American foreign policy resonates with the same issues as the debate over …
American foreign policy resonates with the same issues as the debate over U.S. entry into the League of Nations-collective security versus national sovereignty, idealism versus pragmatism, the responsibilities of powerful nations, the use of force to accomplish idealistic goals, the idea of America. Understanding the debate over the League and the consequences of its ultimate failure provides insight into international affairs in the years since the end of the Great War and beyond. In this lesson, students read the words and listen to the voices of some central participants in the debate over the League of Nations.
In the middle of the 18th century, a series of evangelical religious …
In the middle of the 18th century, a series of evangelical religious revival movements swept across colonial America. By examining elementary documents from the time, this lesson will introduce students to the ideas, practices, and evangelical spirit of the First Great Awakening.
Using contemporary documents, students in this lesson explore the rise of animosity …
Using contemporary documents, students in this lesson explore the rise of animosity between the United States and Japan which began with Japan's "Twenty-One Demands" on China during World War I, and continued through the Manchurian Incident of 1931.
What was the Monroe Doctrine? What principles of foreign policy did this …
What was the Monroe Doctrine? What principles of foreign policy did this Doctrine establish? What were the significant events in U.S. diplomacy before 1823? What diplomatic roles had James Monroe played before he became president? Here, a careful examination of the document anticipates what is to come.
The influence of President Woodrow Wilson on American foreign policy has been …
The influence of President Woodrow Wilson on American foreign policy has been profound and lasting. Using a variety of elementary sources, students analyze the origins of the ambitious foreign policy that came to be known as Wilsonianism and compare it with important alternative traditions in American foreign policy.
At the time the Founders were shaping the future of a new …
At the time the Founders were shaping the future of a new country, John Adams suggested the President should be addressed as "His Excellency." Happily, others recognized that such a title was inappropriate. Though the proper form of address represents only a small detail, defining everything about the Presidency was central to the idea of America that was a work-in-progress when the nation was young.
This lesson will introduce the students to the challenges of American foreign …
This lesson will introduce the students to the challenges of American foreign policy in the late 19th century and specifically to the political debate over whether the United States should acquire further territory and/or become a European-style empire.
This lesson focuses on the problems under the Articles of Confederation between …
This lesson focuses on the problems under the Articles of Confederation between 1783 and 1786 leading to the 1787 Convention. Through examination of elementary sources, students will see why some prominent American founders, more than others, believed that the United States faced a serious crisis, and that drastic changes, rather than minor amendments, to the Articles were necessary.
Lacking any organized army before 1775 (aside from local colonial militias), the …
Lacking any organized army before 1775 (aside from local colonial militias), the Continental Congress had to assemble a more or less improvised fighting force that would be expected to take on the army of the world's largest empire. This lesson will trace events in the North from 1775 to 1778. By looking at documents of the time, and using an interactive map, students will see how an army was created and understand the challenges that Washington and his men faced during this critical early stage of the war.
In December 1941, Japanese armed forces launched a massive offensive, attacking targets …
In December 1941, Japanese armed forces launched a massive offensive, attacking targets as far East as Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and as far West as Burma. This lesson plan will focus on the overall strategies pursued by the Japanese and the Allies in the initial months of World War II in Asia and the Pacific.
American foreign policy continues to resonate with the issues involved in the …
American foreign policy continues to resonate with the issues involved in the entry of the United States into World War I"”unilateralism versus foreign alliances, the responsibilities of power, the influence of the military-industrial complex on foreign policy, the use of force to accomplish idealistic goals. Understanding the choices the Wilson administration made and their consequences provides insight into international affairs in the years since the end of the Great War and beyond. In this lesson, students reconsider the events leading to U.S. entry into World War I through the lens of archival documents.
What qualities made George Washington an effective military leader? How were the …
What qualities made George Washington an effective military leader? How were the responsibilities of the Commander-in-Chief affected by conditions during the Revolutionary War?
The Japanese conquest of Manchuria in 1931 was only the first step …
The Japanese conquest of Manchuria in 1931 was only the first step in what became a much larger campaign to create a pro-Japanese "buffer state" in North China. This lesson will examine the overall principles which underlay both Japanese and American foreign policy in the mid- to late-1930s.
Malcolm X argued that America was too racist in its institutions and …
Malcolm X argued that America was too racist in its institutions and people to offer hope to blacks. In contrast with Malcolm X's black separatism, Martin Luther King, Jr. offered what he considered "the more excellent way of love and nonviolent protest" as a means of building an integrated community of blacks and whites in America. This lesson will contrast the respective aims and means of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. to evaluate the possibilities for black American progress in the 1960s.
One of Douglass's goals in his autobiography is to illustrate beyond doubt …
One of Douglass's goals in his autobiography is to illustrate beyond doubt that slavery had an insidious, spirit-killing effect on the slaveholder as well as the slave.
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