How the United States became a world power, 1898–1914

Grade 11 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Mahan's argument, 1890

   [1] (economic cause, dotted) Mahan: the United States will need foreign markets for its goods; [2] (strategic cause, striped) Mahan: a fleet needs naval bases and coaling stations; [3] (event or result, plain) 1890: Mahan publishes The Influence of Sea Power upon History; [4] (political cause, checked) Leaders such as Theodore Roosevelt favor a stronger navy and bases overseas. Arrows: 1 → 3, 2 → 3, 3 → 4. Shading key: an economic cause (dotted) is about trade, markets, goods or money; a strategic cause (striped) is about military position: bases, fleets, routes, rivals' power or defense; a political cause (checked) is about governments, laws, votes, public opinion or who rules; an event or result is plain. Source card "Mahan on what makes a sea power". Who made it: Captain Alfred T. Mahan, president of the Naval War College. When: 1890. Where: Newport and Boston. For whom: readers of his book, including naval officers and leaders. Why: to explain how sea power shaped nations. Excerpt (The Influence of Sea Power upon History, chapter I; The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1890, p. 28): "In these three things — production, with the necessity of exchanging products, shipping, whereby the exchange is carried on, and colonies, which facilitate and enlarge the operations of shipping and tend to protect it by multiplying points of safety — is to be found the key to much of the history, as well as of the policy, of nations bordering upon the sea." Source card "Mahan's argument, in brief". Who made it: historians and textbooks writing today. When: today. Where: the United States. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what is known. Summary in our words, not a quotation: Alfred Thayer Mahan wrote a book of 1890, The Influence of Sea Power upon History. He studied how Britain's control of the seas had helped make it a great power. He told Americans that their factories would soon make more than home buyers could use, so they needed foreign markets, merchant ships to carry goods, a battleship navy to protect them, and naval bases and coaling stations to fuel the fleet. Leaders such as Theodore Roosevelt, then Assistant Secretary of the Navy, took up his ideas.

2. 1.

   Kira reads Mahan's sentence of 1890. In plain words, what does it name as the key to much of the history of nations on the sea?

   • Armies to hold land, forts to guard it, and treaties to keep the peace
   • Goods to trade, ships to carry them, and colonies that protect the ships
   • Warships alone, since the winners of sea battles shape the history of nations
   • Ships and colonies alone, since trade takes care of itself

3. The Philippines, 1898 and 1899

   [1] (economic cause, dotted) Some Americans want business chances in Asia; [2] (strategic cause, striped) Some Americans fear that Germany or Japan will take the islands if the United States does not; [3] (political cause, checked) Some Americans doubt that Filipinos can govern themselves, a view supporters of annexation gave; [4] (event or result, plain) December 10, 1898: in the Treaty of Paris, Spain cedes the Philippines and the United States pays $20 million; [5] (political cause, checked) Emilio Aguinaldo's government wants independence, not a new colonial ruler; [6] (event or result, plain) February 4, 1899: fighting breaks out between American forces and Filipino nationalists. Arrows: 1 → 4, 2 → 4, 3 → 4, 4 → 6, 5 → 6. Shading key: an economic cause (dotted) is about trade, markets, goods or money; a strategic cause (striped) is about military position: bases, fleets, routes, rivals' power or defense; a political cause (checked) is about governments, laws, votes, public opinion or who rules; an event or result is plain. Source card "The Treaty of Paris, Articles II and III". Who made it: the United States and Spain, in the treaty their commissioners signed. When: December 10, 1898. Where: Paris. For whom: the two governments, the Senate and the public. Why: to end the war and settle who would rule the islands. Excerpt (Treaty of Peace, Articles II and III; Treaty of Peace, 1898, 30 Stat. 1754): "ARTICLE II. Spain cedes to the United States the island of Porto Rico and other islands now under Spanish sovereignty in the West Indies, and the island of Guam in the Marianas or Ladrones. ARTICLE III. Spain cedes to the United States the archipelago known as the Philippine Islands … The United States will pay to Spain the sum of twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) within three months after the exchange of the ratifications of the present treaty."

