Alabama Social Studies SS24.US2.1d
The Standard
- SS24.US2.1
- Summarize conflicting viewpoints over the United States’ role in the world from the Spanish-American War to its entry into World War I.
Compare and contrast the arguments of those in the United States who advocated for preparedness and those who sought neutrality from 1914 to 1917.
2024 Alabama Course of Study: Social Studies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students explain why some Americans wanted stronger defenses while others urged the country to stay out of World War I. They compare the reasons behind each view and find where the views overlapped.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given a 1916 argument, a student can tell whether it calls for military readiness, staying out of war, or both. They can explain that supporting troop training did not always mean supporting entry into the war.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may treat military preparation as a call to declare war. They may also assume that staying neutral meant opposing all military defense.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: In 1916, one neighbor wants more military training, while another wants to avoid war in Europe. Give one reason for each view, then explain how someone could agree with both.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Pin cards for the Lusitania sinking, National Defense Act, and Zimmermann telegram to a paper timeline; annotate which arguments each event strengthened.
Ask: Could someone favor military training in 1916 and still oppose entering the war? Write a claim with two reasons.
Play a three-pile claim sort: readiness, neutrality, or both; use cards saying 'train soldiers,' 'avoid European war,' and 'protect Americans at sea.'
Show a school fire-drill plan and ask whether preparing for danger means wanting it; compare that answer with a 1916 preparedness argument.
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Related Standards
- SS24.US2.1
Summarize conflicting viewpoints over the United States’ role in the world from the Spanish-American War to its entry into World War I.
- SS24.US2.6a
Summarize the United States’ foreign policies of isolationism and internationalism as World War II began and explain how the bombing of Pearl Harbor affected th...
- SS24.US2.2d
Compare the reasons given by opposing sides in the debate over whether the United States should ratify the Treaty of Versailles (1919).
- SS24.US2.7b
Compare and contrast the roles and leadership of United States leaders in securing victory for the Allied powers during World War II.
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