DISCUSSION QUESTIONS– AP US History II
Expanding Role of US in the World

Remini Chapter 7 and Brinkley Chapters 20, 22 and 23 – 25 pts.

*** Please refer to “How to Write the DQ Response” on your teacher’s webpage to guide you in formatting your response to your assigned question***

Numbers in parenthesis refer to chapters and subheadings in Brinkley. For example, to find 20.1.3 go to Chapter Twenty, first blue subheading, third red subheading.

DQ#1. (20.1, 20.2) Compare and contrast the old and new concepts of Manifest Destiny. Look especially at the economic, philosophical, and racial motives for overseas expansion. Topics should also include US involvement in Cuba and Hawaii prior to the Spanish American War. How did US involvement in Latin America and Hawaii contribute to America’s decision to declare war on Spain in 1898? What other factors also contributed to this decision? (POL-6, WOR-6)

DQ#2.(20.2, 20.3) Once war was declared, how did the American military mobilize? What were the problems that were revealed about the American military and how successful was the American government in correcting these problems? Analyze the positions both FOR and AGAINST the ratification of the Treaty of Paris in 1898. What weaknesses led to the ultimate defeat for the Anti-Imperialists at that time? (ID-3, WORL-7)

DQ#3. (20.3, 22.3 ) What were American interests in Asia during the late 19th/early 20th century? Speculate what effects this intervention could have in the decades that followed (through WWII). Also, examine why U.S. foreign policy towards the Caribbean/ Latin America (1903-1916) became more assertive and interventionist. (WOR-6, POL-6)

DQ#4. (23.1, 23.3, 23.4) Explain why President Wilson took the official position he did at the outbreak of war in Europe in August 1914. Chronologically trace the various forces that challenged his position between 1915-1917 culminating in a declaration of war in 1917. Outline various groups who opposed American entry into the war, the reasons for their opposition and the government’s reaction to such disunity in public opinion. Further, how did the American government mobilize the American home front for war? Make sure you include how minority groups and labor unions impacted the mobilization. (POL-6, WOR-7, ID-7)

DQ#5. (23.1-2, 27.3.1-2, 31.4.4-6, 31.5.1-2) Wilson won re-election with the slogan, “He kept us out of war,” how did his actions differ from his slogan? Post- election, how did Wilson move the country toward war? Compare to re-election campaigns of FDR and Lyndon B. Johnson. How did their beliefs about foreign US involvement in conflicts alter their message? (CUL-7, ID-7)