4. 2.

   Luz reads Articles II and III of the Treaty of Paris. In plain words, what does the excerpt say Spain did with Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines?

   • Spain kept all three islands and let the United States trade there for $20 million
   • Spain sold Puerto Rico and Guam for $20 million and gave the Philippines away
   • Spain ceded all three to the United States, which was to pay Spain $20 million
   • Spain ceded Puerto Rico and Guam, then paid the United States $20 million for the Philippines

5. The Philippines, 1898 and 1899

   [1] (economic cause, dotted) Some Americans want business chances in Asia; [2] (strategic cause, striped) Some Americans fear that Germany or Japan will take the islands if the United States does not; [3] (political cause, checked) Some Americans doubt that Filipinos can govern themselves, a view supporters of annexation gave; [4] (event or result, plain) December 10, 1898: in the Treaty of Paris, Spain cedes the Philippines and the United States pays $20 million; [5] (political cause, checked) Emilio Aguinaldo's government wants independence, not a new colonial ruler; [6] (event or result, plain) February 4, 1899: fighting breaks out between American forces and Filipino nationalists. Arrows: 1 → 4, 2 → 4, 3 → 4, 4 → 6, 5 → 6. Shading key: an economic cause (dotted) is about trade, markets, goods or money; a strategic cause (striped) is about military position: bases, fleets, routes, rivals' power or defense; a political cause (checked) is about governments, laws, votes, public opinion or who rules; an event or result is plain. Source card "The Philippines, 1898 to 1899, in brief". Who made it: historians and textbooks writing today. When: today. Where: the United States. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what is known. Summary in our words, not a quotation: Under the Treaty of Paris, Spain handed over the Philippines, and the United States paid Spain $20 million. Americans who wanted to keep the islands gave several reasons: business chances in Asia, a belief that Filipinos could not govern themselves, and fear that Germany or Japan would take the islands. Opponents also had several reasons. Some thought colonial rule was wrong in itself, some objected to Filipinos, who were not white, sharing in the government of the nation, and some simply opposed President McKinley. Emilio Aguinaldo's forces had already taken most of Luzon and declared an independent Philippine Republic. Fighting began on February 4, 1899, two days before the Senate ratified the treaty. Americans called the war an insurrection. Filipinos said they were fighting off a foreign invader.

6. 3.

   Noah reads the Philippines chain and card. Besides the Treaty of Paris, which cause has an arrow into the fighting of February 4, 1899?

   • Aguinaldo's government wants independence, not a new ruler
   • Some Americans want business chances in Asia for their goods
   • The Senate ratifies the treaty with one vote to spare on February 6
   • Some Americans doubt that Filipinos can govern themselves

7. The Open Door notes, 1899 and 1900

   [1] (economic cause, dotted) American traders want equal chances to sell in China's markets; [2] (strategic cause, striped) Other powers hold spheres of influence in China, and the United States holds no territory there; [3] (event or result, plain) September 6, 1899: Hay sends the first Open Door note to the great powers; [4] (event or result, plain) 1900: the Boxer uprising in China brings foreign armies to Beijing; [5] (strategic cause, striped) Fear that the powers will use the uprising to divide China into colonies; [6] (event or result, plain) July 3, 1900: Hay's second note asks the powers to respect China's territorial and administrative integrity. Arrows: 1 → 3, 2 → 3, 4 → 5, 5 → 6. Shading key: an economic cause (dotted) is about trade, markets, goods or money; a strategic cause (striped) is about military position: bases, fleets, routes, rivals' power or defense; a political cause (checked) is about governments, laws, votes, public opinion or who rules; an event or result is plain. Source card "The Open Door notes, in brief". Who made it: historians and textbooks writing today. When: today. Where: the United States. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what is known. Summary in our words, not a quotation: In September 1899 Secretary of State John Hay asked Britain, France, Germany, Russia and Japan to keep trade in China open to merchants of every nation, with Chinese tariffs applying to all and collected by China. No power openly refused, and Hay announced that all had agreed, though Russia added so many conditions that it hardly counted. In 1900 the Boxer uprising spread in China, and foreign armies marched to the capital. Hay's second note, on July 3, 1900, stressed China's territorial and administrative integrity. The notes asked for no formal agreement and could not be enforced. At the same time, the United States was shutting its own door to Chinese immigrants.

8. 4.

   Pia reads the Open Door chain and card. What did the Boxer uprising and the fear it raised lead Hay to do in 1900?

   • Send the first Open Door note to the great powers, asking for equal trade
   • Order United States troops to take a part of China for American traders
   • Ask the powers to divide China into zones where each could trade alone
   • Send a second note asking the powers to respect China's integrity

9. The overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, 1887 to 1894

   [1] (political cause, checked) 1887: a constitution forced on King Kalakaua takes power and rights from many Native Hawaiians; [2] (political cause, checked) 1891: Liliʻuokalani becomes queen and wants a new constitution that restores Hawaiian rights; [3] (event or result, plain) January 16, 1893: armed forces from a United States warship take positions near the government buildings at Honolulu; [4] (event or result, plain) January 17, 1893: a Committee of Safety deposes the monarchy; [5] (event or result, plain) The Queen yields her authority to the United States, not to the new government, and asks the United States to undo the change; [6] (event or result, plain) 1894: the new government becomes the Republic of Hawaii. Arrows: 1 → 4, 2 → 4, 3 → 4, 4 → 5, 4 → 6. Shading key: an economic cause (dotted) is about trade, markets, goods or money; a strategic cause (striped) is about military position: bases, fleets, routes, rivals' power or defense; a political cause (checked) is about governments, laws, votes, public opinion or who rules; an event or result is plain. Source card "The Queen explains why she yielded". Who made it: Liliuokalani, who had been Queen of Hawaii. When: June 17, 1897 (printed in her book of 1898). Where: Washington. For whom: the United States government, and later readers of her book. Why: to protest the treaty of annexation. Excerpt (Hawaii's Story, chapter LV, My Official Protest to the Treaty; Hawaii's Story, 1898, p. 354): "Because that protest and my communications to the United States Government immediately thereafter expressly declare that I yielded my authority to the forces of the United States in order to avoid bloodshed, and because I recognized the futility of a conflict with so formidable a power."

10. 5.

    Ren reads the Queen's words. According to the Queen, why did she yield her authority in 1893?

    • Because her people had voted at a meeting to join the United States
    • Because she wished to give up the throne for good and live in retirement
    • Because she wanted to spare lives in a fight she could not win
    • Because she accepted the new government as lawful and wished it well

11. The Philippines, 1898 and 1899

    [1] (economic cause, dotted) Some Americans want business chances in Asia; [2] (strategic cause, striped) Some Americans fear that Germany or Japan will take the islands if the United States does not; [3] (political cause, checked) Some Americans doubt that Filipinos can govern themselves, a view supporters of annexation gave; [4] (event or result, plain) December 10, 1898: in the Treaty of Paris, Spain cedes the Philippines and the United States pays $20 million; [5] (political cause, checked) Emilio Aguinaldo's government wants independence, not a new colonial ruler; [6] (event or result, plain) February 4, 1899: fighting breaks out between American forces and Filipino nationalists. Arrows: 1 → 4, 2 → 4, 3 → 4, 4 → 6, 5 → 6. Shading key: an economic cause (dotted) is about trade, markets, goods or money; a strategic cause (striped) is about military position: bases, fleets, routes, rivals' power or defense; a political cause (checked) is about governments, laws, votes, public opinion or who rules; an event or result is plain. Source card "The Philippines, 1898 to 1899, in brief". Who made it: historians and textbooks writing today. When: today. Where: the United States. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what is known. Summary in our words, not a quotation: Under the Treaty of Paris, Spain handed over the Philippines, and the United States paid Spain $20 million. Americans who wanted to keep the islands gave several reasons: business chances in Asia, a belief that Filipinos could not govern themselves, and fear that Germany or Japan would take the islands. Opponents also had several reasons. Some thought colonial rule was wrong in itself, some objected to Filipinos, who were not white, sharing in the government of the nation, and some simply opposed President McKinley. Emilio Aguinaldo's forces had already taken most of Luzon and declared an independent Philippine Republic. Fighting began on February 4, 1899, two days before the Senate ratified the treaty. Americans called the war an insurrection. Filipinos said they were fighting off a foreign invader.

12. 6.

    Tala sorts three causes from the Philippines chain with the shading key. Which list gives each cause its kind?

    • business chances: strategic; fear of Germany or Japan: political; doubt about self-government: economic
    • business chances: economic; fear of Germany or Japan: political; doubt about self-government: strategic
    • business chances: economic; fear of Germany or Japan: strategic; doubt about self-government: political
    • business chances: political; fear of Germany or Japan: economic; doubt about self-government: strategic

13. The Open Door notes, 1899 and 1900

    [1] (economic cause, dotted) American traders want equal chances to sell in China's markets; [2] (strategic cause, striped) Other powers hold spheres of influence in China, and the United States holds no territory there; [3] (event or result, plain) September 6, 1899: Hay sends the first Open Door note to the great powers; [4] (event or result, plain) 1900: the Boxer uprising in China brings foreign armies to Beijing; [5] (strategic cause, striped) Fear that the powers will use the uprising to divide China into colonies; [6] (event or result, plain) July 3, 1900: Hay's second note asks the powers to respect China's territorial and administrative integrity. Arrows: 1 → 3, 2 → 3, 4 → 5, 5 → 6. Shading key: an economic cause (dotted) is about trade, markets, goods or money; a strategic cause (striped) is about military position: bases, fleets, routes, rivals' power or defense; a political cause (checked) is about governments, laws, votes, public opinion or who rules; an event or result is plain. Source card "The Open Door notes, in brief". Who made it: historians and textbooks writing today. When: today. Where: the United States. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what is known. Summary in our words, not a quotation: In September 1899 Secretary of State John Hay asked Britain, France, Germany, Russia and Japan to keep trade in China open to merchants of every nation, with Chinese tariffs applying to all and collected by China. No power openly refused, and Hay announced that all had agreed, though Russia added so many conditions that it hardly counted. In 1900 the Boxer uprising spread in China, and foreign armies marched to the capital. Hay's second note, on July 3, 1900, stressed China's territorial and administrative integrity. The notes asked for no formal agreement and could not be enforced. At the same time, the United States was shutting its own door to Chinese immigrants.

14. 7.

    Zee sorts three boxes from the Open Door chain with the shading key. Which list gives each box its kind?

    • equal chances to sell: political; spheres of influence: strategic; fear of dividing China: strategic
    • equal chances to sell: economic; spheres of influence: political; fear of dividing China: economic
    • equal chances to sell: strategic; spheres of influence: economic; fear of dividing China: political
    • equal chances to sell: economic; spheres of influence: strategic; fear of dividing China: strategic

15. The Roosevelt Corollary, 1904

    [1] (political cause, checked) The Monroe Doctrine of 1823 asks European powers not to extend their influence in the Americas; [2] (economic cause, dotted) Venezuela owes money to its creditors; [3] (strategic cause, striped) Roosevelt fears that European powers will invade Venezuela over its debts; [4] (event or result, plain) December 1904: Roosevelt says the United States may act as an international police power in the hemisphere; [5] (event or result, plain) Later years: the corollary is used to justify United States action in Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. Arrows: 1 → 4, 2 → 3, 3 → 4, 4 → 5. Shading key: an economic cause (dotted) is about trade, markets, goods or money; a strategic cause (striped) is about military position: bases, fleets, routes, rivals' power or defense; a political cause (checked) is about governments, laws, votes, public opinion or who rules; an event or result is plain. Source card "Venezuela and the Corollary, in brief". Who made it: historians and textbooks writing today. When: today. Where: the United States. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what is known. Summary in our words, not a quotation: In the early 1900s Venezuela owed money to its creditors, and Roosevelt worried that European powers might invade it. In his December 1904 message he said the United States might have to act as an international police power as a last resort. Over time the corollary mattered less for Europe than for the Americas: it was used to justify United States action in Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

16. 8.

    Ari sorts three boxes from the Roosevelt Corollary chain with the shading key. Which list gives each box its kind?

    • the Monroe Doctrine: political; Venezuela's debts: strategic; fear of invasion: economic
    • the Monroe Doctrine: strategic; Venezuela's debts: economic; fear of invasion: political
    • the Monroe Doctrine: economic; Venezuela's debts: political; fear of invasion: strategic
    • the Monroe Doctrine: political; Venezuela's debts: economic; fear of invasion: strategic

17. The Open Door notes, 1899 and 1900

    [1] (economic cause, dotted) American traders want equal chances to sell in China's markets; [2] (strategic cause, striped) Other powers hold spheres of influence in China, and the United States holds no territory there; [3] (event or result, plain) September 6, 1899: Hay sends the first Open Door note to the great powers; [4] (event or result, plain) 1900: the Boxer uprising in China brings foreign armies to Beijing; [5] (strategic cause, striped) Fear that the powers will use the uprising to divide China into colonies; [6] (event or result, plain) July 3, 1900: Hay's second note asks the powers to respect China's territorial and administrative integrity. Arrows: 1 → 3, 2 → 3, 4 → 5, 5 → 6. Shading key: an economic cause (dotted) is about trade, markets, goods or money; a strategic cause (striped) is about military position: bases, fleets, routes, rivals' power or defense; a political cause (checked) is about governments, laws, votes, public opinion or who rules; an event or result is plain. Timeline strip from 1895 to 1905, with a mark every 5 years. A: Cubans begin the fight that leads to war in 1898, 1895. B: The Treaty of Paris is signed, 1898. C: The Philippine-American War begins, 1899. D: Hay sends his second Open Door note, 1900. E: Roosevelt declares the Philippine war over, 1902. F: Panama declares independence, 1903. G: The Roosevelt Corollary is announced, 1904.

18. 9.

    Esme sorts three events from the strip. Which list puts them in order, earliest first?

    • The Philippine-American War begins, Panama declares independence, Hay sends his second note
    • Hay sends his second note, the Philippine-American War begins, Panama declares independence
    • Panama declares independence, the Philippine-American War begins, Hay sends his second note
    • The Philippine-American War begins, Hay sends his second note, Panama declares independence

19. The Philippines, 1898 and 1899

    [1] (economic cause, dotted) Some Americans want business chances in Asia; [2] (strategic cause, striped) Some Americans fear that Germany or Japan will take the islands if the United States does not; [3] (political cause, checked) Some Americans doubt that Filipinos can govern themselves, a view supporters of annexation gave; [4] (event or result, plain) December 10, 1898: in the Treaty of Paris, Spain cedes the Philippines and the United States pays $20 million; [5] (political cause, checked) Emilio Aguinaldo's government wants independence, not a new colonial ruler; [6] (event or result, plain) February 4, 1899: fighting breaks out between American forces and Filipino nationalists. Arrows: 1 → 4, 2 → 4, 3 → 4, 4 → 6, 5 → 6. Shading key: an economic cause (dotted) is about trade, markets, goods or money; a strategic cause (striped) is about military position: bases, fleets, routes, rivals' power or defense; a political cause (checked) is about governments, laws, votes, public opinion or who rules; an event or result is plain. Timeline strip from 1895 to 1905, with a mark every 5 years. A: Cubans begin the fight that leads to war in 1898, 1895. B: The Treaty of Paris is signed, 1898. C: The Philippine-American War begins, 1899. D: Hay sends his second Open Door note, 1900. E: Roosevelt declares the Philippine war over, 1902. F: Panama declares independence, 1903. G: The Roosevelt Corollary is announced, 1904.

20. 10.

    Jun uses the strip to date the Philippine-American War from its first fighting to Roosevelt's declaration that it was over. How many years is that?

    • 5
    • 4
    • 7
    • 3