The Spanish-American War marks a large shift in U.S. foreign policy. After this war, the U.S. became an imperial power. In at least 250 words, make a claim as to whether or not becoming an imperial power was good for the country, by following these directions:

1. Research on your own and find a primary source on U.S. imperialism. Consider looking for information on one of the countries that became U.S. protectorates.
   1. A primary source is an original document or artifact that comes from the period of time being studied
   2. Someone from that time period actually wrote, created, or used the object the historian is studying
2. Using the information from your primary source, and the information from the lesson, develop a claim as to whether or not imperialism was good for the U.S.
3. Fulfill the following concerning your claim:
   1. Your claim should clearly state why imperialism was, or was not, beneficial for the U.S.
   2. Your claim must have supporting statements that are original ideas, as well as facts and evidence from your source, and information from the lesson, that supports it.
   3. You must have a counterclaim that refutes your claim. Your writing will identify the stance and prove that it is false.
4. Write an informative essay that meets the following expectations:
   1. Establishes and maintains formal an objective tone
   2. Uses words, phrases, and clauses to link each section of writing together and creates cohesion between claims and evidence
   3. Follows expectations of conventions
5. Provide a concluding paragraph that:
   1. Synthesizes your original claim
   2. Summarizes your key points
   3. Adds concluding thoughts
6. Cite your primary source and this lesson as a secondary source at the bottom of your essay.