lesseps, William Howard Taft, and Adolfo
Diaz.
locate and describe the historical significance of Edo Bay, Nagasaki, Hawaiian Islands, Pearl Harbor, Cuba,
Havana, Philippine Islands, Manila Bay, San Juan hills, Kettle Hill, Santiago, Puerto Rico, Guam, China, Forbidden
City, Beijing, Panama, and Nicaragua.
describe Commodore Perry's objective in entering Edo Bay, the negotiations that took place between him and
the Japanese officials, and the result of these negotiations.
explain how Americans gradually increased their influence over Hawaii's economy and government in the
nineteenth century.
describe the circumstances surrounding the explosion of the battleship Maine and the American response to
that event.
describe the results of the Spanish-American War, including the ensuing war in the Philippines.
explain the "spheres of influence" that existed in nineteenth-century China, how they affected United States
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trade in China, and how John Hay's Open Door policy would have changed the economic situation there.
explain the causes and results of the Boxer Rebellion.
explain why a canal across the isthmus of Central America was strategically important to the United States.
describe Teddy Roosevelt's role in completing the Panama Canal.
define the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.
navigate the Internet to find relevant historical resources.
Setting the Context
Students will need to understand the following basic concepts as a context for their study of U.S. imperialism. They will
probably already have studied most or all of these concepts earlier in the school year. However, you may wish to review
the topics below before students begin exploring the on-line history.
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The Monroe Doctrine of 1823 defined United States foreign policy in the Americas for the rest of the
nineteenth century and beyond. It declared that the United States had an interest in the Western Hemisphere
and that European powers must not meddle in the affairs of any developing nations there. The United States
was a young nation in 1823 and did not really have the power to back up the Monroe Doctrine. However, the
policy was used to justify the sending of U.S. troops into Mexico in 1866 (to intimidate the French) and the
purchase of Alaska in 1867.
The idea of manifest destiny gained popularity in the 1830s and 1840s. (The term was coined in 1845 by
newspaper columnist John L. O'Sullivan.) As people began settling the western territories, wresting control of
the land from the original Native American inhabitants, many Americans came to believe that it was their
nation's "manifest destiny" to possess all of the North American continent. Later in the century, this idea easily
gave way to larger dreams of expanding America's influence around the world.
By the late nineteenth century, the growing industrial economy of the United States was producing many more
goods than the nation itself could consume. This overabundance of industrial goods led the United States to
look for new markets abroad.
European nations such as England, Spain, France, Russia, Portugal, Germany, and Belgium had already carved
up Africa and large parts of Asia into colonies and "spheres of influence" by the late 1800s. To remain
competitive, the United States reacted to European imperialism by looking for a way to secure its own
economic future through a policy of expansionism.
On-line History
Click here to go to the table of contents for The Age of Imperialism.
Enrichment Activities
Sensational Journalism
Screaming newspaper headlines about the situation in Cuba in the 1890s helped fan the flames of war by influencing
public opinion in the United States. Students have no doubt seen other headlines aimed at selling newspapers -- rather
than telling honest stories -- at newsstands and in supermarket checkout lines. Students could research some of the
headlines and stories published in the World and the Journal in the 1890s and compare these with the headlines found
in modern tabloid papers. How are they similar and/or different? Are any stories more or less harmful than others?
Students may discuss their findings in small groups or prepare reports to share with the whole class.
Social Darwinism: Reason or Rationalization?
Some Americans who supported the policy of expansionism justified their views with the theory of Social Darwinism.
Click on the link below to go to a critical thinking activity on this topic, which you may want to print out and distribute to
students.
Social Darwinism:
Reason or Rationalization?
The following activity asks you to evaluate the theory of Social Darwinism. Read the
activity and think carefully about the questions it asks. You may write down your answers
or discuss them with your classmates. See the bottom of this page for a chance to publish
your answers on the World Wide Web.
Although economic interests spurred the rush of expansion, other factors caused it as well. Many people, including Teddy
Roosevelt, believed in America's duty to "elevate uncivilized peoples." European powers claimed the same duty as they
colonized Africa and Asia. Others pointed to the theoretical work of Charles Darwin to justify the cause of imperialism.
As a young man, Charles Darwin joined a British scientific expedition aboard the H.M.S. Beagle. As the Beagle journeyed
around the world, Darwin collected specimens of plants and animals. He found fossils of extinct animals that resembled
living animals, and he noticed many variations within the same species. After returning from his voyage, Darwin spent
twenty years studying his specimens. In 1859 Darwin published On the Origin of the Species by the Means of Natural
Selection, a book that explained his new theory.
In his theory of natural selection, Darwin made the following observations:
1. The resources of an environment are limited. Creatures produce more offspring than can possibly survive.
Members of a species must compete for limited resources and for survival.
2. No two members of a species are exactly alike. Each organism contains an individual combination of inherited
traits. Some traits are useful for survival; other traits are not.
3. Organisms that have useful traits reproduce in greater numbers. Their offspring inherit the traits. Organisms
with unfavorable traits eventually die off. The fittest survive.
4. Nature selects different traits at different times. Varieties within a species gradually create a new species.
The publication of this theory started a sensational controversy. Many writers applied Darwin's theory to sociology. They
developed a controversial theory called Social Darwinism. Many people, from Karl Marx to Captain Mahan to Adolf Hitler,
employed Social Darwinism in their arguments. How can people with vastly different viewpoints use the same argument
to defend their views?
Read the following basic argument for Social Darwinism. Does it adhere to the principles of Darwin's theory? Why or why
not?
Within the human species, nations are locked in a struggle for survival. Everywhere, civilized nations are supplanting
barbarous nations. Advanced civilization, obviously, has inherited valuable traits from its ancestors. Underdeveloped
cultures, except in hostile climates, will soon die off. Therefore, natural order obligates powerful, civilized nations to
appropriate the limited resources of the weak.
Josiah Strong, an influential American clergyman, wrote the following argument for expansion in 1897. Is it logical? How
does it differ from the previous passage? Does it follow Darwin's line of reasoning?
The two great ideas of mankind are Christianity and civil liberty. The Anglo-Saxon civilization is the great representative
of these two great ideas. Add to this the fact of his rapidly increasing strength in modern times, and we have a
demonstration of his destiny.
There can be no doubt that North America is to be the great home of Anglo-Saxon power. It is not unlikely that before the
close of the next century, this race will outnumber all other civilized races of the earth. But the widening waves of
migration meet today on its Pacific coast. The unoccupied arable lands of the world are limited and will soon be taken.
The time is coming when the pressure of population will . . . force the final competition of races. The United States will
assert itself, having developed aggressive traits necessary to impress its institutions upon mankind. Can anyone doubt
that the result of this competition will be the survival of the fittest?
If you've written a short essay in response to the activity above, we'd love to publish it at this Web site! The
best way is to e-mail it to Small Planet, either by copying the essay into the body of the message or by
attaching a document. (We're using Macintosh computers, so that file format works best for us.) You can also
send it on a floppy disk via "snail mail" to:
Small Planet Communications
3 Riverside Dr.
Andover, MA 01810
Feel free to include links to related Web sites and one or two small images with your essay. The on-line
activity Create Your Own Web Page will show you how to format your file with HTML tags.
If you'd like other students to be able to respond to your work, include your e-mail address when you send in
your essay. We look forward to hearing from you!
Nation of Hawai'i
Interested students can research the recent movement for Hawaiian independence. They could start their research on
the Internet, at the Hawai'i: Independent & Sovereign Nation-State home page. After conducting their research,
students might form teams to debate whether Hawaiian independence in the 1990s is a good idea.
Unit Wrap-Up
At the close of the unit, you may wish to bring the whole class together for a wrap-up discussion. The following questions
can serve as a guide for the discussion.
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Do you think it's possible for a strong country to trade with a weaker country without controlling it? What are
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some benefits for the strong country if it does not use force to control the economies of its weaker trading
partners?
What responsibilities does the press have in terms of how it reports news stories? What are the short-term
benefits of exaggerating or fabricating stories to make exciting headlines? What might be some long-term
benefits of adhering to the truth?
Do you think there is any such thing as a "splendid little war"? What other wars might some people remember
as "splendid little" ones? (Students might mention the Persian Gulf War of 1990, which was over very quickly
and ended in an overwhelming victory for the United States.) Who might think these wars were not so
splendid? Who usually suffers most in a war? Who has to bear the long-term effects of a war?
Unit Test
from Small Planet Communications, Inc.
http://www.smplanet.com/imperialism/test.html
Section 1: Multiple Choice
(2 points each)
Circle the letter of the item that best completes each sentence.
