National Endowment for the Humanities
The Spanish–American War
The Spanish-American War propelled the United States to the world stage and helped create the modern super power. Using web-based primary sources and a WebQuest format, young scholars consider the causes and outcomes for the war. Working...
Stanford University
Spanish-American War
Learners discuss why the United States invaded Cuba. In this Spanish American War instructional activity, students watch a movie about the U.S. invasion of Cuba and hypothesize their reasons for doing so. Learners complete a Spanish...
Historical Thinking Matters
Spanish-American War: 3 Day Lesson
Why did the United States choose to invade Cuba in 1898? As part of a 3-day lesson, your young historians will first develop working hypotheses to answer this question, then work with a variety of historical primary source documents that...
Curated OER
Spanish-American War
Students view a video called Battling Beyond the Borders about the Spanish-American War. They discuss the role of newspapers in the war and then analyze political cartoons of the time, writing explanatory sentences about them.
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Matter of the Philippines
The United States won the Spanish-American War, so now what? Young scholars act as advisors to President McKinley and use primary sources to recommend what America should do with its territories. Using a variety of perspectives—including...
US House of Representatives
Exclusion and Empire, 1898–1941
New ReviewOften forgotten and written off as the model minority, Americans with heritage in Asia and the Pacific Islands have played an essential role in American history, including Congress. Budding historians reclaim history by researching the...
US House of Representatives
Hispanic Americans in Congress During the Age of U.S. Colonialism and Global Expansion, 1898–1945
New ReviewTo be Puerto Rican, in the words of one politician, is to be "foreign in a domestic sense." Young historians consider the American role in colonialism and its impacts on Hispanic Americans through the first part of the twentieth century...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Yellow Journalism
What role did yellow journalism play in bringing the United States into war with Spain? As part of their study of the Spanish-American War, class groups examine newspapers of the times and other texts and then produce their own...
Curated OER
Yellow Journalism and the Spanish American War
Seventh graders investigate the meaning and impact of "yellow journalism." They determine how it affects people and how it played out in the USS Maine incident during the Spanish American War by reading articles and watching a PowerPoint...
Curated OER
The U. S. at War
Students examine reasons for going to war. In this foreign policy lesson, students analyze the reasons the U.S. entered the the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
War and Poetry
A band of brothers or the Devil's agents? Nobel warriors freeing the oppressed or mercenaries working for the military/industrial complex? Groups examine poems from the Civil War, World War I, and World War II to determine the poets'...
Curated OER
Imperialism and Expansion: Part 1
Students explore the era of imperialism and expansion of the United States. In this American history lesson, students play a game regarding the U.S. attempts to expand the nation in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Curated OER
Whose Side Are You On?
Students role play, persuading and staying neutral during arguments. For this viewpoint lesson, students examine the viewpoints of soldiers in the Spanish-American War and role play. After a discussion, some students try to persuade the...
Little Kids Rock
The Influence of Latin Music in Postwar New York City
Music has often been called the international language that transcends cultures and regions. Scholars analyze the impact of Latin American music on New York City culture in the years following World War II. They research music, video,...
Curated OER
Famous African Americans,
Studying African American history? Explore and discuss famous African Americans such as Martin Luther King Jr., George Washington Carver, Harriet Tubman, and more. Simple bulleted facts detail the heroic deeds of these individuals. Use...
Curated OER
Heroes
Students explore reading comprehension strategies. In this character development and reading comprehension lesson, students brainstorm common traits of "heroes." Students read Heroes, then identify the personal conflicts the story...
Curated OER
Lines From Behind the Lines
Fifth graders create a timeline of events in a soldiers life. In this World War I lesson plan, 5th graders learn about the Great Depression and World War I. Students watch video segments about World War I and examine primary sources...
National First Ladies' Library
Martha Goes To War!
High schoolers investigate how women went to war and the contributions that they have made in history. They conduct research using a variety of resources. The information is used in order to create a class presentation and answer some...
Curated OER
Segregated Soldiers
Fifth graders explore the role of African American troops in World War I. In this World War I instructional activity, 5th graders analyze a collection of letters from an African American soldier. Students create memorials to the men who...
Curated OER
American Literature and the Civil War
Students prepare for and respond to literature selections. This package includes fourteen lessons from the American Literature, The Civil War and Its Aftermath: 1845-1880 series, each covering a different reading selection. Pre-reading...
Curated OER
Role of Slavery in Early Arkansas Settlements
Students investigate slavery in the development of pre-Civil War Arkansas. They study the influence of the French, Spanish, and American settlers on the establishment of slavery and create a timeline of events associated with events.
Curated OER
Say It Loud!: A Celebration Of Black Music in America - Louis Armstrong
Students listen to selections of New Orleans street band music. They explore the culture of New Orleans in the 1920's, and perform a closer examination of Armstrong's music.
Curated OER
Political Cartoons
Students analyze cartoons by identifying the symbols, characters and information and its significance in history. They examine the economic and political changes in contemporary America. They determine that political cartoons play an...
Curated OER
The Battle for San Juan Hill: Santiago, Cuba, July 1, 1898
Eleventh graders design and create a poster, advertising for recruitment of volunteers to serve with Teddy Roosevelt in the 1st Volunteer Calvary Regiment. Students create a historical newspaper front page, from the time period, which...