The Spanish American War & World War I

Submit fully-developed responses to the following questions. Your response to questions 1 & 2 should be at least 200 words each. Your response to question 3 should be at least 500 words in length. All responses should be a combination of solid research and personal evaluation of the data. Include references from books listed below in each response.

1. Explain why World War I is called a world war. Why did America wait too long to join the conflict? What role did the media play swaying public opinion for, or against, war? Why did World War I not prove to be, as many hoped, the war to end all wars?

2. American Ambassador John Hay, in writing to Theodore Roosevelt from London, called the Spanish-American War “a splendid little war.” Explain what you think Hay meant by this and how it reflected U.S. attitudes, especially in light of Yellow Journalism. What were the main differences between the Spanish-American War and either the Civil War or the Mexican War from an American perspective?

3. During World War I, did the Wilson administration achieve an appropriate balance between ensuring public safety and maintaining the civil liberties of Americans? How did the government treat dissenters during the conflict?

Mandatory References:

Kennedy, D. M. (2004). Over Here: The First World War and American Society. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
ISBN-13: 978-0195173994

Snow, D. M., & Drew, D. M. (2009). From Lexington to Baghdad and Beyond: War and Politics in the American Experience (3d ed.). Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe.
ISBN-13: 978-0765624031