Title: HOW DID A "SPLENDID LITTLE WAR" HELP THE U.S?

Grade: 9th   Subject: Causes and Results of the Spanish-American War and Their Effect on the U.S. as a World Power   Class: SPED United States History   

Purpose
This lesson will guide students in exploring events that led to the Spanish-American War. Students also will look at results of the war on the United States' role in world affairs. The students will use reading handouts, video tapes, and a webquest to obtain information about causes and results of the Spanish-American War. Graphic organizers will be used to organize causes, results, and conclusions. Students will create PowerPoint slideshows to summarize causes and results of the war and to show how the war helped the United States rise as a world power before World War I.

Objective
Students will:

1. use WWW sites, reading handouts, and video tapes to discover reasons why the United States went to war with Spain.

2. compare maps to explain changes in the control of the Philippines, Guam, Puerto Rico, and Cuba as a result of the Spanish-American War.

3. create a PowerPoint presentation that summarizes how the Spanish-American War led to the rise of the United States as a world power before World War I.

Materials

1. Video tapes: US Becomes a World Power; US and the World; Industry and Empire; American Diary
   
2. Reading Handouts: Unit 2, Ch 6 UNITED STATES HISTORY SINCE 1865 - LAND OF LIBERTY; Unit 6, Ch 17 Fearon's UNITED STATES HISTORY
   
3. Multimedia Encylopedia/World Atlas
   
4. World map for display and outline world maps (2 per student)
   
5. Handouts: Graphic organizers and concept webs main ideas and details; compare-contrast with Venn diagram
   
6. Overhead and LCD projectors
   
7. Teacher-created webquest on the Spanish-American War
   
8. PowerPoint software
   

Procedures

1. After a teacher-prepared PowerPoint introduces the unit, students will use video clips, reading, map study, and lecture to answer the question: How had the United States already started to expand in the nineteenth century? Students will begin to fill in a "skeleton" outline using information covered during class. A world map will be completed showing areas under U.S. influence or control (such as Hawaii, Alaska, Pacific Islands) before 1898.
   
2. Students will find reasons why the United States wanted to expand its territory and power. They will review information from the first question and complete their outline. A concept web will be filled in showing reasons why the United States wanted to expand. Information comes from reading, discussion, and lecture.
   
3. Students will use a webquest to find reasons for the Spanish-American War. Each student will have a floppy disk with the webquest on it. They will use the provided web links to complete their questions. A concept web will be completed showing pressures and events that led to the Spanish-American War.
   
4. Students will use the webquest and information from video clips to identify where the war was fought and what countries were in the war. The locations will be marked on their world maps.
   
5. In this segment of the webquest, students will identify results of the Spanish-American war. They will complete a concept web showing results. They will mark their world maps, showing changes for Cuba, Guam, Philippines, and Puerto Rico.
   
6. Using reading handouts, the students will explore opinions of Americans regarding U.S. expansion. Class discussion will explore the idea of American imperialism. Students will talk about differences between expansionists and isolationists. They will complete a chart that gives reasons for each group's position on the issue.
   
7. The students will use information gained in the previous steps to draw conclusions about the effects of the Spanish-American War on the United States as a world power. The class will be divided into groups of 3 or 4 students. Each group will have one member who has used PowerPoint in the past. Each group will create a PowerPoint slideshow to summarize causes and results of the war. They will include slides to explain the effects of the war on United States' leadership in the world. Each presentation will have at least eight slides. Groups will share their presentations. As a conclusion, the class will do a compare-and-contrast activity evaluating the presentations for similarities and differences.
   

Questions

1. How had the United States started to expand in the 1800's?
   
2. Why did the United States want to expand its territory and power?
   
3. What events/pressures led to the Spanish-American War?
   
4. Where did the Spanish-American War take place?
   
5. What were the results of the Spanish-American War?
   
6. How did Americans feel about United States' expansion and imperialism? How did isolationists differ from expansionists?
   
7. What were the effects of the Spanish-American War on the United States' role among other nations of the world?
   

Extensions

1. English classes might do research and write reports on the people and events of the Spanish-American War. They could analyze similarities and differences between "yellow journalism" and conventional journalism. This could include producing a newspaper focusing on the Spanish-American War.
   
2. Math classes might calculate distances such as US-Hawaii, US-Philipppines, West Coast of US to East Coast around South America and the times needed to sail to each of the above. They can use the information to draw conclusions as to the importance of US possessions in the Pacific and the need for a route across Central America. Students can also calculate the time and distance saved by travelling through the Panama Canal.
   

Readings

• America's History Since 1865 Land of Liberty
  Unit 2 The United States as a World Power Chapter 6 The United States Becomes a World Power Provides a brief history of U.S. expansion during the 1800's, then more detailed discussion of the Spanish-American War and its aftermath. Includes helpful vocabulary and maps.
  
