Name: __________________________
Date: ________________
Section: 11.1
11.2
11.3
(circle one)
U.S. History II
The Spanish-American War
Do Now
Use last night’s homework, if necessary, to answer the following questions. (Phrases,
sentence fragments, or bullet-pointed lists are fine – but you must use your own words!)
1. After the sinking of the Maine, what events led to the US declaring war on Spain?
2. What was the Teller Amendment? What was its purpose?
3. What happened in the Philippines? How did it affect the war in Cuba?
4. What role did African Americans play in the war?
5. How did the war end? What were its lasting effects?
Exit Ticket
Write down your thesis statement for the essay here. Remember that a good thesis
statement:
 Addresses the prompt
 Presents a defensible argument, not just a fact
 Previews your specific claims
 Uses strong, clear, specific language
8
Awesome
7
Solid
6
Getting there
5
Needs serious
work
4
Missed the point
completely
If you have extra space, you may draw a picture of the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine.
Name: __________________________
Date: ________________
Section: 11.1
11.2
11.3
(circle one)
U.S. History II
Spanish-American War Essay Assignment
In the next two days, you will write an essay on the question:
What caused the Spanish-American War?
Your essay must satisfy the following requirements:
□ At least five paragraphs, including an introduction and conclusion
□ Cites sources with footnotes in Chicago style
□ Cites sufficient evidence to back up all major claims (see rubric for more
details)
□ Typed neatly in a 12-point, professional font (good choices: Garamond,
Georgia, Cambria, Times New Roman; horrible choice: Comic Sans)
This essay is due on Monday, November 10. You have today and tomorrow to work
on it in class.
By the end of class today, you should have done the following:
□ Drafted a thesis statement and shared it with me on your exit ticket
□ Created a document on Google Drive, named it in the format “Last Name –
Section – Spanish-American War Essay” (e.g., “Lam – 11.3 – SpanishAmerican War Essay”), and shared it with your teacher (elam@ccscfiles.org
or cstarling@ccscfiles.org).
□ Outlined your essay (on Google Drive or on paper – whatever works for you).
You might want to do this before you write the thesis.
For this essay, you’ll want to have access to the following sources. All are available
online.
 In your coursepack:
o The Expansion of American Power (pp. 2-3)
o The Spanish-American War, Part 1 (pp. 4-7)
o Remember the Maine! (pp. 8-10)
o The Spanish-American War, Part 2 (pp. 11-13)
o Primary Sources: The Debate over Imperialism (pp. 37-43)
o Primary Sources: The Sinking of the U.S.S. Maine (pp. 44-45)
o Primary Source: The Teller Amendment (p. 46)
o Primary Source: The De Lome Letter (pp. 47-48)
 Readings on the causes of the Spanish-American War (handed out in class on
Monday 11/3 or Tuesday 11/4)
Name: __________________________
Date: ________________
Section: 11.1
11.2
11.3
(circle one)
8
Thesis
Argument
Analysis
Evidence
Context
Organization
and Style
7
6
5
4
Thesis is original,
defensible, encompasses
the full breadth of claims,
and is written
precisely/concisely
Argument completely
answers prompt
Clear topic sentences
provide support for thesis
Content reveals insightful
and sophisticated depth of
understanding of the topic
Thesis is defensible,
encompasses the full
breadth of claims, and is
written clearly
Thesis is defensible and
addresses the prompt
There is a relevant
statement that addresses
the prompt
No thesis
Argument completely
answers the prompt
Clear topic sentences
provide support for thesis
Overall, ideas/content
reveal strong depth of
understanding of the topic
Argument somewhat
answers the prompt
Topic sentences are mostly
clear and support thesis
Most ideas/content reveal
understanding of the topic
Argument does not answer
the prompt
Topic sentences do not
state the argument clearly
Some ideas/content reveal
understanding of the topic
No argument
All evidence is thoroughly
analyzed and connected to
argument
Best possible evidence has
been selected
Sufficient, precise, less
obvious evidence
Evidence is clearly cited
Cites required number of
sources
All paragraphs include
enough background
information about content
and sources to orient
reader
Sequence of ideas, claims,
and evidence logically
advance the argument
Seamless transitions
Language is concise and
precise
Few/no conventions errors
Most evidence is analyzed
and connected to
argument
Mostly the best possible
evidence has been selected
Paragraphs have sufficient
precise evidence
Evidence is clearly cited
Cites required number of
sources
Most paragraphs include
most important
background information
Some evidence is
adequately analyzed and
connected to argument
Some of the best evidence
has been selected
Paragraphs have some
precise evidence
Some evidence is cited
Cites near to the required
number of sources
Paragraphs attempt to
include some important
background information
Evidence is inadequately
analyzed and connected to
argument
Little of the best evidence
has been selected
Paragraphs have little
specific evidence
Evidence is not cited
Does not cite required
number of sources
Paragraphs include little
background information
No analysis
The sequence of ideas is
mostly logical
There are some obvious
transitions used
Language is mostly concise
and precise
Few conventions errors
The sequence of ideas is
sometimes logical
Some transitions are
absent or not logical
Language is mostly clear
Some conventions errors
The sequence of ideas is
not logical
No transitions or illogical
transitions
Some language is unclear
Many conventions errors
Writing is
incomprehensible
No evidence
No context