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Digital History>Teachers>Modules> Topic
Learn About the
United States Becomes a World Power
At the turn of
the 20th century, the United States emerged as a world power. The
Spanish American War and the acquisition of the Philippines represented both
an extension of earlier expansionist impulses and a sharp departure from assumptions
that had guided American foreign policy in the past. For the first time, the
United States made a major strategic commitment in the Far East, acquired territory
never intended for statehood, and committed itself to police actions and intervention
in the Caribbean and Central America.
Not since the Mexican
War had the United States expanded so rapidly. In 1898 and 1899, the United
States annexed Hawaii and acquired the Philippines, Puerto Rico, parts of the
Samoan islands, and other Pacific islands. Expansion raised the fateful
question of whether the newly annexed peoples would receive the rights of American
citizens.
William
McKinley, "The Alternatives in Cuba," 1897
To
learn more
Handouts and fact sheets:
Imperialism
and the Spanish American War
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/us27.cfm
Recommended
lesson plan:
The
Birth of the American Empire as Seen Through Political Cartoons
(1896-1905) (In PDF format)
http://www.oah.org/pubs/magazine/1898/martinez-lesson.pdf
Quizzes:
Test
your knowledge by taking our Spanish-American War quiz
Recommended books:
Thomas
G. Paterson, ed., Major Problems in American and Foreign Policy
Documents and essays chronicle the history and analyze the major controversies
in American foreign affairs.
 Recommended
film:
The
Spanish American War in Motion Pictures
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/sawhtml/
This Library of Congress website contains 68 motion pictures produced
between 1898 and 1901 of the Spanish-American War and the subsequent
Philippine Revolution. The films show troops, ships, notable figures,
and parades, as well as reenactments of battles and other war-time events.
Brief essays provide historical context.
learn
more film
 Recommended
Website:
The
World of 1898: The Spanish American War
http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/intro.html
This
Library of Congress site includes valuable information on the history of Puerto
Rico and the Philippines.
A War in Perspective:
1898-1998
http://www.nypl.org/research/chss/epo/spanexhib/page_2.html
This
Website examines the place of the Spanish American war in public memory.
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