1. Many Americans in the late 1800s believed the United States should expand its influence in the Pacific,
including
a. Matthew Perry.
b. Alfred Mahan.
c. Sanford Dole.
d. all of the above
2. Commodore Perry began his quest to open Japan to American trade by bringing a squadron of ships into
a. Tokyo Bay.
b. Manila Bay.
c. Edo Bay.
d. Pearl Harbor.
3. Queen Liliuokalani was granted the right to rule Hawaii by
a. the Constitution of 1887.
b. Sanford B. Dole.
c. the Provisional Government.
d. the Annexation Club.
4. The Spanish-American War was touched off by the explosion of the
a. H.M.S. Beagle.
b. U.S.S. Maine.
c. Spanish Armada.
d. U.S.S. Olympia.
5. The term yellow journalism refers to
a. the publication of the comic strip "The Yellow Kid."
b. the introduction of a new, yellow-tinted paper for newsprint.
c. printing sensational stories designed to sell newspapers.
d. a strict code of journalistic ethics that prevents stories from being exaggerated.
6. The battle of Manila Bay resulted in
a. the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine.
b. the opening of China to United States trade.
c. negotiations between Commodore Perry and the Japanese government.
d. the swift destruction of the Spanish fleet by American forces under Commodore Dewey.
7. The Rough Riders were
a. a traveling group of performers who put on a "wild West" show in the mid-1800s.
b. a regiment of volunteer soldiers under Leonard Wood who fought in the Spanish-American War.
c. a regiment of soldiers under Teddy Roosevelt who fought in the Philippines War.
d. none of the above
8. The war in the Philippines was a rebellion against American control led by
a. the "Boxers."
b. Ramon Blanco y Erenas.
c. Kayama Yezaimon.
d. Emilio Aguinaldo.
9. Spheres of influence were
a. areas of China in which certain European nations claimed exclusive trading rights.
b. brilliant glass globes used in Hawaiian religious ceremonies.
c. circular areas around American battleships within which their cannons could hit targets.
d. areas of the Philippine jungle controlled by Emilio Aguinaldo's troops.
10. The desire of the United States to join the Atlantic and Pacific oceans led to
a. the annexation of Nicaragua.
b. the creation of the Panama Canal.
c. the election of Teddy Roosevelt as president.
d. all of the above
Section 2: Short Answers
(5 points each)
Write a one- or two-sentence answer to each of the following questions.
1. What did President Fillmore request in his letter to the Japanese emperor, which was delivered by Commodore
Perry?
2. What role did Sanford B. Dole play in the downfall of the Hawaiian monarchy?
3. Who did the American press claim was responsible for the explosion of the U.S.S. Maine? Who really did it?
4. How did Teddy Roosevelt become a national hero during the Spanish-American War?
5. Why was the Spanish-American War called "a splendid little war"?
6. Why was the war in the Philippines less popular with the American people than the Spanish-American War had
been?
7.
8.
9.
10.
What were the Fists of Righteous Harmony, or "Boxers," rebelling against?
What was the point of John Hay's Open Door policy?
Why did Teddy Roosevelt think it was important to complete the Panama Canal?
Who was Cornelius Vanderbilt, and what did he attempt to do in Nicaragua?
Section 3: Essay Questions
(15 points each)
Select two of the following questions and write a short essay in response to each.
1. What were some of the methods by which the United States expanded its economic and political influence
around the world in the late 1800s and early 1900s? How did economic interests sometimes lead to military
action? Cite specific examples -- such as Japan, Hawaii, Cuba, the Philippines, China, Panama, and/or Nicaragua - in your answer.
2. Why did the American consul in Cuba, Fitzhugh Lee, ask to have a battleship sent to Havana harbor? What was
the Cubans' perception of the Maine 's presence? Do you think the United States had a right to station a
battleship in the harbor? How might the Spanish-American War have been avoided through better
communication and sensitivity on all sides?
3. What is the meaning of Teddy Roosevelt's motto "Speak softly, and carry a big stick" in regard to foreign policy?
How did he implement this policy during his presidency? What do you think of the policy? Is it effective? Is it
right?
4. Study the political cartoon Civilization Begins at Home (below). What is the cartoonist saying about American
foreign policy? What attitudes toward foreign nations does the cartoonist think are wrong? What aspects of
American history and society are criticized in the cartoon? Do you agree with the ideas expressed by the
cartoon?
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Lawrence, MA 01840
(978) 794-2201
planet@smplanet.com
Assessment
Differentiation
Notes
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