Lesson by Nate McAlister
Essay by Robert W. Cherny, San Francisco State University
Grade Level: 7–12
Number of Class Periods: 2
Primary Era: The Rise of Industrial America, 1877–1900
About This Lesson Plan Unit
In the two lessons in this unit the students will analyze and assess political cartoons, newspaper and magazine articles, opinion pieces, government documents, speeches, and a diary entry from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The objective is to have students recognize the contrasting views of the pro- and anti-imperialist arguments and analyze key elements of primary sources surrounding the debate over US imperialism. Using these key elements students will examine, evaluate, and discuss the meaning and message of each document to determine if it is a pro- or anti-imperialist document. As an assessment, students will use phrases from the documents in the first lesson to create “found” speeches that express both sides of the debates over US imperialism at the turn of the twentieth century.
Lesson Plan Authors: Nate McAlister
Historical Background Essay by: Robert W. Cherny, San Francisco State University
Additional Information About This Unit
Common Core State Standards
Common Core State Standards
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.1.D: Review the key ideas expressed and demonstrate understanding of multiple perspectives through reflection and paraphrasing.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.2: Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.2: Analyze the purpose of information in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.3: Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and relevance and sufficiency of the evidence and identifying when irrelevant evidence is introduced.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2.B: Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
Essential Question
Essential Question
What did the United States gain and lose as a result of imperialism?
Documents
Documents
Marshall Everett, “Ten Thousand Miles from Tip to Tip,” 1899.
“We Must Finish the Nicaragua Canal,” Judge, June 18, 1898.
“The Trouble in Cuba,” Judge, August 10, 1895.
“His 128th Birthday,” Puck, June 29, 1904.
Adlai E. Stevenson, “Imperialism Is the Spirit of Empire,” July 15, 1900.
Benjamin F. Shively, “Liberty Is Safe Only Where Power Is Curbed,” July 15, 1900.
Our Victorious Fleets in Cuban Waters, Currier & Ives, New York, 1898.