Oklahoma Social Studies USH.C.3.1.C
The Standard
- 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.
- USH.C.3.1
- Evaluate the impact of Imperialism on international relations and its effect on developing nations.
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.
Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies (2026) · USH.C.3.1
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students explain why U.S. leaders wanted Hawaii for sugar trade and as a naval base in the Pacific. They connect the military argument to Alfred Thayer Mahan’s call for a strong navy and overseas bases.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can give a separate economic and military reason for annexation. They can explain why Hawaii’s location fit Mahan’s plan and note that many Hawaiians opposed annexation.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may treat the 1893 overthrow of Hawaii’s queen and the 1898 annexation as the same event. They may also assume Hawaiians agreed to annexation or think Mahan’s argument was mainly about sugar.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Give one economic reason and one military reason U.S. leaders gave for annexing Hawaii. Explain how Mahan’s ideas support the military reason.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs a Pacific map; have them trace a route from San Francisco to Manila and circle Hawaii as a possible naval stop.
Read short excerpts from Mahan and an 1897 Hawaiian petition against annexation, then discuss whose interests each document represents.
Have teams sort cards labeled sugar sales, tariff access, naval station, ship refueling, and trade routes into economic or military reasons.
Use a current Pacific shipping map to locate Hawaii, then ask students how its position could matter to trade and defense.
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