A lot has changed since 2015, but this lesson plan is still relevant. The lesson plan consisted of having students read quotes from historians and journalists discussing whether or not Trump was a fascist. Then the lesson broadens out and asks the students what they know about fascism and how they'd define it. Then the teacher provides examples of Trump's actions and has the students examine whether or not they're fascist. This prior interaction with the topic serves to prepare student to engage in a discussion, and finally the lesson ends with a video of Trump's speech with a set of questions that aims to allow students to think for themselves. Democracy is being dismantled with the overturn of Roe v Wade, the Jan 6th attack on the US Capitol, and the emergence of Project 2025 just this month (Nov 2023). It is important that our students talk about these things. It is important that they understand the large historical picture so they can understand how these movements come to be and how they operate. For terms of vocabulary to study, I would add palingenetic ultranationalism and replacement theory.

This resource is a video that gives a brief explanation of what the Black Codes are and what they did. The website gives "teaching tips" for before, during, and after the video. Basically, the learning strategies being utilized is teaching students to think historically and confront other view points, understand cause-and-effect, and to develop an argument based on the guiding question. The recommended approach is to have students take notes while watching the video. As a teacher, I would make sure to situate the Black Codes in a larger historical picture. The Black Codes are different than Jim Crow as Jim Crow sought to segregate blacks (post-Reconstruction), while Black Codes aimed to deny rights to and freedoms (during Reconstruction). The difference in historical time period is important to understand the larger historical narrative. Reconstruction is the period right after the Civil War in which the United States is trying to reunify the country. It is important to understand the South as a failed colony. This view was prominent in around the world in this age of Empires. With this in mind, students can begin to see the larger picture of nation-building and national identity (that the U.S. historically lacked) and how this event inspired the German Empire and Nazism.

This resource has a plethora of primary sources for students to read. The students are to read a document in which the term "manifest destiny" is first used and reflect on the intended meaning of the word politically, religiously, economically, and culturally. They should also reflect on what that tells us about how Americans viewed themselves and other nations. There are also documents that deal with racial attitudes. By getting students to question American perception of the self and other nations, the lesson is setting students up for a bigger picture analysis. If I were teaching, I think I'd connect this back to other events in American history, and thereby help students understand the unifying theme that drives US Empire. The fact that religious reasoning and the perception of the self vs others is present, it lines up neatly with the idea of American Exceptionalism.  American Exceptionalism began with John Winthrop's Puritan "City on a Hill" metaphor. It was believed that America was morally superior to everybody else (and moral authority is needed to form a true hegemony), they were an example to follow, and they were God's chosen people. These are all themes we find come up again and again through American imperialism and colonialism. 

This lesson is about the domestic consequences of the Spanish-American War.  The strategy utilized is one of a role-playing debate. Students read primary sources and have to argue how the country should handle the acquisition of the Philippines. The documents are organized by economic, moral, military, and political angles. It is the students' job to advise the President and their choices are:

1) Negotiate the return of the Philippines to Spain, with strict guarantees by Spain of human rights and political autonomy for the islands.

2) Grant independence after a short transitional period, with an American protectorate relationship made part of the Philippine Constitution

3) Grant independence with no political relationship, but with American possession of a naval base on the islands.

4) Turn the islands over to a relatively friendly power (e.g., Britain) in exchange for economic or other concessions (e.g., annexation of Canada)

5) Govern the island jointly with a consortium of great powers

6) Annex and govern the Philippines as an American colony, with a commitment to improve the conditions of the islands--independence may be considered in the future

As a teacher, I think I would want to make sure multiple viewpoints are be represented. I would want to make sure the viewpoints of the Filipinos themselves were represented as well as Americans who disproved of colonization. I would also make sure Rudyard-Kipplings "The White Man's Burden" was utilized so that students may understand the continuing theme of racism in the U.S. and how empires function through appeasement making things *just* good enough to maintain power over the colonized.

This lesson focuses on Wilson's 14 Points and plan for world peace via The League of Nations. First the students are expected to read the 14 Points and explain what Wilson's foreign policy goals were. Then they are to read primary sources to determine what the Allies thought of Wilson's plan. Students will also study the 14 Points and aim to identify what made it into the Treaty of Versaillies and what did not. Everybody knows that The Great War directly caused WWII, and the points this lesson makes is very important. The Allies' excessive punishments of Germany was problematic. But it was not the only problematic issue to arise from this moment. As a teacher, I will make sure the history of frequently overlooked people are represented. The colonized peoples of Egypt, India, South Korea, etc. took Wilson's message of "self-determination" to heart and were ultimately ignored. It is paramount to note how these countries used the language of their oppressor (we are civilized and therefore are entitled to self-government) because it demonstrates agency. This event is also important because it traces the history of "self-determination" which originated from Lenin. When Wilson failed to live up to his appropriated promise, those he failed turned to Communism (Ho-Chi Min was originally a supporter of Wilson at the Paris Peace Confrence) which gave rise to the Cold War.