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You Are Here: Home > US History > Periods > Early Imperialism
Topic: US History Early Imperialism
Tip: Press ctrl and F (or apple and F on a Mac) to perform a keyword search of this page. To keyword search all Best of History Web Sites pages use the search engine located on the home page.
 Crucible of Empire: The Spanish-American War
This site offers a timeline of the major events before, during, and after the war; original 1890s sheet music popular during the War; photographs of the major figures involved; newspaper articles and headlines from 1890s newspapers; classroom activities for teachers and students; historical resources, including recent scholarship concerning the war, bibliographies, and links to other web sites; and a quiz designed to test visitor knowledge about the war and this colorful moment in American history.
NEW The World of 1898: The Spanish American War
This Library of Congress presentation provides resources and documents about the Spanish-American War, and focuses on key individuals who participated in actual fighting or contributed literary commentary. The presentation includes chronologies, bibliographies, and a variety of pictorial and textual material from Spanish-English sources, an overview essay, and special presentations on Cuba, Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Spain.
Puerto Rico at the Dawn of the Modern Age
Created by the American Memory Project of the Library of Congress, this site seeks to inform and educate about Nineteenth- and Early-Twentieth-Century Puerto Rico and how it became a modern nation. An article by Marisabel Brás, a Senior Analyst at the Department of Defense, provides an excellent and indepth report on the struggles through which Puerto Rice went to find its national identity. There are also18 Puerto Rican maps and 39 political pamphlets, 13 monographs, and a journal that were published between 1831 and 1929. For each item, the full text is provided as well as images of the authentic document.
NEW A War in Perspective: Public Appeals, Memory, and the Spanish American Conflict
A War in Perspective was an exhibition at The New York Public Library Humanities and Social Sciences Library and includes several components: Chronology, Antecedents 1895-1898, Part II: Public Appeals, 1898, Part III: Popular Participation, 1898-1899, Part IV: Public Memories, Part V: Historical Perspectives.
NEW The USA & Latin America
This casahistoria site is a gateway to sites on imperialism and other topics and each link is annotated with a brief discussion of its usefulness. Select sites are aimed at undergraduate and high school students. Some sites are dated or defunct, but many gems are on the list. Categories include U.S. - Latin American relations, Panama Canal, Venezuela, Mexico, and Latin American Campaigns.
Spanish-American War in Motion Pictures
This presentation features 68 motion pictures produced between 1898 and 1901 of the Spanish-American War and the subsequent Philippine Revolution. These films were made by the Edison Manufacturing Company and the American Mutoscope & Biograph Company and consist of actualities filmed in the U.S., Cuba, and the Philippines, showing troops, ships, notable figures, and parades, as well as reenactments of battles and other war-time events. The Special Presentation presents the motion pictures in chronological order together with brief essays that provide a historical context for their filming.
NEW The Naval Historical Center: Wars & Conflicts of the United States
The Naval Historical Center provides reference, documentary, analytical, and narrative works on the history of the United States Navy. Go to Wars and Conflicts of the United States for topically organized historical overviews, biographies, and primary sources on early military imperialism: Spanish American War, 1898 Philippine Insurrection, 1899-1902 China Relief- Boxer Rebellion 1900-1901 and Latin American Campaigns, 1906-1933. An impressive scope of topics and documentation.
NEW The Spanish American War Centennial Website
The centennial is ten years past, but though this site is dated it has plenty of information on the Spanish-American War, in multiple categories. Apart from the usual accounts of battles and such, there are dozens of profiles of key Americans of the era, reports of Spanish who died captive in America, music and medicine of the war, a video bibliography, and much more.
NEW The Second War for Cuban Independence
Aka "The Spanish-Cuban-American War," this section is part of the HistoryOfCuba.com site produced by Cuban-born freelance writer and photographer Jerry A. Sierra. It discusses circumstances before, during, and after the Spanish-American War. Content not actively maintained.
NEW TR's Legacy: The Panama Canal
A brief discussion of President Theodore's legacy in regards to the Panama Canal. This section is part of an American Experience site that features real audio interviews, biographies, a timeline, and a teacher's guide.
The Age of Imperialism
Commercial site, but contains a good mix of text, photos, links, and video clips about American imperialism at the turn of the century
 Hawaii's Last Queen (PBS)
PBS video companion site about Queen Lili'uokalani and her legacy
NEW Essays: Manifest Destiny
Part of the From Revolution to Reconstruction project, this page leads to a series of helpful essays that discuss the philosophy, components, and "shades" of manifest destiny.
NEW Documents Relating to American Foreign Policy: 1898-1914
Useful set of links to primary and secondary sources.
NEW The Panama Canal Authority: History
The official web site of the Canal Authority provides a detailed history of the controversial Panama Canal from the early days of the French construction period, to its completion by the United States, and into the present. The photo gallery provides downloadable historical images and animations show how the story.
NEW The Great White Fleet
This large site presents an account of the voyage of the Great White Fleet and boasts 2000 items, including images, personal correspondence, and postcards.
