Using the material provided, discuss America’s move toward imperialism

Using the notes you took from the Lesson 2 Lecture Video and your careful reading of the recommended passages in Chapter 20 of your textbook and the provided documents, answer the following essay question:

Using the material provided, discuss America’s move toward imperialism. What factors motivated the government and the country? What role did Theodore Roosevelt play? What opposition to imperialism developed and why?

• This lesson details American politics in the late nineteenth century, America’s move toward an imperialist state, the rise of the Progressives, and the causes and course of World War I.

• Objectives

  The student will:

• Describe the evolving reform movement in the United States as expressed by the Progressive movement under the leadership of both Robert LaFollette and Theodore Roosevelt.
• Describe the social legislation such as work place safety rules following the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in New York City and the various new areas of legislation passed under the leadership of Woodrow Wilson.
• Review the emergence of United States as a world power including the annexation of Hawaii and the defeat of Spain in the Spanish-American War.
• Discuss foreign policy under the Progressive presidents including the Open Door Policy vis-a-vis China, the Panama Canal Treaty, and the involvement in the Mexican Revolution.
• Define the failure of European diplomatic efforts to avoid the coming of the Great War.
• Discuss American involvement in World War I including the mobilization of industry and labor (including women) in the war effort.
• Discuss the passage of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Amendments, the panic over the spread of Communism, and Wilson’s actions in negotiating the Versailles Treaty.

1.  Use the material provided and nothing else.

The answers are in the textbook, lesson lectures, and the provided documents.  You do not need to access outside material at all.  If you use material word-for-word from the textbook or documents, make sure to put them in quotes and give a small notation where you got the information.  Otherwise, your refusal to cite material will be considered plagiarism and a basis for getting a zero on the assignment; furthermore, students who plagiarize are reported to the TCC administration.

2.  Observe the maximum word count.

You must keep your answer to the maximum word count or points will be deducted from your assignment.  Part of good writing is being able to be concise.  You can answer these essays in under 750 words.  There is no minimum word count for essays.  You do not need an introduction or concluding paragraph.  You can introduce and conclude in a sentence or two.  Be clear and specific in your writing.

3.  Write from the general to the specific.

When writing a good essay, you should present your argument in broad terms and then spend your essay defending your position with specific points.  These points should be drawn from the textbook and the lecture notes.  Make sure not to ramble.  You should have a focused essay.

4.  Observe the rules for proper spelling and grammar.

Points are deducted for poor spelling and grammar.  The spell check feature is not a fool-proof method for ensuring good spelling and grammar.

5.  Quote sparingly.
 

Using quotes from documents and the textbook is fine. However, you should only use it to support your argument. Quotes should not be used for more than a couple of sentences and should never serve as a complete answer. You should use your own words for the bulk of the essay.