This inquiry is set up to look at what motivated the United States in its foreign policy in the post-World War II/early Cold War era. The fear of communism not only dominated foreign policy, it also affected domestic policy and actions by the federal government. The lesson is focused on 1945-1960, but could be extended.  Also, this is a question that may fit other periods of US History such as the Red Scare following World War I or even more recent events such as 9/11—replacing terrorism (Islamic terrorism to be more specific) for communism.

In this lesson on the Spanish American War from Historical Thinking Matters, students will explore sources, webquests, and activities designed to help in answering the following essay question: "The explosion of the U.S.S. Maine caused the United States to invade Cuba in 1898. Use the documents provided and your own knowledge to evaluate this statement. Do you agree with this explanation of the causes of the Spanish American War? Why or why not? Use and cite evidence from the documents to support your analysis of this statement.”

Over a three day period students will examine the important foreign policy events since Vietnam.  The compelling question “Did presidents since 1975 succeed in making all Americans safer?” asks students to grapple with the challenges and achievements of six chief executives that led the nation through the unstable years after the Vietnam War.  This inquiry based project would ideally be included at the beginning or at the conclusion of Unit 8: Contemporary America. 

In this lesson, students will get an overview of the Iraq War through a montage from the PBS NewsHour and discuss views and knowledge of the Iraq War.

In 1950, North Korean forces, armed mainly with Soviet weapons, invaded South Korea in an effort to reunite the peninsula under communist rule. This lesson will introduce students to the conflict by having them read the most important administration documents related to it.

In this lesson, students will use political cartoons to become familiar with the purpose of, and controversy surrounding the League of Nations.

Using contemporary documents, students in this lesson explore the rise of animosity between the United States and Japan which began with Japan's "Twenty-One Demands" on China during World War I, and continued through the Manchurian Incident of 1931.

American foreign policy continues to resonate with the issues involved in the entry of the United States into World War I"”unilateralism versus foreign alliances, the responsibilities of power, the influence of the military-industrial complex on foreign policy, the use of force to accomplish idealistic goals. Understanding the choices the Wilson administration made and their consequences provides insight into international affairs in the years since the end of the Great War and beyond. In this lesson, students reconsider the events leading to U.S. entry into World War I through the lens of archival documents.

The Japanese conquest of Manchuria in 1931 was only the first step in what became a much larger campaign to create a pro-Japanese "buffer state" in North China. This lesson will examine the overall principles which underlay both Japanese and American foreign policy in the mid- to late-1930s.

This lesson plan examines the tensions and the sources of ultimate cohesion within the Grand Alliance during the period when eventual victory seemed uncertain.

Students examine examples of primary documents (and some secondary accounts) that illuminate key points in President Madison's letter. The lesson identifies 10 statements in the message about which students are likely to have questions, and it provides relevant materials. If students raise questions about other sections of the letter, class members may be able to locate pertinent documents on their own, once they become familiar with some of the sources available in the records of Congress.

Although it was the Japanese who attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, U.S. military planners decided that Germany, not Japan, was to be the primary target of operations. This lesson plan will focus on the overall strategies pursued by the Americans and their British allies in the initial months of World War II in Europe.

What is the most compelling evidence explaining why the U.S. entered World War I? After completing the lessons in this unit, students will be able to: Take a stand on a hypothesis for U.S. entry into World War I, supported by specific evidence.

For the Japanese leadership, events in Europe during the first half of 1940 offered new opportunities for resolving the war in China. In this lesson students will examine primary documents and maps to discover why Japan embarked on its "southern advance."

Although the campaign in the Mediterranean was successful in forcing Italy out of the war, Allied military planners by late 1943 had concluded that it would not be enough to defeat Nazi Germany. This lesson plan will focus on the overall strategy pursued by the Allies in the final months of World War II in Europe.

In August 1914, President Woodrow Wilson asked Americans to remain impartial in thought and deed toward the war that had just broken out in Europe. For almost three years, the President presided over a difficult, deteriorating neutrality, until finally the provocations could no longer be ignored or negotiated. In this lesson, students analyze one of the most significant moments in twentieth century U.S. foreign relations: Wilson's decision to enter World War I in order to make the world "safe for democracy."

In January 1918, less than one year after the United States entered World War I, President Woodrow Wilson announced his Fourteen Points to try to ensure permanent peace and to make the world safe for democracy.

Faced with crippling economic sanctions imposed by the United States, the Japanese government decided in September 1941 to prepare for war to seize the raw materials that they were now unable to obtain from America. Students in this lesson will put themselves in the shoes of U.S. and Japanese diplomats in the final months of 1941.

The U.S. victory over the Japanese Navy at Midway succeeded in stopping the Axis advance in the Pacific, and by early 1943 the Marines had driven the Japanese from Guadalcanal. This lesson will guide students through the military campaigns of the Pacific theater, tracing the path of the Allied offensives.

In this lesson, students will collaboratively analyze and compare editorial cartoons focusing on the Cold War and nuclear weapons. Students will identify the cartoonists' intentions and evaluate the effectiveness of the message of each cartoon. Then, they will put forward a three to five paragraph essay explaining the assign cartoon packets theme.