Oklahoma Social Studies USH.C.3.1
Standard Cluster
- USH.C.3
- 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.
Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies (2026) · USH.C.3
Cluster contents
Standards in This Cluster
USH.C.3.1 is a cluster heading. These are the individual standards under it.
- USH.C.3.1.A
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 expansio...
- USH.C.3.1.B
Compare the economic, religious, social, and political rationales for American imperialism, comparing the concept of Social Darwinism to arguments made by Anti-...
- USH.C.3.1.C
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...
- USH.C.3.1.D
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 influe...
- USH.C.3.1.E
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 nationa...
- USH.C.3.1.F
Assess the foreign policy of President Roosevelt’s “Big Stick” Diplomacy and his Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, influencing the acquisition and construction ...
- USH.C.3.1.G
Explain the focus of President Taft’s “Dollar Diplomacy” to ensure the financial stability of a region while protecting and extending national commercial intere...
- USH.C.3.1.H
Examine how President Wilson's ethical and religious beliefs influenced his vision of “Missionary Diplomacy” as the United States of America’s moral responsibil...
Teacher's field guide
What This Cluster Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students explain why U.S. leaders sought overseas markets, territory, and naval bases. They compare those goals with objections from U.S. critics and people living in the places affected. They trace how war and diplomacy changed U.S. power and other countries’ independence.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students link Hawaii to sugar interests and Mahan’s naval plans. They explain how sensational news built support for war with Spain, then distinguish Philippine resistance from Cuba’s limited independence. They contrast Social Darwinism with anti-imperialist arguments and compare Roosevelt’s force, Taft’s loans, and Wilson’s moral claims.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think the cause of the USS Maine explosion was proven, or that newspaper headlines alone caused the war with Spain. They may think Cuba and the Philippines both became U.S. states, or that people there welcomed U.S. control. They may mistake Wilson’s stated moral goals for a policy without military intervention.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Why did U.S. leaders seek Hawaii, and how did annexation affect Native Hawaiians? Use sugar interests, naval plans, and Queen Liliʻuokalani in your answer.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give students a blank map and sticky notes; have them mark Hawaii, Cuba, the Philippines, and Panama with a U.S. motive and local response.
Hand out short excerpts from Albert Beveridge, Mark Twain, and Emilio Aguinaldo; ask whose interests each writer defends.
Have pairs match Panama Canal, Nicaragua bank loans, and Veracruz occupation cards to Roosevelt, Taft, or Wilson, then explain each match.
Trace New York to San Francisco on a map with and without the Panama Canal; ask why control of the route mattered.
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Related Standards
- MWH.C.5.3.B
Describe the consequences of imperialism in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, i ncluding settler colonies, exploitation of natural resources, and reshaping of col...
- 6.C.6
Analyze economic systems of the world and how they impact the development of a nation and region.
- MWH.C.5.3
Evaluate the impact of industrialization on global imperialism.
- WG.C.6
Analyze the impact of industrialization on economic development.
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