Linda J. Churney
This unit will attempt to bring to students some understanding of the causes and effects of wars. The primary focus will be on the act of war itself. A major goal of this unit is to give students more insight into America’s relationships with other nations; they will also come to respect the tremendous and, seemingly, impossible job of keeping peace. The narrative traces America’s emergence as a world power from the end of isolationist policy (1898) during the Spanish-American War through the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (1941) that directly involved the country in World War II. Designed to last eight weeks, the project includes a sequence of lessons that briefly describes material to be covered each week. The three sample lessons present specific concepts (the decision to declare war, treaty ratification argument, geography) that are expanded into classroom and homework assignments. Numerous resources (filmstrips, films, slides) are suggested for classroom use; many are readily accessible to New Haven Teachers.
(Recommended for use in High School U.S. History II classes.)
Key Words
American Foreign Policy 1898-1945 History Twentieth Century Wars