1
DOCUMENT BASED QUESTION:
AMERICAN IMPERIALISM
The answer to the essay question is to be written on separate paper.In developing your answer to the essay, be sure to keep in mind the following definition:
discuss means “to make observations about something using facts, reasoning and argument; to present in some detail”
This question is based on the accompanying documents. This test is designed to test your ability to work with historical documents. As you analyze the documents, take into account the source of each document and any point of view that may be presented in the document.
Historical Context:
The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were often referred to as the “Age of Imperialism”, when modern, relatively developed nations were taking over less developed areas, colonizing them, or influencing them in order to expand their own power. During most of the nineteenth century, the United States ignored this scramble for overseas empires, preferring to focus their attention on expanding across their own continent. In the late 1800s, however, the United States began an aggressive policy of expansionism, extending its political and economic influence around the globe.
Task:
Using information from the documents and your knowledge of social studies, answer the questions that follow each document in Part A. Your answers will help you write the Part B essay in which you will be asked to:
Identify and discuss three ways in which the U.S. was transformed at the turn of the 20th century from an isolationist nation into an imperialist power.
2 Use the following graphic organizer to help organize your thoughts on the essay question. Be sure to include evidence that you’ve found in the documents and the source of the information (which document it came from), as well as outside information from your knowledge of social studies.
Evidence
Source
Body Paragraph #1
Body Paragraph #2
3 Document 1
1a What information is given on this map?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________
4 Document 2
This document shows the lock system of the Panama Canal.
2a How many lakes does the Panama Canal pass through?
____________________
2b What two bodies of water were connected by the Panama Canal? ___________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 2c What was the purpose of building the Panama Canal?_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
5 Document 3
3a Give two examples from the newspaper excerpt of biased language.
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 3b How is the newspaper excerpt an example of “yellow journalism”?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________
7 Document 4
4 According to this cartoon, what was the United States’ motivation for intervening in foreign nations?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________
8 Document 5
PREPARING FOR THE HEATED TERM.
King Andy and his man Billy lay in great stock of Russian Ice in order to cool down the Congressional majority.
[‘Andy’ refers to President Andrew Johnson while ‘Billy’ is William Seward.] 5a What controversy is this cartoon referring to?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________
9 Document 7
When next I realized that the Philippines had dropped into our laps I confess I
did not know what to do with them....I walked the floor of the White House night
after night until midnight; and I am not ashamed to tell you, gentlemen, that I
went down on my knees and prayed Almighty God for light and guidance....And
one night late it came to me this way....:
That we could not leave them to themselves--they were unfit for
self-government--and they would soon have anarchy and misrule worse than
Spain's war;
That there was nothing left for us to do but to take them all, and to educate
the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize and Christianize them as our fellow men
for whom Christ also died.
— President William McKinley on the Philippines, 1899
7
1)
According to McKinley, why shouldn’t the U.S. have let the Filipinos govern themselves?
_________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________
2)
What does he say the U.S. should do instead?
_________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________
10 Document 8
8a How much did the value of foreign trade go up between 1870 and 1905?
______________________________________________________________________________ 8b What happened to foreign trade between the years 1880 and 1885?
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________
11 PART B
ESSAY
Directions: Write a well-organized essay that includes an introduction, several paragraphs, and a conclusion. Use evidence from at least four documents in the body of the essay. Support your response with relevant facts, examples, and details. Include additional outside information.
Historical Context:
The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were often referred to as the “Age of Imperialism”, when modern, relatively developed nations were taking over less developed areas, colonizing them, or influencing them in order to expand their own power. During most of the nineteenth century, the United States ignored this scramble for overseas empires, preferring to focus their attention on expanding across their own continent. In the late 1800s, however, the United States began an aggressive policy of expansionism, extending its political and economic influence around the globe.
Task:
Using information from the documents and your knowledge of social studies, write an essay in which you:
Guidelines:
In your essay, be sure to: Check when completed Che
Address all aspects of the Task by accurately analyzing and interpreting at least
four
documents
Incorporate information from the documents in the body of the essay
Incorporate relevant outside information
Support the theme with relevant facts, examples, and details
Use a logical and clear plan of organization
Introduce the theme by establishing a framework that is beyond a simple
restatement of the Task or Historical Context and conclude with a summation of
the theme.
Identify and discuss three ways in which the U.S. was transformed at the turn of the 20th century from an isolationist nation into an imperialist power.
