Annotated Resource Set (ARS)
Title / Content Area:
Spanish American War
Developed by:
LaTonya Amboree, Secondary Social Studies Helping Teacher, Fort Bend
Independent School District (TX)
Grade Level:
10th grade World History
Essential Question:
What were the underlying causes of the Spanish-American War?
Contextual Paragraph:
On April 25, 1898 the United States declared war on Spain following the sinking of the
Battleship Maine in Havana harbor on February 15, 1898. The war ended with the
signing of the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898. As a result Spain lost its control
over the remains of its overseas empire: Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines Islands,
Guam, and other islands. But, was the sinking of the USS Maine the only cause, or
was that event just the straw that broke the camel’s back?
Key Events Surrounding the Spanish-American War

1500—Spanish Colonize Cuba

July, 1845—Journalist John O'Sullivan coins the term “Manifest Destiny”

1846–1848—Mexican-American War

1861–1865—U.S. Civil War

1868–1878—Cuban War for Independence

1884–1885—Berlin Conference: Africa divided into colonies by Europe

1890- Mahan book advocates U.S. taking Caribbean as colonies

1893—Frederick Jackson Turner’s “Frontier Thesis”

April 1898—U.S. declares war on Spain

1898—Spanish-American War ended with the Treaty of Paris
Teaching with Primary Sources - Annotated Resource Set
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Resource Set
Former Slaves in Puerto
Rico,
Teller Amendment
Imperialism Political
Cartoon
Theodore Roosevelt’s
Rough Riders
The Mambises
The USS Maine
Leaders of the Puerto
Rican abolitionist
movement, including
José Julián Acosta,
Francisco Mariano
Quiñones, Julio L. de
Vizcarrondo, Ramón
Emeterio Betances and
Segundo Ruiz Belvis,
waged a long struggle to
end slavery on the
island.
In April 1898, Senator
Henry M. Teller
proposed an
amendment to the U.S.
declaration of war
against Spain that
proclaimed that the
United States would not
establish permanent
control over Cuba.
Puck magazine
published the following
cartoon depicting
Cuba's difficult situation
in the 1890s.
The "Rough Riders"
were the most famous
unit to fight in the
Spanish-American War
and was the name given
to the First U.S.
Volunteer Cavalry under
the leadership of
Theodore Roosevelt.
The Mambises were
Cuban guerilla war
fighters who urged the
slaves to revolt and
whose tactics led the
Spanish to adopt
inhumane
reconcentration policies
in Cuba.
The blowing up of the
battleship USS Maine in
Havana was a critical
event on the road to the
Spanish-American War.
http://www.loc.gov/rr/
hispanic/1898/slaves.ht
ml
http://www.loc.gov/rr/
hispanic/1898/teller.ht
ml
http://theomahaproject
.org/module_display.ph
p?mod_id=93&review=y
es
http://www.loc.gov/rr/
hispanic/1898/roughrid
ers.html
http://www.latinameric
anstudies.org/mambises
.htm
http://www.loc.gov/rr/
hispanic/1898/intro.htm
l
Teaching with Primary Sources - Annotated Resource Set
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Political Cartoon:
Spanish Politeness
Political Cartoon:
Hooray for the Fourth of
July
Song: Awake United
States
Newspaper: The San
Francisco Call
Monroe Doctrine (1823)
Spanish Cruelty
The Spanish-American
War is considered the
world’s first media war.
Before the SpanishAmerican War began,
drawings depicting
Spain as evil, Cuba as
innocent, and President
McKinley as a coward,
helped rally sympathy
for the Cuban people
and fuel a pro-war
feeling in America.
The Spanish-American
War is considered the
world’s first media war.
Before the SpanishAmerican War began,
drawings depicting
Spain as evil, Cuba as
innocent, and President
McKinley as a coward,
helped rally sympathy
for the Cuban people
and fuel a pro-war
feeling in America.
This song was rushed
into print between the
sinking of the Maine on
February 16, 1898 and
the declaration of war
on April 25, 1898.
Newspaper from 1898
after the sinking of the
USS Maine.
The Monroe Doctrine
signified a departure
from the U.S. policy of
isolationism. The
principles he laid out in
the speech would
influence policy
decisions thereafter.
Picture of Spanish
colonial cruelty in Cuba
from a book by Gonzalo
de Quesada in 1896
called The War in Cuba.
Such books aroused
American opinion
against Spain.
http://www.pbs.org/cru
cible/cartoons.html
http://www.pbs.org/cru
cible/cartoons.html
http://library.duke.edu/
digitalcollections/hasm_
a8934/
http://chroniclingameric
a.loc.gov/lccn/sn850663
87/1898-04-05/ed1/seq-1/
http://memory.loc.gov/
cgibin/ampage?collId=llac
&fileName=041/llac041.
db&recNum=4
http://spanishamerican
war.info/causes.htm
Teaching with Primary Sources - Annotated Resource Set
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Foundations Annotations
Curriculum Connections
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for World History
1E: Identify major causes and describe the major effects of the following important turning points in world history from 1750 to 1914: the Scientific Revolution,
