100 likes | 267 Views
American Imperialism . Aim: Why did we go to war with Spain? . Before You Read…. What was America like before the Spanish-American War? What is imperialism? Describe American political ideals. What exactly is democracy? . Small Group Question Review .
E N D
American Imperialism Aim: Why did we go to war with Spain?
Before You Read… • What was America like before the Spanish-American War? • What is imperialism? • Describe American political ideals. What exactly is democracy?
Small Group Question Review • 15 minutes: Get into groups of 6 and review and discuss homework questions. • The oldest: Mediator • The youngest: Scribe • Large Group Questions: Answer these questions after you finish going over the comprehension questions. • Based on the reading, why did we go to war with Spain? What reasons did Zinn give? What was his evidence? • Is the Spanish American war incompatible with democracy?
Zinn’s Argument • America used moral and racial motives to go to war, but these are simply justifications for economic reasons. • Remember: History is all about interpretation! This is one historian’s argument about the Spanish American War! • How important were moral and racial justifications in the Spanish-American War?
Racial Ideologies • Social Darwinism • Eugenics (Galton and Spencer) • Phrenology
Racial Motives: White Man’s Burden • White Man’s Burden Poetry Analysis: • With a partner, read/analyze the poem and be sure to answer all the discussion questions together.
Moral Motives • William Randolph Hearst: New York Journal • Joseph Pulitzer; New York World • Document Analysis: Atrocities of Spanish in Cuba
One perspective • W.A. Swanberg, a biographer of Hearst who said of the Spanish-American War: “It was an unnecessary war. It was the newspapers’ war. Above all, it was Hearst’s war.”
You decide • Based on the documents, why did we go to war with Spain? • HW Reflection: Was the Spanish American War a Just War?