Imperialism & The First World War
Essential Questions
- How and why did the United States take a more active role in world affairs?
- What were the causes and effects of the Spanish-American War?
- How did the United States extend its influence in Asia?
- What actions did the United States take to achieve its goals in Latin America?
- What caused World War I, and why did the US enter the war?
- How did the war affect Americans at home?
- How did Americans affect the end of World War I and its peace settlements?
- What political, economic, and social effects did World War I have on the US?
Learning Objectives
You will learn:
- How the desire for new trade markets by industrialized countries like Great Britain, Germany, Russia, Japan and the United States impacted the distribution of global power and authority at the onset of the 20th Century
- How economic and political aims led to United States involvement in the Spanish American War
- How and to what extent the outcome of the Spanish-American War made the United States an imperial power
- How and why the United States gained territory and influence in the Pacific leading up to and as a result of the Spanish American War
- How the results of the Spanish American War and the global imperial presence of the United States impacted American commerce and industry
- How American imperialists and anti-imperialists supported each of their stances on the United States becoming a world power
- How the leaders and citizens of other nations reacted to the expansion of United States power and influence within their countries and others
- How and to what extent economic and political interests in Latin America and the Caribbean guided the foreign policies of American presidents
- How and why the United States sought to maintain an ‘Open Door’ policy in regards to China and the implications of that policy on American economic and foreign policy
- How and why various Americans used religion, race and national honor to both defend and object to United States imperialism
- How and why American foreign policy shifted from neutrality to interventionism at the beginning of World War I
- How and why the United States joined with the Allied Powers to end World War I
- How and to what extent American involvement in World War I affected United States foreign policy and helped make the “world safe for democracy”
- How the United States government used propaganda to appeal to American patriotism and sell the nation’s war efforts
- How, why and to what extent Americans mobilized and economically sacrificed on behalf of allied and national efforts in world wars
- How and why a “Great Migration” of African Americans to northern cities occurred and how that migration culturally impacted African Americans and the nation.
- How and why United States involvement in wars and the contributions of women during times of war impacted the perceptions and roles of women in American society
- How, why and to what extent United States participation in wars restricted the civil liberties of various groups of Americans
- How and why labor unrest and strikes occurred during and after United States involvement in World War I and how labor activity impacted the economy and society
- How, why and to what extent Americans feared the spread of communism and how that fear impacted American culture in a “Red Scare” after World War I
- How and why American foreign policy shifted to isolationism after World War I
Key Terms
Assignments and Readings
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Imperialism Reading Packet
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Visit Beautiful ...
visit_beautiful.pdf |
Slideshows
Videos
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Digital History Textbook
United States Becomes a World Power
This chapter examines the reasons why the United States adopted a more aggressive foreign policy at the end of the 19th century; the causes, military history, and consequences of the Spanish American War; and early 20th century U.S. involvement in China, the Caribbean, and Latin America.
"A Man, A Plan, A Canal, Panama"
The United States Becomes a World Power
The Annexation of Hawaii
The Spanish American War
The Philippines
Policing the Caribbean and Central America
Intervention in Haiti
America at War: World War I
This chapter examines the war’s causes, the reasons why the United States intervened in the conflict, how American industry was mobilized for war, wartime propaganda and political repression, and the social changes and unrest produced by the war.
Sgt. York
World War I
The Road to War
The Guns of August
The Lusitania
The United States Enters the War:
Over There: American Doughboys Go to War
Over Here: World War I on the Home Front
The Espionage and Sedition Acts
This chapter examines the reasons why the United States adopted a more aggressive foreign policy at the end of the 19th century; the causes, military history, and consequences of the Spanish American War; and early 20th century U.S. involvement in China, the Caribbean, and Latin America.
"A Man, A Plan, A Canal, Panama"
The United States Becomes a World Power
The Annexation of Hawaii
The Spanish American War
The Philippines
Policing the Caribbean and Central America
Intervention in Haiti
America at War: World War I
This chapter examines the war’s causes, the reasons why the United States intervened in the conflict, how American industry was mobilized for war, wartime propaganda and political repression, and the social changes and unrest produced by the war.
Sgt. York
World War I
The Road to War
The Guns of August
The Lusitania
The United States Enters the War:
Over There: American Doughboys Go to War
Over Here: World War I on the Home Front
The Espionage and Sedition Acts