Unit 2: Empire & Expansion


Critical Vocabulary: Imperialism, Great White Fleet, White Man’s Burden, Yellow Journalism, De Lome Letter, U.S.S. Maine, Spanish American War, Treaty of Paris, Anti-Imperialist League, Open Door Policy, Panama Canal, Roosevelt Corollary, Gunboat Diplomacy, Dollar Diplomacy, Moral Diplomacy, Nationalism, Allied Powers, Central Powers, Lusitania, Unrestricted Submarine Warfare, Zimmerman Note, Fourteen Points, Propaganda, Selective Service Act, American Expeditionary Force, Great Migration, Espionage  & Sedition Acts, Schenck v. United States, Treaty of Versailles, War Guilt Clause, Red Scare, Palmer Raids, Immigration Acts, Red Summer, Eighteenth Amendment, Volstead Act, Speakeasies, Bootleggers, Organized Crime, Twenty-First Amendment, Scopes Trial, Nineteenth Amendment, Flapper, Harlem Renaissance Jazz Age


​Lesson 1: American Imperialism

I can explain the political, economic, & cultural factors that fueled the growth of American imperialism.
  • This means I can explain the reasons the US sought to build an empire at the turn of the century.
  • It also means that I can evaluate the US’s resulting actions in Hawaii.


​Lesson 2: The Spanish American War

I analyze the causes and effects of the Spanish American War.
  • This means I can describe the reasons the US went to war in 1898.
  • It also means that I can analyze whether or not that decision was justified.


Lesson 3: The American Empire

I can compare and contrast the foreign policies of Roosevelt, Taft, & Wilson, & I can evaluate the consequences of each.
  • This means I can define and provide examples of Gunboat, Dollar, and Moral Diplomacy.
  • It also means that I can evaluate the US’s resulting actions in each.


Lesson 4: World War I


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I can describe the events that led the United States into World War I, & I can analyze the war’s impact on American society.
  • This means I can identify the events that led the US to declare war in 1917, and I can describe the country’s reaction to each.
  • It also means that I can describe the growth of the US government during World War I, and I can analyze its impact on the lives of Americans.


Lesson 5: The Treaty of Versailles

I can discuss the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles, and I can assess its legacy.
  • This means I can explain how Wilson’s vision for the post-World War I world compared to that of other world leaders.
  • It also means that I can discuss the final provisions included in the Treaty of Versailles, and I can assess whether or not they were far and justified.
Class Materials:
Additional Resources: