EXPLORE:
Use the following activities to investigate related topics on the web.
Alternative 1: Deepening the Inquiry—Why did the US invade Cuba in 1898?
- Go to http://historymatters.gmu.edu/search.php. Enter “1898” into the space for “Keyword” and check the “Many Pasts” button on the bottom left-hand corner.
- Select two documents that tell you about the context of the time and that potentially influence your interpretation of the causes of the Spanish-American War.
- For each document, list:
- Its author,
- The time/place of origin
- The url where you found it.
- Read and analyze each document (Remember to use questions to source, contextualize, read closely, and corroborate as you read). Answer the following question for each document in one paragraph. (Total: 2 paragraphs).
- What (if anything) does this document suggest about the causes of the Spanish-American War?
- Explain using examples and quotes from the text.
Alternative 2: Broadening the Inquiry—the Philippines.
- Using the list of web sites below, find one primary document and one interpretive passage that sheds light on why the U.S. expanded the Spanish-American War to the Philippines. (Hint: you may need to use two different web sites.)
- Print or copy each document.
- Label the primary document, “Document 1.”
- Label the interpretive passage, “Document 2.”
- Write down the author(s), time/place of origin, and the url where you found each.
- Read and analyze each document (Remember to use questions to source, contextualize, read closely, and corroborate as you read). Answer the following questions:
- How can you tell Document 1 is a primary document? How can you tell Document 2 is an interpretive passage? Why might this distinction be important?
- Write a paragraph for each document: How useful is this document in understanding why the U.S. expanded the Spanish American War to the Philippines?
- Explain using examples and quotes from the text.