NY Social Studies 8.3c

Social Studies8th GradeKey Idea 8.3

The Standard

Interest in Pacific trade contributed to an increase in United States foreign interactions.

New York State K–12 Social Studies Framework

Key Idea 8.3

EXPANSION AND IMPERIALISM: Beginning in the second half of the 19th century, economic, political, and cultural factors contributed to a push for westward expansion and more aggressive United States foreign policy.

Teacher's field guide

What This Standard Means

What Students Need to Do: Students trace how business interests, military strategy, Native Hawaiian resistance, and United States officials shaped Hawaii’s annexation. They explain the goals and effects of the Open Door Policy in China.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students build a clear cause-and-effect account using evidence from maps, timelines, and short primary sources. They distinguish stated trade goals from effects on Hawaiian and Chinese sovereignty.
Common Misconceptions: Students may assume most Native Hawaiians supported annexation or that Hawaii joined the United States through a fair vote. They may think the Open Door Policy gave China equal power rather than protecting foreign trade access.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: Explain one trade motive and one political effect for both Hawaii’s annexation and the Open Door Policy. Use one specific detail for each.

Lesson moves

Ways to Teach It

Give pairs six Hawaii event cards to sequence, label each actor’s goal, and mark where annexation became possible.
Write: Was Hawaii’s annexation driven more by trade, military strategy, or political power? Defend one claim with two document details.
Sort cards into Open Door goals, policy terms, and effects, then challenge another group to correct one deliberate mismatch.
Use a current Pacific shipping map to identify Hawaii’s location, then explain why that location attracted United States leaders in the 1890s.

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