A World Power – Grade 10
Ohio Standards
Connection:
History
Benchmark C
Analyze the reasons that
countries gained control of
territory through
imperialism and the impact
on people living in the
territory that was
controlled.
Indicator 5
Trace the development of
the United States as a
world power with emphasis
on:
a. The Spanish-American
War;
b. U.S. imperialism in
the Far East, South
Pacific, Caribbean and
Central America
Social Studies Skills and
Methods
Benchmark B
Use data and evidence to
support or refute a thesis.
Indicator 3
Analyze one or more issues
and present a persuasive
argument to defend a
position.
Lesson Summary:
Students will use President McKinley’s 1898 war message,
the Teller Amendment and the Platt Amendment to assess
one aspect of American foreign policy at the turn of the
century. They will examine reasons the United States
declared war on Spain in 1898, and if the intentions
expressed in the war message regarding Cuba were carried
out. Students will reflect on how the actions of the United
States pertaining to Cuba are related to imperialism.
Estimated Duration: One hour and 40 minutes
Commentary:
An educator who used this lesson said, “I like the use of
primary sources especially in a highly constructed way.” A
reviewer also commented that this lesson can be difficult,
and may require some extra time or explanation.
Pre-Assessment:
 Have students copy and compose an answer for each of the
following questions on a sheet of notebook paper:
1. When discussing foreign affairs, what is the meaning
of “imperialism?”
2. The United States is said to have become an imperial
power as a result of what war?
3. Identify one geographic area that became a U.S.
possession between 1890 and 1910.
 Allow five to 10 minutes for students to work.
 After the allotted time, collect the student papers.
 Debrief responses by asking to students to volunteer their
answers. Record student definitions of “imperialism” as
brainstorming notes and retain for possible later review.
Scoring Guidelines:
Check student answers with Attachment A, Pre-Assessment
Answer Key. Based on oral responses when reviewing the preassessment and the quality of the written responses, determine
if additional work is needed to reinforce the key elements
pertaining to the definition of “imperialism.” If necessary,
highlight key words and phrases from student responses while
constructing a definition of “imperialism.” Answers to
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A World Power – Grade 10
questions two and three will indicate if students are familiar with the Spanish-American War
and United States’ acquisitions during the specified period.
Post Assessment:
Have students individually complete the Attachment B, Post-Assessment, writing assignment
as a take-home activity.
Scoring Guidelines:
See Attachment C for an exemplar response and Attachment D for the extended scoring
guidelines.
Instructional Procedures:
Day One
1. NOTE: Have students read the relevant section(s) of the textbook before beginning
lesson instruction.
2. Remind students of the conclusions from the debriefing of the pre-assessment activity. If
student responses did not capture the complete definition of “imperialism”, highlight
applicable words and phrases from the record of the volunteered student responses while
constructing the definition of “imperialism.”
3. Form groups of four to five students. Ask each group (based on the textbook readings) to
outline what conditions in Cuba prompted the push in the United States to go to war with
Spain in 1898. Allow two to three minutes for group discussion.
4. Have each group report one finding to the entire class. Have one student from each group
record the group’s finding on the chalkboard.
5. Distribute copies of excerpts from President McKinley’s war message. Allow five to 10
minutes for students to read the message. Answer student questions about the meaning of
any portions of the speech.
6. Ask each group to determine if its finding on the conditions in Cuba that prompted the
United States to go to war with Spain is reflected in McKinley’s war message and, if so,
to find a passage that will support its finding. Allow three to five minutes for this activity.
7. Have each group report the results of its discussion. If a group cites a relevant passage in
the text of the speech, put a check mark next to that group’s finding on the chalkboard.
8. Return students to their regular seats. Allow time for any questions about the day’s
lesson. Distribute copies of the Teller Amendment (to the war resolution) and Platt
Amendment (to the Army Appropriations Bill of 1901) and have students read the
amendments as homework.
Day Two
9. Answer student questions pertaining to the meaning of sections of the Teller and Platt
Amendments.
10. Using whole-class discussion, pose each of the following questions:
a. Which amendment most closely aligns with the war intentions expressed by President
McKinley? (Teller)
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A World Power – Grade 10
b. How do we conclude this? Can you cite relevant sections of McKinley’s speech and
the amendment? (Reference the two paragraphs beginning “Nor from the standpoint
of expediency . . .” in McKinley’s speech and the fourth resolution from the Teller
amendment. Discuss the corresponding language.)
c. How did the Platt Amendment generally change the policy toward Cuba contained in
the Teller Amendment? (Specific changes may be noted. The general change is one in
which the United States was able to direct certain Cuban affairs.)
d. How do we conclude this? Can you cite relevant sections of the two amendments?
