American imperialism is defined by the Spanish-American War. Expanding territory overseas, yellow journalism, and film make this era ideal for studying how war can shape American attitudes on issues. Building on prior knowledge on the start of the Spanish-American War, this inquiry takes it a step further by asking students to debate how the war shaped attitudes about imperialism.
Login to add Inquiry to Stack
About the inquiry
Compelling Question
How did the Spanish-American War shape American attitudes about imperialism?
Standards
C3 Framework: D2.His.16.9-12. Integrate evidence from multiple relevant historical sources and interpretations into a reasoned argument about the past.
Instructional Snapshot
Class begins with a discussion of students’ definitions of imperialism. The teacher may write the word “imperialism” in the center of the board and ask students to compile definitions/initial thoughts on a Post-It, then place them around the term. From there, the class collaborates by discussing student responses. To take it a step further, the class may create a class definition of imperialism to use and refer back to throughout the inquiry lesson.
Next, students deliberate by sorting excerpts on imperialism onto a T-chart comparing imperialist and anti-imperialist arguments that arose from the Spanish-American War. Teachers should give students the student-facing cards to sort, then reveal the authors of the quotes only after they have been sorted. The class definition of imperialism may be written at the top of the T-chart or at the front of the room.
Finally, students select one of the claims that answers the compelling question, supporting the claim with two pieces of evidence from the T-chart, then add their own reasoning.
Formative Tasks
COLLABORATE: Create a class definition of imperialism.
DELIBERATE: Sort excerpts onto a T-chart of “Pro-Imperialist” and “Anti-Imperialist”.
PRODUCE: Select a claim that answers the compelling question and craft a “CER” response.
Sources
Source Set: Quotes on Imperialism, Library of Congress
Summative Performance Task
No data found.
Taking Informed Action
No data found.