Standard(s) of Learning

USII.1		The student will demonstrate skills for historical and geographical analysis, and responsible citizenship, including the ability to
		a)	analyze and interpret primary and secondary source documents to increase understanding of events and life in United States history from 1877 to the present;
		c)	sequence events in United States history from 1877 to the present;
		d)	interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives;

USII.4		The student will demonstrate knowledge of the changing role of the United States from the late nineteenth century through World War I by
		a)	explaining the reasons for and results of the Spanish American War;
		c)	explaining the reasons for the United States’ involvement in World War I and its international leadership role at the conclusion of the war.

NOTE: The Virginia Board of Education adopted the revised 2008 History and Social Science Standards of Learning at the January 10, 2008, meeting. Full implementation of these documents is scheduled for the 2010-2011 school year, as outlined in Superintendent’s Memorandum Informational Number 49.  In the revised SOL, United States History I will be taught through 1865 and U.S. History II will encompass 1865 to the present. 

Content

Explain the following causes and events of the Spanish American War:
•    Protection of American business interests in Cuba                                                          
•    American support of Cuban rebels to gain independence from Spain                                
•    Rising tensions as a result of the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor                  
•    Exaggerated news reports of events (Yellow Journalism) affected public opinion.             

Explain the following results of the Spanish American War:
•    The United States emerged as a world power.                                                               
•    Cuba gained independence from Spain.                                                                          
•    The United States gained possession of the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico.               

Identify the following reasons the United States became involved in World War I:
•    Inability to remain neutral                                                                                              
•    German submarine warfare — sinking of the Lusitania                                                   
•    United States economic and political ties to Great Britain. 

Explain that the United States involvement in World War I ended a long tradition of avoiding involvement in European conflicts and set the stage for the United States to emerge as a global superpower later in the twentieth century.                                                                            

Explain that there were disagreements about the extent to which the United States should isolate itself from world affairs.                                                                                                             

Identify the following Allied countries during World War I:
•    Great Britain                                                                                                                
•    France                                                                                                                         
•    Russia                                                                                                                         
•    Serbia                                                                                                                          
•    Belgium.                                                                                                                      

Identify the following Central Powers during World War I:
•    Germany                                                                                                                      
•    Austria-Hungary                                                                                                          
•    Bulgaria                                                                                                                       
•    Ottoman Empire.                                                                                                          

Explain the following leadership role of the United States at the end of World War I:
•    At the end of World War I, President Woodrow Wilson prepared a peace plan that called for the formation of the League of Nations, a peacekeeping organization.                                   
•    The United States decided not to join the League of Nations.                                          

Sample Resources

Below is an annotated list of Internet resources for this organizing topic. Copyright restrictions may exist for the material on some Web sites. Please note and abide by any such restrictions.

Digital History: <http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/>. This site is a good source for searchable primary documents. Click on the categories under “Primary Sources” on the left.

First World War.Com: Primary Documents – 1919. <http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/1919.htm>. This site gives access to a number of primary documents from the year 1919. Other years can also be chosen.

HI 453 Online Primary Sources. <http://www2.chass.ncsu.edu/slatta/hi453/docs.htm>.This site offers several news accounts of the explosion of the USS Maine and the politics behind the Spanish American War. Scroll down to the section entitled “The War of 1898 against Spain.” These primary documents also are good examples of yellow journalism.

The Spanish American War Centennial Website. <http://www.spanamwar.com/>. This site offers a plethora of information about the war.

“The Spanish-American War: Remember the Maine.” Small Planet Communications. <http://www.smplanet.com/imperialism/remember.html>.This site contains pictures and historical background on the explosion of the USS Maine. It also contains historical background on Cuban efforts to gain independence from Spain. The site provides Captain Sigbee’s account of what happened on board the Maine.

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. <http://www.archives.gov/>. This site offers access to numerous historical documents of our country.

Virginia Standards of Learning Assessments for the 2001 History and Social Science Standards of Learning. United States History: 1877 to the Present. Test Blueprint. Virginia Department of Education, 2003/04. <http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Assessment/HistoryBlueprints03/2002Blueprint4USII.pdf>. This site provides assessment information for the course in United States History: 1877 to the Present.