4th Edition
Beyond Manifest Destiny: America Enters the Age of Imperialism gives students the opportunity to participate in a critical decision of our nation's history. The period examined in the unit -- the Spanish-American War and its aftermath -- is especially relevant to the United States today. As we enter the 21st century, America is pondering who we are as a nation and which values should shape our future. Race and class divisions continue to be enmeshed with questions involving economic and foreign policy.

In the late 1890s, the Spanish-American War and its aftermath brought many of these same concerns to the forefront of American society. In an era of jarring economic, technological, and social change, Americans were compelled to re-examine their national identity and their country's role in the world. The decisions that emerged from the period formed the foundation for America's dominant role in world politics and economics in the 20th century. Pearl Harbor, the Cuban missile crisis, our experience in Vietnam, and even the current debate over trade with China all stem from actions taken in 1898-99. By weighing the values underlying the policy choices at the end of the nineteenth century, students gain a better understanding of the historical context of our country's current interactions with nations abroad.