Contemporary History World at War: United States As a Global Power

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Learning Objectives

Students will be able to explain how the United States became a global power.
Students will understand the pros and cons of isolationism in U.S. foreign policy.

Length

One 45 minute period

Grade Level

High School

Materials

How Did the United States Become a Global Power?

Essential Events Between 1900 and 1945

Guided Reading Handout

Presentation

Homework

Students will complete Part 1 of the Guided Reading Handout related to How Did the United States Become a Global Power?

Class

(5 Minutes) Homework Debrief
(15 Minutes) Jigsaw Timeline: Break students into 5 groups and assign each a section of Essential Events Between 1900 and 1945. There are 25 events listed on the timeline so each group will look at 5 events. Students should jot down brief notes making a connection to how each event might be tied to the United States growing as a global power. These notes are meant to inform the activity during the second half of class as well as the homework. Note: In several cases, there is a clear connection to the United States. In others, it is indirect (i.e. Sykes Picot Agreement, Bolshevik Revolution).
- Group 1: 1898 Spanish American War - 1914 Panama Canal
- Group 2: 1915 Second Battle of Ypres - 1917/1920 World War I Influences Suffrage Movement
- Group 3: 1918 Armistice Day - 1933 Hitler Named Chancellor
- Group 4: 1935 Second Italo-Ethiopian War - 1941/45 The Holocaust
- Group 5: 1941 Pearl Harbor - 1945 Atomic Bombs
(25 Minutes) Activity: Students will recombine into heterogeneous groups (one member from each group listed above). Draw students’ attention to the question raised at the end of “How Did the United States Become a Global Power?”: What is the United States’ place in the world today?
- Introduce the idea that the United States has typically moved back and forth along an axis from isolationism to global engagement in its response to that question.
- Working in small groups using the attached graphic organizer, have students brainstorm potential arguments for a more isolationist stance and for a more globally engaged stance. For each argument, ask students to cite a historical example.

Homework

Students will individually write a short op-ed article advising the president on what the United States’ place in the world today should be. Whichever position they choose, ask them to cite historical examples supporting their argument.
- In addition to material covered in class, they may also consider looking at “Why Did World War II Happen?” or Isolationism Versus Engagement

Vocabulary

alliance: an official partnership between two or more parties based on cooperation in pursuit of a common goal, generally involving security or defense.
bilateral: an agreement undertaken between two entities, generally countries.
civil war: a war among groups inside of one country.
communist: governments or individuals that follow the philosophy of communism or their interpretation of it.
gross domestic product: a measure of a country’s economic output determined by the value of goods and services it produces in a given year.
insurgency: a rebellion, the primary goal of which is to overthrow or delegitimize a government.
multilateral: undertaken among three or more entities, usually countries. The term frequently describes organizations such as the United Nations (UN).