(Reference the fourth resolution from the Teller Amendment and the entire text of the
Platt Amendment. Note the difference between “leave the government and control of
the Island to its people” and the stipulations directed by the United States that were to
be required in a Cuban constitution and by treaty.)
e. Did this sequence of events make the United States an imperialist power? Cite
support for your conclusion based on the documents studied. (Some students might
argue that imperialism toward Cuba began with the Platt Amendment based on the
sequence of questions in this lesson. Some students might argue it began with the
Teller Amendment or McKinley’s War Message as they called for U.S. intervention
in a foreign territory. Other students might argue that none of these documents
support the idea that the United States was an imperialist nation as all of the
documents address eventual Cuban independence. Any discussion should reference
the definition of “imperialism” from the pre-assessment as a criterion for establishing
the validity of the stated conclusion. Note in particular the portion of the definition
referring to “the policy or practice of extending the power, influence or control of one
country over another geographic area; especially . . . by gaining control over the
political and/or economic activities of another geographic area.” Conclusions
consistent with the definition should be stressed. Conclusions inconsistent with the
definition should be noted as such.)
Allow students adequate time to work in pairs and create responses after each question is
given. Solicit student responses before proceeding to the next question in the series. Be
ready to engage students in dialogue if their responses indicate any misunderstandings or
areas needing clarification.
11. Conclude the lesson by answering any questions the students may have about Cuba and
U.S. imperialism.
Differentiated Instructional Support:
Instruction is differentiated according to learner needs, to help all learners either meet the
intent of the specified indicator(s) or, if the indicator is already met, to advance beyond the
specified indicator(s).
 Allow students to use oral reading or small group reading with the relevant section of
their textbook prior to beginning lesson instruction.
 Have students complete a graphic organizer to categorize information in textbook
readings.
 Provide students with a variety of materials and resources about American imperialism
including Internet sites, pictures and videos.
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A World Power – Grade 10



Challenge students to research a comparison between the Spanish-American War and the
2003 Iraq War.
Encourage students to keep lists of definitions for unfamiliar or challenging words.
Allow students to use marker pens or other tools when analyzing copies of primary
source documents. Model how to highlight important and relevant terms or phrases.
Extensions:
 Have students find modern examples where the United States is accused of being an
imperialist power. Have them use the definition of imperialism from the lesson to
evaluate the merits of the accusations.
 Discuss current political cartoons about American imperialism found in Internet
resources. Have students determine if the cartoons reflect the definition for imperialism
used in the lesson.
Homework Options and Home Connections:
Instruct students to watch the evening national news or a news channel to see if the news
stories mention places where the U.S. is involved (militarily or diplomatically) around the
world.
Interdisciplinary Connections:
English Language Arts
 Reading Applications: Informational, Technical and Persuasive Text
Benchmark D: Explain and analyze how an author appeals to an audience and
develops an argument or viewpoint in text.
Indicator 5: Analyze an author’s implicit and explicit argument, perspective or
viewpoint in text.
Materials and Resources:
The inclusion of a specific resource in any lesson formulated by the Ohio Department of
Education should not be interpreted as an endorsement of that particular resource, or any of
its contents, by the Ohio Department of Education. The Ohio Department of Education does
not endorse any particular resource. The Web addresses listed are for a given site’s main
page, therefore, it may be necessary to search within that site to find the specific information
required for a given lesson. Please note that information published on the Internet changes
over time, therefore the links provided may no longer contain the specific information related
to a given lesson. Teachers are advised to preview all sites before using them with students.
For the teacher: Copies of documents for distribution to students, chalkboard.
For the students: Writing materials and document handouts.
Vocabulary:
 protectorate
 imperialism
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A World Power – Grade 10



territory
colony
amendment
Technology Connections:
Use an Internet search engine to locate McKinley’s War Message, the Teller Amendment and
the Platt Amendment.
Research Connections:
Marzano, R. et al. Classroom Instruction that Works: Research-Based Strategies for
Increasing Student Achievement, Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development, 2001.
Identifying similarities and differences enhance students’ understanding of and ability
to use knowledge. This process includes asking students to independently identify
similarities and differences.
General Tips:
 McKinley’s War Message is lengthy. To reduce the reading load for students, prepare an
edited version, making sure to preserve all of the reasons McKinley outlined for going to
war and the stated intentions toward Cuba (e.g., the first six paragraphs, the two
paragraphs beginning with the statement, “Nor from the standpoint of expediency . . .”
and the remainder of the speech after the statement: “The grounds for such intervention
may be briefly summarized as follows: . . .”).
