Oklahoma Social Studies USH.C.3

Standard Cluster

Analyze the expanding role of the United States of America in international affairs as the United States of America was transformed into a world power in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Evaluate the impact of Imperialism on international relations and its effect on developing nations. Explain the rise of the United States of America as a world power amidst debates over the United States of America’s role in world affairs and overseas expansion. Compare the economic, religious, social, and political rationales for American imperialism, comparing the concept of Social Darwinism to arguments made by Anti-Imperialists and colonial responses. Explain the economic and military justifications for the annexation of Hawaii, including the impact of Admiral Alfred T. Mahan’s vision for American naval power. Identify the events that led many people in the United States of America to support going to war with Spain, assessing how yellow journalism and jingoism influenced public opinion. Examine how the Spanish-American War resulted in the rise of the United States as a world power, leading to new territorial acquisitions and followed by national insurrections in Cuba and the Philippines. Assess the foreign policy of President Roosevelt’s “Big Stick” Diplomacy and his Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, influencing the acquisition and construction of the Panama Canal. Explain the focus of President Taft’s “Dollar Diplomacy” to ensure the financial stability of a region while protecting and extending national commercial interests. Examine how President Wilson's ethical and religious beliefs influenced his vision of “Missionary Diplomacy” as the United States of America’s moral responsibility to spread the benefits of democracy to emerging nations. Evaluate the long-term impact of the United States’ entry into World War I on national politics, the economy, and society. Examine the justification for the United States of America’s movement from neutrality to engagement in World War I by explaining the intent and impact of the Zimmermann Telegram and threats to international trade caused by unrestricted submarine warfare. Identify the Selective Service Act as a means to mobilize armed forces to support allied nations of the Triple Entente during the First World War. Describe the purpose of the Espionage Act and Sedition Act within the context of the First Red Scare and its impact on individual liberties, such as the imprisonment of anti-war critics and activists, the Palmer Raids, and the Sacco-Vanzetti trials. Explain how the American Expeditionary Forces, economic support, and the production of armaments helped turn the tide of war, leading to an Allied victory. Analyze the impact of the war on the home front including the use of propaganda, women’s increased role in industry, the marshaling of industrial production, and the Great Migration. Examine Wilson’s foreign policy as proposed in his Fourteen Points and reasons for the nation’s return to isolationism highlighted by the Senate’s rejection of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles and the proposed League of Nations.

Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies (2026)