the Industrial Revolution and its impact on the development of modern economic systems, European imperialism, and the Enlightenment’s impact on political
revolutions.
Curriculum Standards
ELA writing standards
Content & Thinking Objectives
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for World History
29B: explain how historians, when examining sources, analyze frame of reference, historical context, and point of view to interpret historical events;
29C: Explain the difference between primary and secondary sources and examine those sources to analyze frame of reference, historical context, and point of
view.
29F: Analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing,
making generalizations and predictions, drawing inferences and conclusions, and developing connections between historical events over time.
29G: construct a thesis on a social studies issue or event supported by evidence
Inquiry Activities & Strategies
Have a set of documents on each table, and have students examine the documents in small groups. Then, have the small groups use the documents to
brainstorm a list of causes of the Spanish-American War. Give students the opportunity to conduct further research on classroom computers, mobile library, or
smart phones, and then have them rank the causes in order of significance. Based on their rankings, have students perform a RAFT of their choice showing how
their cause was instrumental in starting the Spanish-American War.
Assessment Strategies
RAFT Rubric
4
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2
1
4
Accuracy
Information, details in RAFT
always accurate. Properly
reflects information, ideas,
and themes related to the
subject.
Provides accurate information
in RAFT but could use more
support.
Provides information in RAFT
that has some inaccuracies or
omissions.
Provides information in RAFT
that is incomplete and/or
inaccurate.
Perspective
RAFT maintains clear,
consistent point of view, tone,
and ideas relevant to role
played; ideas and information
always tied to role and
audience.
Explains how character would
feel about the event(s).
Shows little insight into how
character would feel or act
during the event(s).
Does not accurately develop
characters, thoughts or
reactions to the event(s).
Focus
RAFT stays on topic, never
drifts from required form or
type; details and information
are included that are pertinent
only to developed purpose.
Spends most of the RAFT
discussing issues on topic, but
occasionally strays from the
focus.
Spends some time discussing
issues off topic.
Spends most of RAFT on issues
that do not directly deal with
the RAFT chosen.
Class Time
Uses class time appropriately
to research the era and create
well-written stories.
Seldom needs to be reminded
to get back on task.
Uses library and computer
time to do work for other
classes and/or chat with
friends or lounge on couches.
Treats research time as an
open period to be seen
chatting with friends and
hanging out on the couches.
Mechanics
Essay contains few to no
fragments, run-on sentences;
rare errors or mechanical
mistakes; writing is fluent.
Essay contains some
fragments, run-ons or other
errors; occasional mistakes;
writing is generally clear.
Essay contains several
sentence errors and
mechanical mistakes that may
interfere with ideas and clarity
of ideas in writing.
Essay contains mechanical
mistakes; is marred by
numerous errors.
A+ (20)
A (19)
A- (18)
B+ (17)
B (16)
B- (15)
C+ (14)
C (13)
D (12)
F (11 and below)
Other Resources
Web Resources
Teaching with Primary Sources - Annotated Resource Set
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Library of Congress: Spanish American War in Motion Pictures http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/sawhtml/sawhome.html
Spanish American War History Resources http://www.historesearch.com/spainamwarmil.html
Secondary Sources
Boorstin, Daniel J. and Brooks Mather Kelley. A History of the United States. Needham, Massachusetts: Pearson, Prentice Hall, 2005. Chapter 19: The United
States and the World. Section 3: War with Spain Pages: 510–517 (up to “A new status for Puerto Rico”)
Appleby, Joyce, Alan Brinkley, Albert S. Broussard, James M. McPherson, and Donald A. Ritchie. The American Vision. New York, NY: Glencoe, McGraw-Hill,
2003. Chapter 17: Becoming a World Power; Section 2: The Spanish-American War; Pages: 527–531.
Danzer, Gerald, J. Jorge Klor de Alva, Larry S. Krieger, Louis E. Wilson, and Nancy Woloch. The Americans: Reconstruction to the 21st Century (California Edition).
McDougal Littell, 2006.Chapter 10: America Claims an Empire; Section 2: The Spanish-American War; Pages: 346–351
Ayers, Edward L. and Robert D. Schulzinger, Jesus F. de la Teja, and Deborah Gray White. American Anthem: Modern American History (California Ediion).
Orlando: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2007.Chapter 7: Entering the World Stage; Sections 1 & 2; Pages 200–201 and 206–212.
Print and Other Media Resources
The Crucible Empire (PBS Film) http://www.pbs.org/crucible/
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