Why did President McKinley agonize so over his decision to go to war? The nation clamored for war, and Spain was weak. Organize several students into two groups. One group will investigate the circumstances under which McKinley made his decision, take a position either for or against the decision, and prepare a defense of the position that they take. The second group will deal with a speculative question. What do they think that McKinley might have done at the time of the Ostend Manifesto or of the invasion of Panama in 1990? Either question should provoke a lively response from others in the class. See H. Wayne Morgan, America's Road to Empire: The War with Spain and Overseas Expansion (1965); Lewis L. Gould, The Spanish-American War and President McKinley (1982); John Offner, An Unwanted War (1992); and Thomas G. Paterson and Stephen C. Rabe, The United States Abroad, 1890s-Early 1900s (1992).

Should the Constitution follow the flag? Is it not reasonable that someone under the authority of the United States should receive the protection of its laws? On the other hand, is it not reasonable that the rights of the inhabitants of American dependencies should be restricted unless Congress decides otherwise? Ask several students to study the Insular Cases and prepare to debate the issue before the class. Consult James E. Kerr, The Insular Cases: The Role of the Judiciary in American Expansionism (1981).

José Martí is a Cuban national hero, yet he is little known to the North American public. Emilio Aguinaldo is also an unknown. Both men exemplify some of the characteristics that Americans value in their own heroic leaders. Have students choose one of the two men and write a one-page biographical sketch and a statement defending or opposing their subject's political work. See Stuart C. Miller, Benevolent Assimilation: The American Conquest of the Philippines, 1899-1903 (1982), and Edward Gonzalez, editor, José Martí and the Cuban Revolution Retraced (1986).

The acquisition of the rights to the Panama Canal by the United States is not a pretty story. Have students look into the matter and then have each student, assuming the role of an undersecretary of state, write a letter to President Roosevelt offering advice on what the United States should do. The timing of the letter should be the moment of the Colombian Senate's rejection of the Hay-Herrán Treaty. The chapter bibliography provides excellent suggestions. For a less detailed account, see George E. Mowry, The Era of Theodore Roosevelt and the Birth of Modern America, 1900-1912 (1958), Chapter 8.