Choose one of the following topics and write an essay. Some areas for you to consider including in writing your essay are provided – you are not limited to these. Post your essay as a New Thread by Thursday.

From Isolation to Expansion after the Civil War

• Describe the United States’ movement from isolationism to expansion-mindedness in the final decades of the nineteenth century. What ideas and philosophies underpinned this transformation?
• What specific forces or interests transformed the relationship between the United States and the rest of the world between 1865 and 1890?

Big Stick vs Dollar Diplomacy

• How did Taft’s “dollar diplomacy” differ from Roosevelt’s “big stick” policy? Was one approach more or less successful than the other? How so?
• What economic and political conditions had to exist for Taft’s “dollar diplomacy” to be effective?

The U.S. moves toward global leadership

• What factors conspired to propel the United States to emerge as a military and economic powerhouse prior to World War II?
• Why was the peace process at the war’s end so lengthy? What complications did Wilson encounter in his attempts to promote the process and realize his postwar vision?

The after effects of WWI at home

• What changes did the war bring to the everyday lives of Americans? How lasting were these changes?
• What new opportunities did the war present for women and African Americans? What limitations did these groups continue to face in spite of these opportunities?