Overview:   Was American expansion and involvement overseas justified?

In this unit, students will explore the beginnings of U.S. imperialistic pushes in the late 19th century, with a focus on the Spanish-American War.1 They will then explore the motivations behind America's increasing involvement in international affairs, leading to World War I. The unit will examine the factors that led the United States to enter the conflict and the war's impact on American society.

Students will evaluate and analyze various aspects of the war, including modern warfare, homefront challenges, and the United States' role in formulating the Treaty of Versailles. Key themes such as isolationism, imperialism, foreign policy, neutrality, and alliances will be explored to provide a comprehensive understanding of America's evolving global influence.

Students will analyze the factors and motivations that led the United States to participate in World War I, including national interests, economic ties, and diplomatic relations. They will also examine the concepts of isolationism and imperialism and their impact on shaping American foreign policy. The unit will enable students to grasp the complexities of America's expanding global influence and how it has shaped the nation's role in international relations to the present day.

The highlighted evidence outcomes are the priority for all students, serving as the essential concepts and skills. It is recommended that the remaining evidence outcomes listed be addressed as time allows, representing the full breadth of the curriculum.

Students Can (Evidence Outcomes):

• Gather and analyze historical information to address questions from a range of primary and secondary sources containing a variety of perspectives. For example: Perspectives of historically underrepresented groups. (1.1.b)

• Gather and analyze historical information from a range of qualitative and quantitative sources. For example: Demographic, economic, social, and political data. (1.1.c)

• Analyze continuity and change over the course of United States history. Including but not limited to: The expansion and limitations of rights, the balance between liberty and security, shifts in internationalist and isolationist policies, debates over the role of government, and the impacts of expansionist policies. (1.2.a)

• Investigate causes and effects of significant events throughout United States history. For example: World and national conflicts (e.g., Spanish American War, the continued conflict over Indigenous lands, and the Tulsa Massacre), urbanization and suburbanization (e.g., Great Migration and Levittown), economic cycles (e.g., The Great Depression and the 2008 Great Recession), and both popular and counterculture movements. (1.2.b)

• Analyze and evaluate ideas critical to the understanding of American history. Including but not limited to: populism, progressivism, isolationism, imperialism, capitalism, racism, extremism, nationalism, patriotism, anti-communism, environmentalism, liberalism, fundamentalism, and conservatism. (1.2.h)

• Examine and evaluate how the United States was involved in and responded to international events over the course of history. Including but not limited to: the World Wars, the Holocaust, the Nuremberg trials, Cold War policies, Berlin Airlift, Korean War, Vietnam War, and the genocides in Bosnia and Darfur (addressed in 9th grade). (1.2.j)

• Explain the economic way of thinking: the condition of scarcity requires choice and choice has a cost (opportunity cost). (3.1.a)