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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 This test is designed to test your ability to work with historical documents.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.

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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

Body Paragraph #3

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Document 1

1a What information is given on this map?

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1b How many years after the purchase of Alaska did we acquire Hawaii? __________________

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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? ___________________

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2c What was the purpose of building the Panama Canal?

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Document 3

3a Give two examples from the newspaper excerpt of biased language.

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3b How is the newspaper excerpt an example of “yellow journalism”?

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Document 4

4 According to this cartoon, what was the United States’ motivation for

intervening in foreign nations?

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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?

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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

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1) According to McKinley, why shouldn’t the U.S. have let the Filipinos govern themselves? _________________________________________________________________________

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2) What does he say the U.S. should do instead? _________________________________________________________________________

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Document 8

8a How much did the value of foreign trade go up between 1870 and 1905?

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8b What happened to foreign trade between the years 1880 and 1885?

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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.

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