Directions: We’ll be discussing the end of World War I and the failure of the U.S. to ratify the Treaty of Versailles on Monday. Please come to class having read the end of the chapter pretty carefully. The Senate’s rejection of this treaty has long term implications not only for the U.S. but also for [...]

Overview: During World War I, President Wilson created the Committee on Public Information (CPI). Under the leadership of George Creel, the CPI was charged with building public support for the war. The agency pursued this goal by creating posters, news reels, political cartoons and advertisements. We are going to examine a series of World War [...]

Overview: Tomorrow in class, you are going to take a serious look at propaganda posters created by the U.S. government to build support for the war at home. These posters touched on all areas of American life during the war. To help you better analyze these posters, you need to have a solid understanding of [...]

Overview: The question of when to commit the U.S. military to war is an immensely important issue for both American presidents and the American public. For each of the major wars of the 20th century—the Spanish American War, World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam—there have been vigorous debates both in the halls [...]

Overview: In the aftermath of the Spanish American War, the U.S. had “become a world power. . . where formerly we had only commercial interests, we now have territorial and political interests as well.” (Assistant Secretary of State John Bassett Moore). This presented challenges to the U.S. both in Asia and in Latin America. What [...]

Overview: As President Wilson was implementing his moral diplomacy in Latin America, he was also facing an unprecedented challenge in Europe. As World War I broke out across the world, the U.S. faced one of the most important foreign policy choices in its history: to stay neutral or to get involved. Directions: Watch the brief [...]

Overview: In the aftermath of the Spanish American War, the U.S. expands its involvement in Asia and in Latin America. Tonight’s reading will encourage you to compare and contrast the nature of that involvement as well as the foreign policies of the three progressive presidents: Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson. You’re going to want good notes [...]

Howard Zinn, “The Empire and the People” Seminar Discussion Overview: Zinn provides a different perspective on the question of why the United States became involved in the Spanish American War. Today’s class is intended to hash out his argument on the question: why Cuba? And to give you a foundation for comparing his argument with [...]

Overview: Now that you’ve read the text book, you’re going to take a look at another interpretation of the events which led to the Spanish American War. Howard Zinn, author of A People’s History of the United States approaches the study of U.S. history from a particular perspective. As a socialist and as a pacifist, [...]

Warm-Up: As we begin, our foray into American foreign policy. Do some writing for yourself for a few minutes: what’s a legitimate use of U.S. military power abroad? Now for the heart of class. . . The Big Picture: This time period marks the starting point for a century long expansion of the U.S. role [...]