+
Website
Country Studies US

Country Studies: Panama the 1903 Treaty and Qualified Independence

For Students 9th - 10th
A canal between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans had been the dream of several countires for years. Read about how the United States supported Panama's breakaway from Colombia in order to gain access to the isthmus of Panama, the final...
+
Handout
Other

Encyclopedia of the New American Nation: Open Door Policy

For Students 9th - 10th
Find an extensive, seven-part discussion of the Open Door Policy, with which the United States attempted to gain a foothold in trade with China. Read about the origin of the policy, and find out whether it was a success.
+
eBook
OpenStax

Open Stax: American Foreign Policy 1890 1914: Economic Imperialism in East Asia

For Students 11th - 12th
As America's economic prowess grew, it was able to harness this power to expand its imperialistic arm into China. This mutually beneficial relationship lasted until after World War II when China became a communist country.
+
Website
Digital History

Digital History: How the Us Obtained the Panama Canal [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
The story behind building a canal through the isthmus of Panama is one of incompetence and corruption on the part of the French, who first attempted the feat. Many of the actions of the United States in acquiring the land through which...
+
Website
University of Virginia

Miller Center at Uva: u.s. Presidents: William Mc Kinley: Foreign Affairs

For Students 9th - 10th
A good description of the foreign policy of President Wiliam McKinley including infornation about the Spanish-American War, the Open Door policy, and the annexation of the Hawaiian Islands.
+
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Reaching to Asia

For Students 5th - 8th
Read about American entrance into the spheres of influence in Asia beginning as early as Commadore Perry and his opening of Japan. Find out about American policy in China, Theodore Roosevelt's Nobel Peace Prize, and U.S. relations with...