 If students find major discrepancies between the information in the textbook and the
statements in McKinley’s speech pertaining to the reasons for the Spanish-American
War, there will be an opportunity to address Social Studies Skills and Methods,
Benchmark A, Grade 10, Indicator 1 which deals with checking credibility by examining
the accuracy and consistency of sources.
Attachments:
Attachment A, Pre-Assessment Answer Key
Attachment B, Post-Assessment
Attachment C, Post-Assessment Exemplar Response
Attachment D, Post-Assessment Scoring Guide
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A World Power – Grade 10
Attachment A
Pre-Assessment Answer Key
1. When discussing foreign affairs, what is the meaning of “imperialism?”
“Imperialism” refers to the policy or practice of extending the power, influence or
control of one country over another geographic area; especially by acquiring territory
(e.g., colony, protectorate) or by gaining control over the political and/or economic
activities of another geographic area (e.g., sphere of influence, “most favored nation”
treaties).
2. The United States is said to have become an imperial power as a result of what war?
The Spanish-American War
3. Identify one geographic area that became a U.S. possession between 1890 and 1910.
Possible answers include: Guam, Hawaii (Hawaiian Islands), Panama Canal Zone,
Philippine Islands, Puerto Rico (Commonwealth of Puerto Rico), Samoa (American
Samoa), Wake Island(s).
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A World Power – Grade 10
Attachment B
Post-Assessment
Directions:
Using the documents studied in class, consider the events associated with the SpanishAmerican War and prepare an essay which addresses the following questions:





What were the issues pertaining to Cuba which led the United States to declare war
on Spain in 1898?
As outlined in McKinley’s war message, what were the intentions of the United
States toward Cuba?
How were these intentions affected by the Teller and Platt Amendments?
Did the United States begin pursuing an imperialist policy in this sequence of
developments? If so, at what point in the sequence?
What documentary evidence supports this conclusion?
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A World Power – Grade 10
Attachment C
Post-Assessment Exemplar Response
There were several issues related to Cuba in 1898 that prompted the United States to declare
war on Spain. President McKinley stated four issues in his war message to Congress. These
were:
 To put an end to the bloodshed on the island;
 To protect U.S. citizens in Cuba and compensate them for their losses;
 To prevent the interruptions to U.S. commerce in Cuba and end the destruction of
U.S. property on the island;
 To restore peaceful relations with Cuba.
President McKinley did not call for Cuba to immediately become independent. He asked
Congress to allow him to end the fighting in Cuba and to help establish a stable government.
He asked to use the military to accomplish these ends. He also asked for distribution of food
to the people of the island.
The Teller Amendment to the war resolution clarified the president’s intentions. It stated
Cuba should be independent and that Spain should withdraw from the island. President
McKinley was authorized to use military force for these purposes. The resolution stated that
the United States would not have any control in Cuba except to end the fighting.
The Platt Amendment of 1901 significantly altered the intentions of the United States toward
Cuba. It contained a series of conditions allowing the United States to direct Cuban affairs
and required the Cuban government to include these conditions as part of its constitution and
as a treaty with the United States.
With the adoption of the Platt Amendment, the United States began pursuing an imperialist
policy toward Cuba. The Platt Amendment specified certain provisions Cuba could not put
into treaties, stated how Cuba had to arrange its debt and required that Cuba allow for U.S.
intervention. Because Cuba was forced to adopt these provisions in its constitution, the
United States was exercising “control over the political and/or economic activities of another
geographic area” and that is imperialism.
NOTE: as referenced in the lesson, students may draw other conclusions. These can be
accepted as part of this writing assignment if the arguments are consistent with the definition
of “imperialism” and consistent with and supported by evidence from the documents used as
part of the lesson.
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A World Power – Grade 10
Attachment D
Post-Assessment Scoring Guide


There are 15 elements as part of an adequate response to this writing assignment. The
elements are:
o At least two issues pertaining to Cuba are accurately AND thoroughly
described. (4)
o At least two intentions in McKinley’s message are accurately AND
thoroughly described. (4)
o One assertion about the Teller Amendment is accurately stated AND
supported. (2)
o One assertion about the Platt Amendment is accurately stated AND supported.
(2)
o One assertion about imperialist policy is consistent with the documentary
evidence. (1)
o At least two pieces of relevant evidence are used to support the assertion
about imperialist policy. (2)
Each element can be scored for one point.
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