McKinley Assassination Ink
This collection currently contains 140 documents, articles, essays, editorials and other pieces of work that are helpfully indexed by author, date, title, type, keyword, source, and the people referenced in the document. The MAI aims not only to provide a view into the presidency and assassination of McKinley, but also to speak to the history and culture of America. Due to the sensationalist nature of journalism at the time, and the tragic nature of the event, some reports may be more useful as tools to interpret the emotions and themes of the time than as strict factual evidence.
Lesson Plans, Teacher Guides, Activities and more
Spanish American War from the Organization of American Historians Magazine
These pdf files may be printed off for classroom use. There are lessons for 10th and 11th grade teachers. In Birth of the American Empire as Seen Through Political Cartoons 1898-1905 students review and discuss six political cartoons.
Spanish American War Educational Activities
The PBS Crucible of Empire site offers essay questions and a Spanish American War quiz
Lesson Plan: The Age of Imperialism
"The Age of Imperialism" represents one chapter of An On-Line History of the United States, a new program that combines an engaging narrative with the broad resources available to students on the Internet. You can use this chapter in place of a standard textbook treatment of nineteenth-century American expansionism, or you can use it to supplement your existing Social Studies materials. The following lesson plan helps you establish and extend historical and instructional contexts and integrate the material into your United States history curriculum.
Debate: Should the U.S. Annex the Philippines?
In this activity, students analyze primary documents from a variety of perspectives to gain an understanding of contemporary arguments for and against U.S. annexation of the Philippines. After reading the documents, students choose one document, prepare their arguments, and debate U.S. annexation of the Philippines from the perspective of the author of their document. Provided by the American Social History Project.
Poetry Analysis: "The White Man's Burden"
This activity asks students to consider Rudyard Kipling's "The White Man's Burden", which urged the U. S. to take up the "burden" of empire. Designed for high school students, this interdisciplinary activity will help students to examine differing perspectives on imperialism at the turn of the century. Provided by the American Social History Project.
Activity: A Soldier's Letter Home From the Philippines
This activity asks students to read and analyze letters written by U.S. soldiers serving in the Philippine-American War. Designed for high school students, it uses primary documents from the perspective of frontline soldiers to explore questions of imperialism, racial difference, and war in the early twentieth century. Designed by the American Social History Project.
Around the World in 1896 - Lesson Plan
In this lesson, groups of students use photographs and documents from the Library of Congress's American Memory collections to explore technology and American perceptions of the world at the turn of the century. Students explore technology during this time period by planning a hypothetical trip around the world, being sure to identify the complete means of transportations. They also learn about William Henry Jackson and the development of photography, ultimately using visual images to both document their trip and evaluate contemporary perspectives on foreign cultures. Designed for grades 6 to 8.
Doing the Decades - Lesson Plan
This is a broad, 10-week project where students focus on the major trends and changes in the United States from 1890 to 1941 and how these changes affected groups and individuals. Students are broken into groups by decade and cover six primary themes (such as immigration, industrialization and the growth of capitalism) and a series of topics. Students identify and utilize primary sources to discuss these changes, using materials from the Library of Congress' American Memory collections and other materials they gather. Designed for grades 6 to 12.
From Isolation to Empire: Multiple Choice Quiz, Fill-in-the-Blank, Flashcards, American History Glossary, and an American History Appendix
The Student Resources section of The American Nation companion web site features introductions to chapters, interactive quizzes, flashcards, web links, an American History Glossary, and an American History Appendix
Playing By Different Rules: Examining American Imperialism Abroad
In this New York Times lesson, students learn about the concept of American imperialism by researching and analyzing historical examples of American imperialism. They then draft a set of laws that would govern the actions of powerful nations in other countries.(September 18, 2002)
Imperial Notions: Examining the Effects of Colonialism on Peoples Around the World
In this New York Times lesson, students research how and why different parts of the world were colonized, considering the pros and cons for both the rulers and the ruled.(June 4, 2003)
Interpreting Primary Sources
Digital History provides brief excerpts from primary sources and statistics and also questions to think about Imperialism and the Spanish American War
Digital History Resource Guides
The Digital Resource Guides provide links to American history web sites by period and provide historical overviews, readings (online textbook chapter, Reader's Companion), primary source documents (documents, maps, cartoons), teaching resources (chronologies, maps, quizzes), audio-visual resources, and additional resources. The Guides are an excellent and comprehensive teaching resource.
HistoryTeacher.net: AP United States History Quizzes
A New York teacher has produced a great general site for history teachers that offers AP-level United States history quizzes on many different periods and topics.
AP United States History DBQs: 1875-1925
These student-created DBQs are part of the excellent Historyteacher.net site
The American People: Becoming a World Power
PowerPoint Presentation on American imperialism as part of the online companion to The American People. Click on PowerPoint Presentations and then Chapter 20.
Hawaii Quiz
From PBS Hawaii's Last Queen
Age of Imperialism Unit Test
Multiple Choice
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