• Fearon's United States History
  Unit Six Power, Prosperity, and Progress Chapter 17 A World Power Overview of the United States leading up to the Spanish-American War through the building of the Panama Canal. Written in simple language easily understood by special education students.
  

Links

• A WAR IN PERSPECTIVE INTRODUCTION
  http://www.nypl.org/research/chss/epo/spanexhib/page_2.html
  Discusses the Spanish-American War. Answers the question: Why did Spain and the United States go to war?
  
• 1898-1998 Centennial of the Spanish & American War Background
  http://www.zpub.com/cpp/saw.html
  Gives background on the Spanish-American War, including reasons for the war, where the fighting took place, results, and effects on U.S. world leadership.
  
• Spanish-American War
  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/1900/filmmore/transcript/enhance/spanishamericanwar.html
  Gives a simple summary of the Spanish-American War and provides answers for questions like: Name 4 territories the United States gained from the war? What event increased U.S. support for a war against Spain?
  
• Encyclopedia.com Spanish-American War Introduction
  http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/s/spana1mw1ar.asp
  Brief statement answering the questions: What was the Spanish-American War? Who brought on the war?
  
• Encyclopedia.com Spanish-American War Causes of the war
  http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/section/SpanAmWar_CausesoftheWar.asp
  Answers questions: What was the reconcentrado,or concentration camp, system in 1896? How did the yellow press, especially W.R. Hearst AND Joseph Pulitzer report news from Cuba? What happened to the USS Maine? How did its explosion lead to war?
  
• Encyclopedia.com Spanish-American War A Short and One-sided War
  http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/section/SpanAmWar_AShortandOne-sidedWar.asp
  Where did the first dramatic incident of the war occur? When did it take place? Who was the leader? What happened and how did it end?
  
• Encyclopedia.com Spanish-American War Results
  http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/section/SpanAmWar_Results.asp
  What treaty ended the Spanish-American War? What was the result on the Spanish Empire? What happened to 1) Cuba, 2) Puerto Rico, 3) Guam, and 4) the Philippines?
  What were the effects of the war on the U.S. as a world leader?
  
• Library of Congress Spanish-American War Rough Riders
  http://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/roughriders.html
  Who were the Rough Riders? Who was the leader of the Rough Riders? Where did their famous battle take place?
  
• Library of Congress Spanish-American War Introduction
  http://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/intro.html
  What event happened that caused the United States to declare war on Spain? On what date did it happen? Where did it take place? How much money did the United States have invested in Cuba? What was the product that the U.S. traded that was worth $100 million? What did Congress pass on March 9th? What happened on March 28, 1898? What did President McKinley order on April 21, 1898?
  
• Small Planet Spanish-American War Remember the Maine
  http://smplanet.com/imperialism/remember.html
  Who were the two editors who were responsible for yellow journalism? What is yellow journalism? How did yellow journalism get its name?
  

Vocabulary

• isolationism:  a policy in which a nation avoids getting involved with the economic and political problems of other nations
  
• Manifest Destiny:  belief that United States territory should extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean
  
• rebellion:  fighting against a government; trying to overthrow a government
  
• fleet:  a group of ships
  
• expansionism:  desire to gain more land
  
• yellow journalism:  exciting but untrue stories printed by a newspaper to attract more readers and sell more papers
  
• empire:  a group of countries or territories ruled by the same government
  
• "a splendid little war":  a name given to the Spanish-American war
  
• imperialism:  the idea that one country should rule other countries or colonies
  
• annex:  add land or a country to your own country
  
• world power:  a major country whose actions affect other countries of the world
  
• crisis:  time of great trouble or danger
  
• refuel:  to take on a fresh supply of fuel
  
• naval base:  a place near the sea where the navy keeps many ships, weapons, airplanes, and sailors; a place to refuel
  
• treaty:  written agreement with another country
  

Standards

1. United States History    
   Understands the changing role of the United States in world affairs through WWI.
   Understands various United States foreign policies in the early part of the 20th century.
   
2. Historical Understanding    
   Understands the historical perspective.
   Uses historical maps to understand the relationship between historical events and geography.
   
3. Technology    
   Knows characteristics and uses of computer hardware and operating systems.
   Connects via modem to other computers via the Internet, an on-line service, or bulletin board service.
   

People and Places
Teddy Roosevelt
Commodore Dewey
William McKinley
"Rough Riders"
Alaska
Cuba
Guam
Hawaii
Japan
Philippines
Puerto Rico

Credits

• Nancy Reiff
  Thomas Jefferson High School
  Council Bluffs, IA