Description of lesson/activity
1. describe a series of events that reflect United States foreign policy between 1783 and 1823.
2. describe the relationships between the United States and other countries between 1783 and 1823.
3. show how the role of the United States in the world changed between 1783 and 1823.
4. gather information from the textbook and other resources.
5. record information in an organized way.
6. write an essay to demonstrate understanding.
1. The students will have a good understanding of the Constitution and the early problems facing the new government from Unit IV. The teacher should review the outcome of the American Revolution, especially concerning the Treaty of Paris. The Tre aty of Paris is the first foreign policy action in which the United States is recognized as an independent nation.
2. The teacher may want to set the stage by briefly having the students describe the relationship of the United States with other countries in the world today. The focus of the activity is to view the changing role of the United States in its deali ngs with other countries.
3. Students will be presented the following question/problem: "Describe the relationship of the United States with other countries from the Treaty of Paris (1783) to the Monroe Doctrine (1823)." The teacher should make sure the students understan d the scope of the research task.
4. Distribute the student worksheet "United States Foreign Policy." The worksheet contains 15 foreign policy events between 1783 and 1823. The teacher should feel free to add or subtract from this list depending on the resources and time availa ble. Emphasis should be placed on events that show the change in the role of United States.
5. Students will complete the activity by describing the event itself and, more importantly, by describing the relationship between the United States and other countries. The relationship may not be stated directly in the resources; students will need to interpret the relationship on their own or with the teacher's assistance.
6. Students may work as individuals or in groups. The research may be done in class or assigned as homework. Most textbooks describe these events in detail. Additional texts or primary-resource material should be supplied by the teacher as needed. Examples of primary resources included are the Neutrality Proclamation and the Embargo Act.
7. Evaluation of the research is up to the teacher. An example of what teachers should expect is shown below.
Rush-Bagot an agreement with Great showed mutual respect Agreement Britain after the War of 1812 between the United (1818) that banned warships from States and Great either country on the Great Britain Lakes; the border between the U.S. and Canada was to be fortified forever
8. The teacher may want to make sure that students have accurate descriptions of the relationship between the United States and other countries in each event. Do not draw conclusions about the change in relationships at this point. Students will be asked to do this on their own.
9. As a concluding activity, students will be asked to write an essay describing how the role of the United States changed between 1783 and 1823. Distribute the student worksheet "United States Foreign Relations." Directions are provided on the worksheet. Teachers should encourage students to organize their thoughts on the worksheet prior to writing the essay. Evaluation of the essay is up to the teacher. As an alternative, students could draw political cartoons rather than write an essa y, but they would need to write a sentence describing the change in the role of the United States between the two events.
10. At some point in this activity the teacher may want to focus on the contributions of Hispanic culture to early America. The Monroe Doctrine in particular reflects American recognition of Spanish cultures south of the United States.
Resource 1: United States Foreign Policy Worksheet
Resource 2: United States Foreign Relations Worksheet