Reconstruction and the Age of American Imperialism

The graduate examines the major changes that defined the United States in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries.

INTRODUCTION

Over the course of the nineteenth century, the United States matured into a country with interests and influences extending beyond North America. Following the upheaval of the Civil War, Americans tried to reassemble their country and bring the states of the former Confederacy back into the Union. The decade of Reconstruction was characterized by contentious legislation and attempts to integrate African Americans into the political, economic, and social frameworks of the United States. The Second Industrial Revolution reached its height during the second half of the century as well. New innovations in manufacturing, transportation, and communication accelerated the growth of consumer culture and changed the standard of living in the United States. As the nineteenth century drew to a close, the United States became an overseas empire, fighting wars with European powers over territorial influence and acquiring colonial possessions of its own.

In this assessment, you will examine the legal and social changes that took place during Reconstruction in the United States. You will also consider the ways that industrialization and imperialism contributed to the emergence of the United States as an international power during the late nineteenth century.

REQUIREMENTS

Your submission must be your original work. No more than a combined total of 30% of the submission and no more than a 10% match to any one individual source can be directly quoted or closely paraphrased from sources, even if cited correctly. An originality report is provided when you submit your task that can be used as a guide. 

You must use the rubric to direct the creation of your submission because it provides detailed criteria that will be used to evaluate your work. Each requirement below may be evaluated by more than one rubric aspect. The rubric aspect titles may contain hyperlinks to relevant portions of the course. 

A. Explain (suggested length of 2–3 paragraphs) the role of American imperialism in leading the United States into two of the following conflicts: 

• Hawaiian Annexation 

• War in the Philippines 

• Spanish-American War 

• World War I 

B. Provide acknowledgment of source information, using in-text citations and references, for quoted, paraphrased, or summarized content. 

1. Include the following information when providing source references: 

• author 

•  date 

•  title 

•  location of information (e.g., publisher, journal, or website URL)