Reading Like a Historian: U.S. Entry into WWI
(View Complete Item Description)In this lesson, designed to follow a more general lesson on the causes and warring parties of WWI, students analyze primary source documents in an effort to answer the central historical question: Why did the U.S. enter World War I? The teacher begins with a mini-lesson on Woodrow Wilson. Students then read 2 Wilson documents: 1) a 1914 speech urging American neutrality and 2) WilsonŰŞs 1917 speech on the U.S. entry into the war. Students then read their class textbookŰŞs explanation for the end of U.S. neutrality, followed by an excerpt from Howard ZinnŰŞs PeopleŰŞs History of the United States. For all documents, students answer guiding questions which stress contextualization and close reading. A final class discussion evaluates ZinnŰŞs views and compares them to the other sources.
Material Type: Lesson
